The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
In its first publication, this unique novel caused numerous hostile reviews, mostly due to its immoral content. Oscar Wilde was defined by the nineteenth-century "art for art's sake" movement, which did not subordinate art to ethical rules. However, this novel is really a moral story about the dangers of selfish self-deprecation. "If it were me," Dorian exclaims, "who would always have to be young and the picture that should have aged ... I would give my soul for this. "With that, the story of Dorian Gray, this incredibly beautiful young hero, begins. His covenant with evil allows him to take on the many sins and corruptions of his portrait, while his physical appearance remains youthful. As the years go by, becoming cruel and cruel, even murderous, Dorian's young and perfect body is no longer enough to save his corrupted mind and morals. Will justice and good victory win?
