The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde explores themes of vanity, morality, and the pursuit of pleasure through the story of a handsome young man whose portrait ages and bears the marks of his sins while he remains eternally youthful. Influenced by new friends and their philosophies, Dorian's obsession with preserving his beauty leads him down a path of hedonism, with his hidden portrait serving as a haunting reminder of his conscience. Originally serialized in 1891, the novel delves into the darker side of aestheticism and moral decay.