The Picture of Dorian Gray: Original and Unabridged

Publisher Marketing: The Picture of Dorian Gray, is the only novel written by the playwright "Oscar Wilde." Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied and amoral experiences; all the while his portrait ages and records every soul-corrupting sin. First published as a serial story, the editors feared the story was indecent, and deleted five hundred words before publication - without Wilde's knowledge. Despite that censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding the public morality. In response, Wilde aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press. Wilde revised and expanded the magazine edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) for publication as a novel; the book edition (1891) featured an aphoristic preface - an apologia about the art of the novel and the reader. The content, style, and presentation of the preface made it famous in its own literary right, as social and cultural criticism. As literature of the 19th century, The Picture of Dorian Gray is an example of Gothic fiction with strong themes interpreted from the legendary Faust. Review Citations: School Library Journal 11/01/2009 pg. 138 (EAN 9781602706804, Library Binding) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2010 pg. 65 (EAN 9781602706804, Library Binding) People Weekly 07/21/2008 pg. 57 (EAN 9780809599943, Paperback) Booklist 05/15/2001 pg. 1746 (EAN 9780670894956, Paperback) School Library Journal 08/01/2001 pg. 190 (EAN 9780670894956, Paperback) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2001 pg. 327 (EAN 9780670894956, Paperback) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2001 pg. 327 (EAN 9780670894956, Paperback) Booklist 05/15/2001 pg. 1746 (EAN 9780670894949, Hardcover) School Library Journal 08/01/2001 pg. 190 (EAN 9780670894949, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2001 pg. 327 (EAN 9780670894949, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2001 pg. 327 (EAN 9780670894949, Hardcover) Ingram Paperback Advance 09/01/1999 pg. 17 (EAN 9780812567113, Mass Market Paperbound) Library Journal 10/01/1998 pg. 141 (EAN 9781551111261, Paperback) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/1995 pg. 701 (EAN 9780394605142, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 04/04/2011 (EAN 9780674057920, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Library Journal 05/01/2011 pg. 84 (EAN 9780674057920, Hardcover) Books & Culture 07/01/2011 pg. 35 (EAN 9780674057920, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 12/11/2009 pg. 119 (EAN 9780141442464, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Wilde, Oscar Oscar Wilde was a Victorian-era British author and playwright. In his youth, Wilde became attached to the Aesthetic Movement, which emphasized the appreciation of the aesthetic value of cultural creations above social or political purposes, and this philosophy influenced his work throughout his career. The themes of art and beauty are particularly present in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, , and in his two most popular dramatic works, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest. A quarrel with the Marquess of Queensberry, the father of Wilde s lover, Lord Alfred, resulted in Wilde s arrest and imprisonment for gross indecency. Wilde died in 1900, penniless and in exile, as a result of cerebral meningitis contracted while in prison.