Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1890 and is a masterpiece of literature that deserves its place among the greatest classics in history.
Dorian is a man who delights in the hedonistic worldview of aristocrat Henry Wotton, who considers beauty and sexual satisfaction to be the only things that matter in life. He wants to sell his soul so that only an oil-painted portrait of him will age and disappear, and he will keep his youth forever. Like Faust, Dorian has his wish granted and lives a libertine and amoral life.
Aesthetic obsession and the life of appearances are central themes of The Portrait of Dorian Gray, an unparalleled narrative about moral decay in exchange for worldly pleasures.
Circa l’autore
Oscar Wilde (Dublin, Ireland, 1854 – Paris, France, 1900), author and critic, was a popular literary figure in late 19th century London. After graduating from Oxford University, he moved to London to pursue a literary career. He became involved in the Aesthetic movement, which advocated art for art’s sake. A celebrated playwright, he wrote and produced very popular comedies, including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), was panned as immoral by Victorian critics, but is now considered one of his most notable works. Married with two children, Wilde was unconventional in his writing and his life. His affair with a young man led to his arrest on charges of ‘gross indecency’ in 1895, and he was sentenced to two years of hard labor (1895-1897). With his health damaged and his reputation ruined, he died in poverty three years after his release, at the age of 46.
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