by Oscar Wilde
First published 1890
Dorian Gray poses for a stunning portrait that captures his youthful perfection—and then something impossible happens. The painting begins to age and decay while Dorian remains eternally young, reflecting every moral corruption he commits. As he descends into increasingly reckless behavior, pursuing pleasure without consequence, the supernatural portrait becomes a secret record of his true self. Each sin etches itself into the canvas, transforming the image into a grotesque testament to his inner darkness. Dorian must protect this terrible mirror of his soul at all costs, knowing its revelation would destroy everything. The price of eternal youth is moral bankruptcy.
Genres: classic-literature, literary-fiction, supernatural, dark-fantasy, 19th-century, gothic
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-decay, supernatural-mirror, unreliable-narrator
Period: 19th Century
253 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: body-horror