The Picture of Dorian Gray | Summary, Legacy, & Facts (2024)

Table of Contents
Summary Legacy References

novel by Wilde

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

printPrint

Please select which sections you would like to print:

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Written by

Ronan McDonald Dr. Ronan McDonald is Director of the Samuel Beckett International Foundation and Lecturer in the School of English atthe University of Reading. His publications include Tragedy and Irish Literature...

Ronan McDonald

Fact-checked by

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Article History

The Picture of Dorian Gray, moral fantasy novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde, published in an early form in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890. The novel, the only one written by Wilde, had six additional chapters when it was released as a book in 1891. The work, an archetypal tale of a young man who purchases eternal youth at the expense of his soul, was a romantic exposition of Wilde’s own Aestheticism.

Summary

The story begins in the art studio of Basil Hallward, who is discussing a current painting with his witty and amoral friend Lord Henry Wotton. Henry thinks that the painting, a portrait of an extraordinarily beautiful young man, should be displayed, but Basil disagrees, fearing that his obsession with the portrait’s subject, Dorian Gray, can be seen in the work. Dorian then arrives, and he is fascinated as Henry explains his belief that one should live life to the fullest by indulging one’s impulses. Henry also points out that beauty and youth are fleeting, and Dorian declares that he would give his soul if the portrait were to grow old and wrinkled while he remained young and handsome. Basil gives the painting to Dorian.

Britannica QuizFamous Novels, First Lines Quiz

Henry decides to take on the project of molding Dorian’s personality. A few weeks later, Dorian tells Henry that he has fallen in love with an actress, Sibyl Vane, because of her great beauty and acting talent. Henry and Basil go with him to a dingy theatre to see Sibyl, but her performance is terrible. Sibyl explains to Dorian that now that she knows what real love is, she can no longer pretend to be in love on stage. Dorian is repulsed and wants nothing further to do with her. When he returns home, he sees a cruel expression on the face of his portrait, and he decides to seek Sibyl’s forgiveness. Henry arrives the next day, however, with news that Sibyl committed suicide the previous night, and he convinces Dorian that there is no reason for him to feel badly about it.

Dorian has the portrait removed to his attic. Henry sends Dorian a book that he finds poisonous and fascinating (critics have suggested that it might be Against the Grain by Joris-Karl Huysmans). Under the book’s influence, Dorian spends the next 18 years in the pursuit of capricious and sybaritic excess, and he becomes increasingly drawn to evil. He frequently visits the portrait, noting the signs of aging and of corruption that appear, though he himself remains unblemished.

One evening he runs into Basil, who tells him that there are rumours that he has destroyed the lives and reputations of many people. Dorian, however, refuses to accept blame. Basil declares that he clearly does not know Dorian, who responds by taking him to the attic to see the portrait. The painting has become horrifying. Basil tells Dorian that if this is a reflection of his soul, he must repent and pray for forgiveness, and a suddenly enraged Dorian murders Basil. He blackmails another former friend into disposing of the body.

Dorian goes to an opium den, where Sibyl’s vengeful brother, James, finds him, but the fact that Dorian still appears quite young dissuades him from acting. However, another patron of the den later divulges Dorian’s age. At a subsequent hunting party at Dorian’s country estate, one of the hunters accidentally shoots and kills James, who was hiding in a thicket.

Are you a student? Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium.

Learn More

Some weeks later Dorian tells Henry that he has decided to become virtuous and recently decided against taking advantage of a young girl who was smitten with him. Dorian goes to see if the portrait has improved because of his honourable act, but he sees rather that it has acquired a look of cunning. He decides to destroy the portrait and stabs it with a knife. His servants hear a scream, and, when they arrive, they see a loathsome old man dead on the floor with a knife in his chest and a portrait of the beautiful young man he once was.

Legacy

“There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book,” wrote Wilde. “Book are well written, or badly written. That is all.” The aphorisms that make up the “Preface” of Wilde’s novel were his response to those critics who had denounced the immorality and unhealthiness of this story after its scandalous first appearance in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. However, for all its transgressive delights, The Picture of Dorian Gray could easily be read as a profoundly moral book, even a cautionary tale against the dangers of vice. Dorian’s descent into moral squalor is neither admirable nor enviable. Indeed, the beautiful boy is the least interesting character in the book that bears his name. To be sure, it is the epigrammatic wit of Lord Henry Wotton that encourages Dorian on his quest for sensuality and sensation, but Dorian’s values pervert the deeply serious Wildean ethic that they superficially resemble. Whereas Wilde’s essays advocated individualism and self-realization as a route to a richer life and a more just society, Dorian follows a path of hedonism, self-indulgence, and the objectification of others. It is nonetheless a story that poignantly reflects Wilde’s own double life and anticipates his own fall. Dorian’s negation, “Ugliness was the one reality,” neatly summarizes Wilde’s Aestheticism, both his love of the beautiful and his fascination with the profane.

Publication of the novel scandalized Victorian England, and The Picture of Dorian Gray was used as evidence against Wilde when he was tried and convicted in 1895 on charges related to hom*osexuality. The novel became a classic of English literature and was adapted into a number of films, most notably a 1945 version that was directed by Albert Lewin and received three Academy Award nominations.

Ronan McDonald The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Picture of Dorian Gray | Summary, Legacy, & Facts (2024)

References

Top Articles
Venmo Promotions: $10 Sign up Bonus + $10 Per Referral | 2024
Venmo Promotions: $10 Bonus, 1% – 5% Cash Back Offers
Uihc Family Medicine
Ross Dress For Less Hiring Near Me
Evita Role Wsj Crossword Clue
Sports Clips Plant City
Marion County Wv Tax Maps
Aucklanders brace for gales, hail, cold temperatures, possible blackouts; snow falls in Chch
Michigan cannot fire coach Sherrone Moore for cause for known NCAA violations in sign-stealing case
Puretalkusa.com/Amac
1-833-955-4522
Hocus Pocus Showtimes Near Amstar Cinema 16 - Macon
Gia_Divine
Gayla Glenn Harris County Texas Update
Hobby Stores Near Me Now
Grimes County Busted Newspaper
Isaidup
Military life insurance and survivor benefits | USAGov
The EyeDoctors Optometrists, 1835 NW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS 66608, US - MapQuest
11 Ways to Sell a Car on Craigslist - wikiHow
Urban Dictionary Fov
Cb2 South Coast Plaza
Fiona Shaw on Ireland: ‘It is one of the most successful countries in the world. It wasn’t when I left it’
Mcclendon's Near Me
Paradise Point Animal Hospital With Veterinarians On-The-Go
Dairy Queen Lobby Hours
Home Auctions - Real Estate Auctions
Roadtoutopiasweepstakes.con
Salons Open Near Me Today
Graphic Look Inside Jeffrey Dresser
2487872771
Chilangos Hillsborough Nj
Autozone Locations Near Me
Case Funeral Home Obituaries
3400 Grams In Pounds
Mckinley rugzak - Mode accessoires kopen? Ruime keuze
Smith And Wesson Nra Instructor Discount
Check From Po Box 1111 Charlotte Nc 28201
Prior Authorization Requirements for Health Insurance Marketplace
Weather Underground Cedar Rapids
Bunkr Public Albums
Conan Exiles Armor Flexibility Kit
Arcane Bloodline Pathfinder
Random Animal Hybrid Generator Wheel
Samsung 9C8
Costner-Maloy Funeral Home Obituaries
Is Chanel West Coast Pregnant Due Date
Rocket Bot Royale Unblocked Games 66
View From My Seat Madison Square Garden
Competitive Comparison
Famous Dave's BBQ Catering, BBQ Catering Packages, Handcrafted Catering, Famous Dave's | Famous Dave's BBQ Restaurant
Stone Eater Bike Park
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Van Hayes

Last Updated:

Views: 5756

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Van Hayes

Birthday: 1994-06-07

Address: 2004 Kling Rapid, New Destiny, MT 64658-2367

Phone: +512425013758

Job: National Farming Director

Hobby: Reading, Polo, Genealogy, amateur radio, Scouting, Stand-up comedy, Cryptography

Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.