The Picture of Dorian Gray

Is the price of eternal youth worth a man’s soul? The exceptionally handsome Dorian Gray is a model—and the muse—for a young artist, Basil Hallward. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, who values only the pleasurable things in life with no regard for morality. He makes Dorian realize that one day his famed beauty will fade, and he will be left with nothing. Dorian decides to sell his soul so that a portrait of him will age in his place. As he indulges in every vice and selfish whim, his portrait grows increasingly hideous. But will he learn the true cost of his corruption in time to change his ways? This unabridged edition of British playwright Oscar Wilde’s only novel, first published in 1891, begins with his famous preface, in which he justifies his artistic philosophy.