The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde's only novel: a portrait ages while its subject stays beautiful and rots morally.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Oscar Wilde

type

Gothic / philosophical fantasy

era

Late Victorian (1890–1891)

language

English

setting

Mayfair London and opium dens east

parts

13 chapters

Relative Scale in Novels

Core Principles & Analysis

• First appeared in Lippincott's Magazine in 1890, revised and expanded for the 1891 book.
• Lord Henry's hedonist lecture is the poison the story tests.
• The novel was read aloud against Wilde at his 1895 trials.

Sources

• Wikipedia: The Picture of Dorian Gray