The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde, Robert Mighall

Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · February 4, 2003

A Classics pick for readers exploring The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Wilde pairs a secret double life with a portrait of late Victorian society’s darker side.
Themes
Decadence and moral corruption, Victorian society, The soul and personal morality
Genres
Gothic Romance, The Classics, Horror

About this book

An astounding novel of decadence, debauchery, and secrecy from one of Ireland's greatest writers. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty.

Continue reading

Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only Dorian's picture bears the traces of his decadence. A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society. The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a disturbing portrait of an individual coming face to face with the reality of his soul. Shocking in its suggestion of unspeakable sin, this novel was later used as evidence against Wilde when he was tried for indecency in 1895. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Beauty’s Shadow

Wilde pairs a secret double life with a portrait of late Victorian society’s darker side.

Come here for

  • Gothic unease wrapped in questions of beauty, secrecy, and the soul
  • A sharp look at late Victorian respectability and its shadows

Expect

  • Decadence and moral unease, rather than simple horror
  • A disturbing reckoning with what beauty can conceal

Where it sits

Gothic Romance53%
The Classics51%
Horror35%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • The Classics
  • Literary Fiction
  • Psychological Fiction
Authors
Oscar Wilde, Robert Mighall
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
February 4, 2003
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Decadence and moral corruption · Victorian society · The soul and personal morality
Reading lane
The Classics