The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde's vivid and entertaining Gothic parable of the aesthetic ideal. It tells the story of a handsome young man who sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth, then begins leading a double life with shattering consequences for himself and the people around him. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde's only novel, is widely considered one of Wilde's most absorbing and important literary achievements, and its influence on twentieth-century culture and fiction has been long-lasting and profound.