The Picture of Dorian Gray

Enchanted by his own beauty, Dorian Gray wishes that his portrait would age instead of him. His wish comes true. While Dorian remains young and handsome, the painting hidden in his attic grows hideous, recording every cruel act and wasted year. In Victorian London, the witty Lord Henry Wotton leads Dorian into a life of pleasure without conscience. The artist Basil Hallward, who painted the portrait, watches in horror as his muse becomes a monster. When Dorian's influence destroys those who love him, including the innocent Sibyl Vane, the portrait becomes unbearable to behold. Oscar Wilde's only novel is a dazzling Gothic fable about vanity, influence, and the price of the soul. Sparkling with epigrams and paradoxes, it asks what remains of a person who refuses to face themselves. Beautiful, decadent, and haunting, The Picture of Dorian Gray defined aestheticism and still shocks with its vision of beauty corrupted. A must-read classic of horror and philosophy, free forever in this complete public domain edition.