The Picture of Dorian Gray
Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. 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.
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Community Reviews
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic that has been on my TBR for years, and was voted as the latest discussion book by our book club at the library.
I first started listening to the audio but was having trouble getting into it and following along, so I started over and switched to print. It was definitely the right choice for me, and at about halfway through I switched to listening to the audio while reading along with the book and found it intriguing.
I thought the subject matter was pretty forward thinking for the time and could see why it was viewed as so controversial. It pushes moral boundaries and brings to light some of the uglier sides of humanity.
While overtly sexist towards women, it felt relative to the time.
The Picture of Dorian Gray provided a lot of discussion points, and overall our group was split 50/50 on the "yea" or "nay".
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