Publisher Description
Oscar Wilde’s only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, presents an intriguing idea. The main character, Dorian Gray, allows a painting to be subjected to the consequences of his actions and general aging, allowing him, in turn, to live a carefree and youthful life.
Wilde was one of the most prominent and followed personalities of his time. This novel, his plays, his wit, and his infamy combined to give him lasting recognition.
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"The prose and imagery in this book is fantastic and I was tempted to give it a five star rating but for one thing... I'm not a big fan of the Hedonism that is exemplified in this novel but I understand that it plays a big part in the overall message and is necessary in that way. I won't say much else because I think this is really a book that everyone should just sit down and read without giving away too much before hand. I will say that it has a creepy gothic charm and that it sucked me in from the Preface."
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Danielle (4 out of 5 stars)
About Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was born in Dublin. He won scholarships to both Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1875, he began publishing poetry in literary magazines, and in 1878, he won the coveted Newdigate Prize for English poetry. He had a reputation as a flamboyant wit and man-about-town. After his marriage to Constance Lloyd in 1884, he tried to establish himself as a writer, but with little initial success. However, his three volumes of short fiction, The Happy Prince, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, and A House of Pomegranates, together with his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, gradually won him a reputation as a modern writer with an original talent. That reputation was confirmed and enhanced by the phenomenal success of his society comedies: Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, all performed on London’s West End stage between 1892 and 1895. In 1895, he was convicted of engaging in homosexual acts, which were then illegal, and sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labor. He soon declared bankruptcy, and his property was auctioned off. In 1896, he lost legal custody of his children. When his mother died that same year, his wife Constance visited him at the jail to bring him the news. It was the last time they saw each other. In the years after his release, his health deteriorated. In November 1900, he died in Paris at the age of forty-six.