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The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Original 1890 Edition
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde tells the story of a young man, Dorian Gray, whose beauty captivates artist Basil Hallward. When Dorian's portrait is painted, he wishes that he could remain forever young while the painting ages in his place. His wish comes true, leading him down a path of hedonism and moral decay. As Dorian indulges in a life of excess and vice, the portrait reflects the consequences of his actions, becoming a grotesque representation of his corrupted soul. Wilde’s novel explores themes of aestheticism, the nature of beauty, and the duality of human nature, ultimately questioning the cost of living a life devoid of moral responsibility.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 25, 2024
About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,971 books39.7k followersOscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 1, 2024
RIP Dorian Grey you would’ve loved retinol and anti-aging straws 😔
January 15, 2026
icl hes so real for that i too would do this i just need to get skinny first bc skinny is back in fashion and guys it scares me
June 16, 2026
I read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde in April, and it stayed with me as if it were my favorite book lol. Unlike many classics I had read before it, this one didn’t rely on external conflict or complex plot structure to make its point. Instead, it slowly pulled me into a psychological and moral decay that felt subtle at first, then increasingly disturbing the more I got deeper in the book afterward.
What fascinated me most was how the novel explores beauty, influence, and identity. Dorian begins as someone who is admired simply for his appearance, almost as if his beauty replaces his character in the eyes of others. The idea that a portrait could absorb the consequences of one’s actions while the person remains outwardly untouched created a powerful symbolic split between appearance and morality.
One quote that stayed with me is: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” This line captures the dangerous philosophy that slowly shapes Dorian’s choices. It reflects a mindset where self-indulgence is justified as freedom, even when it leads to moral collapse. What struck me most is how calmly the novel presents ideas that are, in reality, deeply destructive. Wilde doesn’t need to force the horror; it develops naturally from belief systems that initially seem attractive or even logical.
I was also drawn to the influence of Basil, the painter, and Lord Henry. Basil represents genuine admiration and emotional connection, while Lord Henry represents seductive intellectual corruption. Dorian becomes caught between them, but what stood out to me most is how easily he abandons genuine care in favor of fascination and aesthetic pleasure. That contrast made me think about how influence works in real life—how people can be shaped not just by what they believe, but by who they listen to most.
The line I wrote in my notes while reading—“to be loved by the painter, and not to be friends with the painter’s friends”—captures what I felt was one of the most interesting tensions in the story. There is something deeply intimate and almost sacred about Basil’s love for Dorian, yet Dorian distances himself from that sincerity while gravitating toward relationships that are more superficial and intellectually intoxicating. It felt like a quiet commentary on how easily authentic connection can be replaced by charm, status, or curiosity. What I appreciated most was how the novel treats morality not as something external and enforced, but as something internal and slowly eroded. The portrait itself becomes a symbol of conscience—something hidden, something ignored, but never fully escaped. The more Dorian separates himself from consequences, the more detached he becomes from empathy and responsibility. It is not sudden corruption, but gradual erosion, which makes it feel more realistic and disturbing.
The novel also made me think about how identity is shaped by perception. Dorian is constantly seen as beautiful, pure, and unchanged, even when his actions suggest otherwise. That disconnect between how others see him and who he is becoming creates a kind of psychological isolation. It reminded me that being admired externally does not necessarily protect someone from internal fragmentation. Compared to other classics I’ve read, this one felt less about external philosophy and more about internal collapse. It doesn’t just ask what beauty is—it asks what happens when beauty becomes the only thing that matters. That question lingers more than any specific event in the story. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is elegant, disturbing, and psychologically rich, and it left me thinking about influence, identity, and morality long after I finished it. It feels like a story that becomes more uncomfortable the more you understand it, which is exactly what made it so memorable.
What fascinated me most was how the novel explores beauty, influence, and identity. Dorian begins as someone who is admired simply for his appearance, almost as if his beauty replaces his character in the eyes of others. The idea that a portrait could absorb the consequences of one’s actions while the person remains outwardly untouched created a powerful symbolic split between appearance and morality.
One quote that stayed with me is: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” This line captures the dangerous philosophy that slowly shapes Dorian’s choices. It reflects a mindset where self-indulgence is justified as freedom, even when it leads to moral collapse. What struck me most is how calmly the novel presents ideas that are, in reality, deeply destructive. Wilde doesn’t need to force the horror; it develops naturally from belief systems that initially seem attractive or even logical.
I was also drawn to the influence of Basil, the painter, and Lord Henry. Basil represents genuine admiration and emotional connection, while Lord Henry represents seductive intellectual corruption. Dorian becomes caught between them, but what stood out to me most is how easily he abandons genuine care in favor of fascination and aesthetic pleasure. That contrast made me think about how influence works in real life—how people can be shaped not just by what they believe, but by who they listen to most.
The line I wrote in my notes while reading—“to be loved by the painter, and not to be friends with the painter’s friends”—captures what I felt was one of the most interesting tensions in the story. There is something deeply intimate and almost sacred about Basil’s love for Dorian, yet Dorian distances himself from that sincerity while gravitating toward relationships that are more superficial and intellectually intoxicating. It felt like a quiet commentary on how easily authentic connection can be replaced by charm, status, or curiosity. What I appreciated most was how the novel treats morality not as something external and enforced, but as something internal and slowly eroded. The portrait itself becomes a symbol of conscience—something hidden, something ignored, but never fully escaped. The more Dorian separates himself from consequences, the more detached he becomes from empathy and responsibility. It is not sudden corruption, but gradual erosion, which makes it feel more realistic and disturbing.
The novel also made me think about how identity is shaped by perception. Dorian is constantly seen as beautiful, pure, and unchanged, even when his actions suggest otherwise. That disconnect between how others see him and who he is becoming creates a kind of psychological isolation. It reminded me that being admired externally does not necessarily protect someone from internal fragmentation. Compared to other classics I’ve read, this one felt less about external philosophy and more about internal collapse. It doesn’t just ask what beauty is—it asks what happens when beauty becomes the only thing that matters. That question lingers more than any specific event in the story. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is elegant, disturbing, and psychologically rich, and it left me thinking about influence, identity, and morality long after I finished it. It feels like a story that becomes more uncomfortable the more you understand it, which is exactly what made it so memorable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2026
After reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I decided I needed to read (what I assume to be) its inspiration: The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde’s lone novel is a classic that holds up.
Dorian Gray is young, gorgeous, wealthy and living his best life at the end of the 19th century. He is also vain, narcissistic, callous and detached. After he falls in love with the image of himself as painted by Basil Hallward, he inadvertently makes a deal with the devil wherein he will maintain his youth and beauty, while the image in the portrait deteriorates. With each increasingly decadent and corrupt choice Dorian makes, his indifference to humanity escalates, leaving a trail of castoffs in his wake…including his very soul.
The ending was appropriately ironic as the very thing used to preserve Dorian’s beauty becomes the instrument of his downfall.
I thought that the first quarter got off to a slow start, and there was one chapter in the middle that just described a bunch of fancy things for pages and pages which I could have done without. Otherwise, Wilde really hit the mark. This was a commentary on decadence and conceit that still felt relatable 135 years later.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dorian Gray is young, gorgeous, wealthy and living his best life at the end of the 19th century. He is also vain, narcissistic, callous and detached. After he falls in love with the image of himself as painted by Basil Hallward, he inadvertently makes a deal with the devil wherein he will maintain his youth and beauty, while the image in the portrait deteriorates. With each increasingly decadent and corrupt choice Dorian makes, his indifference to humanity escalates, leaving a trail of castoffs in his wake…including his very soul.
The ending was appropriately ironic as the very thing used to preserve Dorian’s beauty becomes the instrument of his downfall.
I thought that the first quarter got off to a slow start, and there was one chapter in the middle that just described a bunch of fancy things for pages and pages which I could have done without. Otherwise, Wilde really hit the mark. This was a commentary on decadence and conceit that still felt relatable 135 years later.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 3, 2026
ngl my boy Oscar kinda yapped a lot for the monologues, and then I started to zone out- but lets be honest you kinda gotta yap to let out those evil thoughts. The book was pretty good tho, I feel like there's a lot of things that them smart people can probably dissect better than me because of the Shakespeare ahh language. But fr tho I liked the ending, kinda makes you rethink Dorian as a whole, and prob what he was on because FR HE WAS DELULU
February 21, 2026
It was wonderfully written I really enjoyed, I’d like a friend like Lord Henry one day, even though he would probably ruin me. I’m still thinking about the ending and what it means, perhaps that you need to confront your sins and your past. That if you try to hide it away, it eats at your soul, and if in the end you try to kill it, it ends up killing you.
January 6, 2026
I love this book so much but chapter 10 was so fucking boring what were you doing Oscar Wilde?? Also the random antisemitism?? If he didn’t die in 1900 he’d have been #cancelled
This book was so good tho
Justice for Basil
This book was so good tho
Justice for Basil
January 22, 2026
Great story but way too long, although I like how the lack of conciseness goes into the theme of art for art’s sake. He adds things in that do not further the plot simply because it’s pretty. Although this does leave the reader a bit bored. Did not like the antisemitism 😔
December 22, 2025
4 stars because they didnt even kiss💔 lord henry needs to stfu
January 1, 2025
There were some things I didn’t enjoy about reading this book, though admittedly I believe they were things that were not meant to be appealing. Often I hated the way Lord Henry spoke. I think he was meant to be sort of unlikable in a way. I thought the story overall was very interesting. Sometimes the descriptions bored me a little. But I thought it really picked up toward the end. I definitely think it’s worth the read.
July 17, 2025
Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a haunting and beautifully crafted gothic tale that explores the darker sides of beauty and desire. From the moment you begin, Wilde’s elegant prose pulls you into a world where charm masks unsettling secrets, and every choice carries weight beyond what meets the eye.
This novel strikes a perfect balance between eerie atmosphere and deep philosophical questions about youth, morality, and identity. The characters feel vivid and real, caught in a web of temptation and consequence that feels as relevant now as it was when first published.
Set against the decadent backdrop of Victorian London, the story’s gothic mood seeps into every page, wrapping you in mystery and intrigue without ever losing its emotional core.
Wilde’s sharp wit and poetic style make this a timeless classic that is both captivating and thought-provoking. For anyone drawn to gothic literature with substance and style, this is a must-read — easily deserving a full 5 stars.
This novel strikes a perfect balance between eerie atmosphere and deep philosophical questions about youth, morality, and identity. The characters feel vivid and real, caught in a web of temptation and consequence that feels as relevant now as it was when first published.
Set against the decadent backdrop of Victorian London, the story’s gothic mood seeps into every page, wrapping you in mystery and intrigue without ever losing its emotional core.
Wilde’s sharp wit and poetic style make this a timeless classic that is both captivating and thought-provoking. For anyone drawn to gothic literature with substance and style, this is a must-read — easily deserving a full 5 stars.
September 28, 2024
One of my all time faves <3
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews