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

About the Book

When published in 1890, Oscar Wilde's version of the Faust myth, wherein a fashionable young man sells his soul for eternal youth while his portrait grows old, was attacked for its "mawkish and nauseous" tone. However, the novel has fascinated readers for over a century. This Paperback Classic edition includes an Introduction by Quentin Crisp.

Book Synopsis

Oscar Wilde's classic, alluring novel of a man so obsessed with his appearance that he sacrifices his soul for eternal youth--with an introduction by Jeffrey Eugenides

Now a critically acclaimed Broadway play starring Sarah Snook!

Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read

Fascinated by his own beautiful portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian pact to exchange his soul for perpetual youth and beauty. Guided by Lord Henry Wotton, he embarks on a life of corruption, satisfying his desires while still appearing as a respectable gentleman to society. Only Dorian's portrait shows the signs of his moral decline.

An insightful depiction of a hidden life and a critique of the darker facets of late Victorian society, The Picture of Dorian Gray provides a chilling portrayal of a man confronting the reality of his soul. Shocking in its implications of forbidden transgressions, this novel was later used as evidence against Oscar Wilde during his 1895 trial for indecency.

About the Author

Jeffrey Eugenides is the award-winning author of The Virgin Suicides; Middlesex, which won a Pulitzer Prize; and The Marriage Plot. Originally from Michigan, and educated at Brown University, he now lives in Berlin with his wife.