Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Gothic and philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde

Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward an artist impressed and infatuated by Dorians beauty; he believes that Dorians beauty is responsible for the new mood in his art as a painter. Through Basil Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrats hedonistic world view: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life.Newly understanding that his beauty will fade Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul to ensure that the picture rather than he will age and fade. The wish is granted and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while his portrait ages and records every sin.The Picture of Dorian Gray is a Gothic and philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde first published complete in the July 1890 issue of Lippincotts Monthly Magazine. Fearing the story was indecent the magazines editor deleted roughly five hundred words before publication without Wildes knowledge. Despite that censorship The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding public morality. In response Wilde aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press although he personally made excisions of some of the most controversial material when revising and lengthening the story for book publication the following year.Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 - 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s he became one of Londons most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency imprisonment and early death at age 46.