The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a novel renowned for its rich symbolism and vivid characters. Published originally in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890, it remains one of the most well-known works of the Victorian-era.

The central character of the story is Dorian Gray, a handsome young man who falls in love with his portrait painted by Hungarian artist Basil Hallward. He expresses his wish to stay beautiful yet untarnished by time, thus setting in motion a moral dilemma that would haunt him for the rest of the novel.

The painting of Dorian becomes the metaphorical vehicle of his soul, and when Dorian makes a Faustian bargain to remain young and beautiful while having the painting take on all the signs of his dissipating morality, it sets a sequence of events in motion that would lead to Dorian's eventual downfall.

The novel chronicles the tragic life of a man whose outward beauty masks his inner depravity. That depravity comes in the form of the avowal by Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of the painting's artist, Basil Hallward, to corrupt Dorian's relentless pursuit for pleasure and hedonism. With incremental teaching, Wotton introduces Dorian to the depth of human flaws and excesses and Dorian yearns for wild adventure and experiences with each passing day.

At the same time, Dorian's inner guilt and sense of responsibility constantly battle with his desire to escape from the painting's commemoration of his villainy. His transgression and resulting deep remorse only increase when he begins to seriously consider killing Basil, the artist of the painting, in order to rid himself of his moral conscience. This leads to Dorian's eventual death at the hands of a mob, leading to a haunting claim: “The world has grown old and selfish”.

The novel has been praised for capturing the Victorian Era in its entirety - the idea of a prolonged summer, the idea of 'scandal' and characters like Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward grippingly depicting the life of the era's aristocratic elite.

The Picture of Dorian Gray has been adapted numerous times for stage and film. Whether one prefers the novel's haunting tone, the morality tale's enduring relevance or the colorful characters, The Picture of Dorian Gray stands out as an evergreen work of literature. It is a fascinating exploration of the depths of human depravity, a captivating story of beauty and consequence, and a timeless masterpiece.