The work was originally commissioned by J. M. Stoddart, the managing editor ofLippincott's Monthly Magazine, as a novella in 1889, but after facing public backlash for its perceived immorality, Wilde revised the story. He added a new preface which outlined hisaesthetic philosophy and also expanded the initial narrative with six additional chapters. It was this expanded version which eventually became the novel. Critics have also noted that an earlier story written by Wilde, titledThe Portrait of Mr. W. H. and published in 1889, has several of the themes and styles seen in this novel. The story itself originated from a conversation Wilde had with his friend, artist Basil Ward, who was an early version of the character Basil Hallward.
The story revolves around aportrait ofDorian Gray painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat'shedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Knowing that he will lose his beauty with time, Dorian impulsively chooses tosell his soul and asks for the portrait, rather than himself, to age and fade. His wish granted, Dorian pursues alibertine life of varied immoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and visually records every one of Dorian'ssins.[3] Wilde used severalaphorisms to explain the role of the artist in society, the purpose and utility of artistic representations, and the value of beauty. He also uses the themes of morality and influence to explore various societal values and ethics, individual relationships and personal choices, and their role in shaping an individual's moral compass.
The novel was initially subjected to much controversy and criticism in its time even after its revisions, with publishers sometimes withdrawing it from public circulation. Since the 20th century, however, there has been a surge in interest and it is now recognised as one of Wilde's best-known publications. It remains an important work as the novel is a direct commentary on theaesthetic movement of the 19th century, and is regarded as a centerpiece of the movement, which emphasised beauty and art for art's sake.
Plaque commemorating the dinner between Wilde, Doyle and the publisher on 30 August 1889 at 1 Portland Place, Regent Street, London
In 1882, Oscar Wilde metFrances Richards in Ottawa, where he visited her studios. In 1887, Richards moved to London where she renewed her acquaintance with Wilde and painted his portrait. Wilde described that incident as being the inspiration for the novel:
In December, 1887, I gave a sitting to a Canadian artist who was staying with some friends of hers and mine in South Kensington. When the sitting was over, and I had looked at the portrait, I said in jest, 'What a tragic thing it is. This portrait will never grow older and I shall. If it was only the other way!' The moment I had said this it occurred to me what a capital plot the idea would make for a story. The result is 'Dorian Gray.'[4]
In 1889,J. M. Stoddart, an editor forLippincott's Monthly Magazine, was in London to solicit novellas to publish in the magazine. On 30 August 1889, Stoddart dined with Oscar Wilde,Sir Arthur Conan Doyle andT. P. Gill[5] at theLangham Hotel, and commissioned novellas from each writer.[6] Doyle promptly submittedThe Sign of the Four, which was published in the February 1890 edition ofLippincott's. Stoddart received Wilde's manuscript forThe Picture of Dorian Gray on 7 April 1890, seven months after having commissioned the novel from him.[6]
In July 1889, Wilde published "The Portrait of Mr. W. H.", a very different story but one that has a similar title toThe Picture of Dorian Gray and has been described as "a preliminary sketch of some of its major themes", including homosexuality.[7][8]
The literary merits ofThe Picture of Dorian Gray impressed Stoddart, but he told the publisher, George Lippincott, "in its present condition there are a number of things an innocent woman would make an exception to."[6] Fearing that the story was indecent, Stoddart deleted around five hundred words without Wilde's knowledge prior to publication. Among the pre-publication deletions were: (i) passages alluding to homosexuality and to homosexual desire; (ii) all references to the fictional book titleLe Secret de Raoul and its author, Catulle Sarrazin; and (iii) all "mistress" references to Gray's lovers, Sibyl Vane and Hetty Merton.[6]
It was published in full as the first 100 pages in both the American and British editions of the July 1890 issue, first printed on 20 June 1890.[9] Later in the year the publisher of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine,Ward, Lock and Company, published a collection of complete novels from the magazine, which included Wilde's.[10]
Original manuscript of one of the 1891 novel's new chapters; here labeled chapter 4, it would end up as chapter 5Thetitle page of theWard Lock & Co 1891 edition ofThe Picture of Dorian Gray with decorative lettering, designed byCharles Ricketts
For the fuller 1891 novel, Wilde retained Stoddart's edits and made some of his own, expanding the text from thirteen to twenty chapters and adding the book's famous preface. Chapters 3, 5, and 15–18 are new, and chapter 13 of the magazine edition was divided into chapters 19 and 20 for the novel.[11] Revisions include changes in character dialogue as well as the addition of the preface, more scenes and chapters, and Sibyl Vane's brother, James Vane.[12]
The edits have been construed as having been done in response to criticism, but Wilde denied this in his 1895trials, only ceding that criticWalter Pater, whom Wilde respected, did write several letters to him "and in consequence of what he said I did modify one passage" that was "liable to misconstruction".[13][14] A number of edits involved obscuringhomoerotic references, to simplify the moral message of the story.[6] In the magazine edition (1890), Basil tells Lord Henry how he "worships" Dorian, and begs him not to "take away the one person that makes my life absolutely lovely to me." In the magazine edition, Basil focuses upon love, whereas, in the book edition (1891), he focuses upon his art, saying to Lord Henry, "the one person who gives my art whatever charm it may possess: my life as an artist depends on him."
Wilde's textual additions were about the "fleshing out of Dorian as a character" and providing details of his ancestry that made his "psychological collapse more prolonged and more convincing."[15] The introduction of the James Vane character to the story develops the socio-economic background of the Sibyl Vane character, thus emphasising Dorian's selfishness and foreshadowing James's accurate perception of the essentially immoral character of Dorian Gray; thus, he correctly deduced Dorian's dishonourable intent towards Sibyl. The sub-plot about James Vane's dislike of Dorian gives the novel a Victorian tinge of class struggle.
In April 1891Ward, Lock and Company published the revised version ofThe Picture of Dorian Gray.[16] In the decade after Wilde's death, the authorised edition of the novel was published byCharles Carrington.[17]
The original typescript submitted toLippincott's Monthly Magazine, now housed atUCLA, had been largely forgotten except by professional Wilde scholars until the 2011 publication ofThe Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition by the Belknap Press. This edition includes the roughly 500 words of text deleted by J. M. Stoddart, the story's initial editor, prior to its publication inLippincott's in 1890.[18][19][20][21] For instance, in one scene, Basil Hallward confesses that he has worshipped Dorian Gray with a "romance of feeling", and has never loved a woman.[19]
Following the criticism of the magazine edition of the novel, Wilde wrote a preface in which he indirectly addressed the criticisms in a series of epigrams. The preface was first published inThe Fortnightly Review and then, a month later, in the book version of the novel.[22] The content, style, and presentation of the preface made it famous in its own right as a literary and artistic manifesto in support of artists' rights andart for art's sake.
To communicate how the novel should be read, Wilde usedaphorisms to explain the role of the artist in society, the purpose of art, and the value of beauty. It traces Wilde's cultural exposure toTaoism and to the philosophy of Chuang Tsǔ (Zhuang Zhou). Before writing the preface, Wilde had written a book review ofHerbert Giles's translation of the work of Zhuang Zhou, and in the essay "The Critic as Artist", Oscar Wilde said:
The honest ratepayer and his healthy family have no doubt often mocked at the dome-like forehead of the philosopher, and laughed over the strange perspective of the landscape that lies beneath him. If they really knew who he was, they would tremble. ForChuang Tsǔ spent his life in preaching the great creed of Inaction, and in pointing out the uselessness of all things.[23]
InVictorian England, Lord Henry Wotton observes his friend, artist Basil Hallward, painting the portrait of Dorian Gray, a wealthy young man who is Basil's ultimatemuse. Thehedonistic Lord Henry thinks thatbeauty is the only aspect of life worth pursuing, prompting Dorian to wish that his portrait would age instead of himself.
Under Lord Henry's influence, Dorian fully explores his sensuality, leading to both men neglecting their friendship with Basil. Dorian discovers the actress Sibyl Vane, who performsShakespeare plays in a dingy, working-class theatre. Admiring her talent, Dorian courts her and soon proposes marriage. The enamoured Sibyl calls him "Prince Charming". Her younger brother, James, leaves for a job at sea, but warns Sibyl that if "Prince Charming" harms her, he will murder him.
Dorian invites Basil and Lord Henry to see Sibyl perform in a play.[a] Sibyl, too enamoured with Dorian to act, performs poorly, which makes Basil and Lord Henry think Dorian has fallen in love with Sibyl because of her beauty instead of her talent. Embarrassed, Dorian rejects Sibyl, saying that acting is her beauty; without that, she no longer interests him. Returning home, Dorian notices that the portrait has changed; his wish came true, and the man in the portrait bears a subtle sneer of cruelty.
Conscience-stricken and lonely, Dorian decides to reconcile with Sibyl, writing a letter. However, in the morning, Lord Henry arrives and informs Dorian she has killed herself. Rationalizing his cruelty, the young man decides that he has no need for love since his immortality protects him from any consequence. Dorian locks the portrait up, and for eighteen years, he experiments with everyvice, influenced by a morally poisonous French novel that Lord Henry gave him.
One night, before leaving for Paris, Basil goes to Dorian's house to ask him about rumours of his self-indulgentsensualism. Dorian does not deny his debauchery and takes Basil to see the portrait. The portrait has become so hideous that Basil can only identify it as his by the signature on it. Horrified, Basil beseeches Dorian to pray for salvation; angered by Basil's reaction, Dorian stabs him to death. Dorian then blackmails an old friend, scientist Alan Campbell, into using his knowledge of chemistry to destroy Basil's body. Alan later kills himself.
A 19th-century London opium den (based on fictional accounts of the day)
To escape the guilt of his crime, Dorian goes to anopium den, where, unbeknownst to him, an older James Vane is present. James has been seeking vengeance upon Dorian ever since Sibyl's death but had no leads to pursue as the only thing he knew about Dorian was the nickname she called him. There, however, he hears someone refer to Dorian as "Prince Charming". James accosts Dorian, who deceives him into believing he is too young to have known Sibyl, as his face is still that of a young man. James relents and releases Dorian but is then approached by a woman from the den who reproaches James for not killing Dorian. She confirms Dorian's identity and explains that he has not aged in eighteen years.
The death of Dorian Gray (Eugène Dété, after Paul Thiriat)
James begins to stalk Dorian, who starts to fear for his life. During a shooting party, a hunter accidentally kills James, who was lurking in a thicket. On returning to London, Dorian tells the elderly Lord Henry that he will live righteously from now on. His new probity begins with deliberately not breaking the heart of Hetty Merton, his current romantic interest. Dorian wonders if his newly found goodness has rescinded the corruption in the picture but when he looks at it, he sees an even uglier image of himself. From that, Dorian understands that he can never be truly redeemed as he only wishes to be absolved of his sins, without truly believing that what he has done is wrong.Deciding that only a fullconfession will suffice, Dorian finds the knife with which he murdered Basil and stabs the picture in a bout of fury.
His servants awaken on hearing a cry from the locked room; on the street, a passerby who also heard it calls the police. On entering the locked room, the servants find an old man stabbed in the heart, his figure withered and decrepit. They identify the corpse as Dorian only by the rings on the fingers, while the portrait beside him is beautiful again.
The painter Basil Hallward and the aristocrat Lord Henry Wotton observe the picture of Dorian Gray.
Dorian Gray – a handsome, selfish young man enthralled by Lord Henry'shedonism. He indulges in every pleasure and virtually every sin, studying its effect upon him.
Basil Hallward – a deeply moral man, the painter of the portrait, and infatuated with Dorian, whose patronage realises his potential as an artist. The picture of Dorian Gray is Basil's masterpiece.
Lord Henry "Harry" Wotton – an imperiousaristocrat and a decadentdandy who espouses a philosophy of self-indulgent hedonism. Initially Basil's friend, he neglects him for Dorian's beauty. The character of witty Lord Harry is acritique ofVictorian culture at theFin de siècle – of Britain at the end of the 19th century. Lord Harry'slibertine world view corrupts Dorian, who then successfully emulates him. To the aristocrat Harry, the observant artist Basil says, "You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing." Lord Henry takes pleasure in impressing, influencing, and even misleading his acquaintances (to which purpose he bends his considerable wit and eloquence) but appears not to observe his own hedonistic advice, preferring to study himself with scientific detachment. His distinguishing feature is total indifference to the consequences of his actions.
Sibyl Vane – a talented actress and singer, she is a beautiful girl from a poor family with whom Dorian falls in love. Her love for Dorian ruins her acting ability, because she no longer finds pleasure in portraying fictional love as she is now experiencing real love in her life. She commits suicide with poison on learning that Dorian no longer loves her; at that, Lord Henry likens her toOphelia inHamlet.
James Vane – Sibyl's younger brother, a sailor who leaves for Australia. He is very protective of his sister, especially as their mother cares only for Dorian's money. Believing that Dorian means to harm Sibyl, James hesitates to leave, and promises vengeance upon Dorian if any harm befalls her. After Sibyl's suicide, James becomes obsessed with killing Dorian, andstalks him, but a hunter accidentally kills James. The brother's pursuit of vengeance upon the lover (Dorian Gray), for the death of the sister (Sibyl) parallels that ofLaertes' vengeance against Prince Hamlet.
Alan Campbell – chemist and one-time friend of Dorian who ended their friendship when Dorian's libertine reputation devalued such a friendship. Dorian blackmails Alan into destroying the body of the murdered Basil Hallward; Campbell later shoots himself dead.
Lord Fermor – Lord Henry's uncle, who tells his nephew, Lord Henry Wotton, about the familylineage of Dorian Gray.
Adrian Singleton – a youthful friend of Dorian's, whom he evidently introduced to opium addiction, which induced him to forge a cheque and made him a total outcast from his family and social set.
Victoria, Lady Henry Wotton – Lord Henry's wife, whom he treats disdainfully; she later divorces him.
Throughout the novel, Wilde delves into the themes of morality and influence, exploring how societal values, individual relationships, and personal choices intersect to shape one's own moral compass. Dorian initially falls under Lord Henry's influence and "narcissistic perspective on art and life", despite Basil's warnings, but "eventually recognizes its limitations".[24] Through Lord Henry's dialogue, Wilde is suggesting, as professor Dominic Manganiello pointed out, that creating art enacts the innate ability to conjure criminal impulses.[24] Dorian's immersion in the elite social circles of Victorian London exposes him to a culture of superficiality and moral hypocrisy.[25] Supporting this idea, Sheldon W. Liebman offered the example of Wilde's inclusion of a great psychological intellect held by Lord Henry. Before Sybil's death, Henry was also a firm believer in vanity as the origin of a human being's irrationality.[25] This concept is broken for Henry after Sybil is found dead, the irony being that Dorian is the cause of her death and his motives are exactly as Lord Henry has taught them to him.[25]
The novel presents other relationships that influence Dorian's way of life and his perception of the world, proving the influence of society and its values on a person. While Lord Henry is clearly a persona that fascinates and captures Dorian's attention, Manganiello also suggests that Basil is also a person that may "evoke a change of heart" in Dorian.[24] However, at this point in the novel, Dorian has spent far too much time under Lord Henry's wing and brushes Basil off in "appositeness", leading Basil to claim that man has no soul but art does.[24] Dorian's journey serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of succumbing to the temptations of hedonism and moral relativism, highlighting the importance of personal responsibility and moral accountability in navigating the complexities of human existence.[25]
The novel's representation ofhomoeroticism is subtle yet present by manifesting itself through interactions between male characters in a way that challenges the strict social norms ofVictorianEngland.[26] The novel begins with a conversation between Lord Henry and Basil, where Basil reveals his artistic admiration for Dorian, setting the scene for a story with themes such as beauty, art, and the consequences of vanity. The interaction introduces the characters and foreshadows the complicated relationship between the artist and his muse.[3]
It has been noted by scholars that Wilde possibly chose the protagonist's name, Dorian, in reference to theDorians ofancient Greece, argued to have been the first to introduce male same-sex initiation rituals to ancient Greek culture, being an allusion toGreek love.[27]
Similarly,gender roles influence the relationships between characters and form their expectations and behaviors; in particular, the expectations of masculinity and the critique of the Victorian ideal of manhood are seen throughout the narrative.[28] Dorian, with his eternal youth and beauty, challenges traditional male roles and the slow decay of his portrait reflects the deception of societal expectations. Additionally, the few female characters in the story, such as Sybil, are portrayed in ways that critique the limited roles and harsh judgments reserved for women during that era.[28] The novel's exploration of these themes provides commentary on the structures of Victorian society, revealing the performative side of gender roles that restrict and define both men and women.[3][28]
Through the central framing device of the portrait and Dorian's reaction to it, scholars have hinted that Wilde touches heavily on the themes of vanity and egotism within the work, through Dorian finding a medium to investigate both themes' relevance to Victorian society. In chapter 3, Dorian's upbringing is revealed. Dorian's father "was a junior officer in the infantry, 'a penniless fellow'... 'a mere nobody'..." (Wilde 35). According to scholar Richard J. Walker, Dorian's upbringing makes his vanity seemingly a product of it. Walker follows this claim through by showing, in chapter 7, Dorian's high taste. Dorian describes the east as a "Gothic creation with its 'dimly-lit streets' and 'evil-looking houses'" inhabited by"'[w]omen with horses voices,' drunkards that curse and chatter 'like monstrous apes', and 'grotesque children'" (Wilde 86/Walker 92).[29] Walker, through this passage, makes the claim that Dorian's vanity makes him see anything that he doesn't have less than desirable.
Scholars have argued Dorian's downward spiral does not start until the painter Basil Hallward is captivated by his charms. According to Aati Alaati, a scholar who delves into the themes of decadence and vanity in his own writings, "Basil thinks that art should be unconscious, ideal, and remote, but he shows an extreme degree of self-consciousness" (Alaati, 13).[30] We see how prior to the book's start Hallward's influence bleeds into Dorian, an influence that becomes more prominent once Lord Henry warns Dorian about the beauty he would lose through aging. Dorian goes as far as to say that "youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old, I shall kill myself" (Wilde, 28). Through the influence of Lord Henry, Basil starts to notice how Lord Henry is molding Dorian Gray to living a corrupt double life. According to Dominic Mangianello, Dorian starts to believe that "sin no longer ravishes the beauty of the soul, as in the traditional view, but rather helps it to flourish", therefore allowing him to validate doing whatever he pleases as long as it feels good (Manganiello 26).[31] Due to Henry's influence, Dorian becomes a self-centered and vain person, which ultimately becomes the reason for his fall into depravity. Dorian acts on hedonism, which leads him to becoming self-destructive and corrupt. This is why his portrait rots as he sins. Sarah Kofman says in her book Enigmas that "Dorian's soul, which has not yet lost its purity and innocence, becomes the object of desire for two men who want to attract it in opposite directions: one on whom he himself 'exercises' an influence but who has had no effect on him, the other who, by revealing the mystery of life to him, does indeed seize hold of his soul and makes devilish attempt to re-create him in his own image under the effect of his 'bad influence'"(Kofman, 28).[32]
Vanity is an overarching theme throughout the book. Dorian demonstrates his resentfulness towards things that would outlive his youth by saying "I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me" (Wilde, 28). In chapter 11, Dorian is under the influence of the "yellow book" that Lord Henry has lent him. Dorian studies beautiful objects, like jewels and music, held by those who came before him. Dorian becomes interested in various historical, philosophical figures, and Catholicism. He is interested with Catholicism for its aesthetic not for religious reasons. Dorian's arguably superficial world view leads him to value the appearance of beauty over anything else. He watches his portrait because he is becoming "more and more enamored of his own beauty" (chapter xi, 124).
[The Picture of Dorian Gray] contains much of me in it – Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry, what the world thinks me; Dorian is what I would like to be – in other ages, perhaps.[8][34]
Hallward is supposed to have been formed after painterCharles Haslewood Shannon.[35] Scholars generally accept that Lord Henry is partly inspired by Wilde's friendLord Ronald Gower.[35][36] It was purported that Wilde's inspiration for Dorian Gray was the poetJohn Gray,[35] but Gray distanced himself from the rumour.[37] Some believe that Wilde usedRobert de Montesquiou in creatingDorian Gray.[38]
Wilde is purported to have said, "in every first novel the hero is the author as Christ orFaust."[39][40] In both the legend ofFaust and inThe Picture of Dorian Gray a temptation (ageless beauty) is placed before the protagonist, which he indulges. In each story, the protagonist entices a beautiful woman to love him, and then destroys her life. In the preface to the novel, Wilde said that the notion behind the tale is "old in the history of literature", but was a thematic subject to which he had "given a new form".[41]
Unlike the academicFaust, the gentleman Dorian makes nodeal with the Devil, who is represented by the cynical hedonist Lord Henry, who presents the temptation that will corrupt thevirtue and innocence that Dorian possesses at the start of the story. Throughout, Lord Henry appears unaware of the effect of his actions upon the young man; and so frivolously advises Dorian, that "the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing."[42] As such, the devilish Lord Henry is "leading Dorian into an unholy pact, by manipulating his innocence and insecurity."[43]
In the preface, Wilde speaks of the sub-humanCaliban character fromThe Tempest. In chapter seven, when he goes to look for Sibyl but is instead met by her manager, he writes: "He felt as if he had come to look for Miranda and had been met by Caliban".
When Dorian tells Lord Henry about his new love Sibyl Vane, he mentions the Shakespeare plays in which she has acted, and refers to her by the name of the heroine of each play. In the 1891 version, Dorian describes his portrait by quotingHamlet,[b] in which the eponymous character impels his potential suitor (Ophelia) to madness and possibly suicide, and Ophelia's brother (Laertes) to swear mortal revenge.
The anonymous "poisonous French novel" that leads Dorian to his fall is a thematic variant ofÀ rebours (1884), byJoris-Karl Huysmans. In the biographyOscar Wilde (1989), the literary criticRichard Ellmann said:
Wilde does not name the book, but at his trial he conceded that it was, or almost [was], Huysmans'sÀ rebours ... to a correspondent, he wrote that he had played a "fantastic variation" uponÀ rebours, and someday must write it down. The references inDorian Gray to specific chapters are deliberately inaccurate.[45]
Some commentators have suggested thatThe Picture of Dorian Gray was influenced by the British Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli's (anonymously published) first novelVivian Grey (1826), as "a kind of homage from one outsider to another".[46] Part way through the book, which was serialised, Disraeli, in his capacity as the anonymous author, responds to criticism by readers of parts already published of "...the affectation, the flippancy, the arrogance, the wicked wit of this fictitious character" by explaining that he had "conceived of the character of a youth of great talents, whose mind had been corrupted...". He goes on to write: "To deem all things vain is the bitter portion of that mind, who, having known the world, dares to think.". The name of Dorian Gray's love interest, Sibyl Vane, may be a modified fusion of the title of Disraeli's best known novel (Sybil) and Vivian Grey's love interest Violet Fane, who, like Sibyl Vane, dies tragically.[47][48] There is also a tale recounted withinVivian Grey in which the eyes in the portrait of a young man "...so beautiful...you cannot imagine..." move when its subject dies.[49]
Even after the removal of controversial text,The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, to the extent, in some cases, of saying that Wilde merited prosecution for violatingthe laws guarding public morality.
In the 30 June 1890 issue of theDaily Chronicle, the book critic said that Wilde's novel contains "one element ... which will taint every young mind that comes in contact with it." In the 5 July 1890 issue of theScots Observer, a reviewer asked "Why must Oscar Wilde 'go grubbing in muck-heaps?'" The book critic ofThe Irish Times said,The Picture of Dorian Gray was "first published to some scandal."[50] Such book reviews achieved for the novel a "certain notoriety for being 'mawkish and nauseous', 'unclean', 'effeminate' and 'contaminating'."[51] Suchmoralistic scandal arose from the novel'shomoeroticism, which offended the sensibilities (social, literary, and aesthetic) of Victorian book critics. Most of the criticism was, however, personal, attacking Wilde for being a hedonist with values that deviated from the conventionally accepted morality of Victorian Britain.
In response to such criticism, Wilde aggressively defended his novel and the sanctity of art in his correspondence with the British press. Wilde also obscured the homoeroticism of the story and expanded the personal background of the characters in the 1891 book edition.[52]
Due to controversy, retailing chainWHSmith, then Britain's largest bookseller,[53] withdrew every copy of the July 1890 issue ofLippincott's Monthly Magazine from its bookstalls in railway stations.[6]
At Wilde's 1895trials, the book was called a "perverted novel" and passages (from the magazine version) were read during cross-examination.[54] The book's association with Wilde's trials further hurt the book's reputation. In the decade after Wilde's death in 1900, the authorized edition of the novel was published byCharles Carrington, who specialized in literary erotica.
The novel was mostly ignored and considered "unworthy" of critical attention until about the 1980s; withRichard Ellmann even writing that "parts of the novel are wooden, padded, self-indulgent". Afterwards, critics began to reassess it as a masterpiece of Wilde's oeuvre.[25]Joyce Carol Oates wrote of the book "it is exceptionally good – in fact, one of the strongest and most haunting of English novels", while noting that the reputation of the novel was still questionable.[55] Allie Townsend ofTime placed it 8th on her 6 October 2010 "must read classic horror novels" list, remarking "Oscar Wilde's only novel,The Picture Of Dorian Gray is a beautifully brooding account of a man whose vanity leads him to wish for everlasting youth, and the spiraling menace of immortality."[56]The Mary Sue put it on its list of "best gothic horror novels", stating "Oscar Wilde's most celebrated novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, combines Gothic elements with the author's trademark wit and social commentary. The novel revolves around Dorian Gray, a charming and erudite man whose portrait ages and warps as a result of his debauchery while he remains unblemished and youthful. Wilde explores the nature of beauty, the dangers of indulgence, and the rot that lurks under a seemingly perfect facade ... I can relate."[57] In March 2014,Robert McCrum ofThe Guardian listed it among the 100 best novels ever written in English, calling it "an arresting, and slightly camp, exercise in late-Victoriangothic".[2]
Though not initially a widely appreciated component of Wilde's body of work following his death in 1900,The Picture of Dorian Gray has come to attract a great deal of academic and popular interest, and has been the subject of many adaptations to film and stage.
In 1913, it was adapted to the stage by writer G. Constant Lounsbery at London'sVaudeville Theatre.[16] In the same decade, it was the subject of several silent film adaptations. Perhaps the best-known and most critically praised film adaptation is 1945'sThe Picture of Dorian Gray, which earned an Academy Award for best black-and-white cinematography, as well as a Best Supporting Actress nomination forAngela Lansbury, who played Sibyl Vane.
TheDorian Awards[59] are named in honor of Wilde, in reference toThe Picture of Dorian Gray; the original award was a simple certificate with an image of Wilde along with a graphic of hands holding a blackbow tie.[60] The first Dorian Awards were announced in January 2010 (nominees were revealed the previous month).[61]
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, Vol. 3: The Picture of Dorian Gray: The 1890 and 1891 Texts (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005). Critical edition in the Oxford English Texts edition of Wilde's Complete Works, edited with an introduction and notes byJoseph Bristow.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oxford:Oxford World's Classics, 2008)ISBN9780199535989. Edited with an introduction and notes by Joseph Bristow, based on the 1891 text as presented in the 2005 OET edition.
The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray (Belknap Press, 2011)ISBN9780674066311. Edited with an introduction by Nicholas Frankel. This edition presents the uncensored typescript of the 1890 magazine version.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (New York:Norton Critical Editions, 2006)ISBN9780393927542. Edited with an introduction and notes by Michael Patrick Gillespie. Presents the 1890 magazine edition and the 1891 book edition side by side.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Harmondsworth:Penguin Classics, 2006),ISBN9780141442037. Edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Mighall. Included as an appendix isPeter Ackroyd's introduction to the 1986 Penguin Classics edition. It reproduces the 1891 book edition.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Broadview Press, 1998)ISBN978-1-55111-126-1. Edited with an introduction and notes by Norman Page. Based on the 1891 book edition.
^The reference is in chapter 19. Lord Henry asks "By the way, what has become of that wonderful portrait [Basil] did of you?" Dorian's response, a few lines later, includes 'I am sorry I sat for it. The memory of the thing is hateful to me. Why do you talk of it? It used to remind me of those curious lines in some play—"Hamlet," I think—how do they run?— "Like the painting of a sorrow, A face without a heart." Yes: that is what it was like.'[44]
^Lawler, Donald L.,An Inquiry into Oscar Wilde's Revisions of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (New York: Garland, 1988)
^The Picture of Dorian Gray (Penguin Classics) – A Note on the Text
^abBristow, Joseph (2006). Introduction.The Picture of Dorian Gray. By Wilde, Oscar (Oxford World's Classics ed.). Oxford University Press.ISBN9780192807298.
^Wilde, Oscar (2005). Bristow, Joseph (ed.).The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, Vol. 3: The Picture of Dorian Gray: The 1890 and 1891 Texts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. lvi.
^Walker, Richard J. "The Psychopathology of Everyday Narcissism: Oscar Wilde's Picture".Labyrinths of Deceit: Culture, Modernity and Identity in the Nineteenth Century, 1st ed., vol. 44, Liverpool University Press, 2007, pp. 91–116.doi:10.2307/j.ctt5vjbnd.8 Accessed 9 May 2025.
^Alaati, Aati. A Thematic study of the Gothic elements in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: Decadence, Horror and Violence. MS thesis. 2015.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12416/690
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^Wilde, Oscar; Frankel, Nichols (ed.)The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, London 2011, p. 68
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