The Picture of Dorian Gray - (Vintage Classics) by Oscar Wilde (Paperback)

About the Book

"Entranced by the perfection of his recently painted portrait, the youthful Dorian Gray expresses a wish that the figure on the canvas could age and change in his place. When his wish comes true, the portrait becomes his hideous secret as he follows a downward trajectory of decadence and cruelty that leaves its traces only in the portrait's degraded image"--Cover, p. [4].

Book Synopsis

Oscar Wilde's enduringly popular story of a beautiful and corrupt man and the portrait that reveals all his secrets--The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel as flamboyant and controversial as its incomparable author.

Entranced by the perfection of his recently painted portrait, the youthful Dorian Gray expresses a wish that the figure on the canvas could age and change in his place. When his wish comes true, the portrait becomes his hideous secret as he follows a downward trajectory of decadence and cruelty that leaves its traces only in the portrait's degraded image.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde's unforgettable portrayal of a Faustian bargain and its consequences, is narrated with his characteristic incisive wit and diamond-sharp prose.

About the Author

OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900) was an Irish writer, poet, and playwright. His novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, brought him lasting recognition, and he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era with a series of witty social satires, including his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest.