The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories (Signet Classics) [Paperback]

Oscar Wilde (Author), Peter Raby (Afterword), Gary Schmidgall (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Signet Classics | Publication Date: March 6, 2007

LORD ARTHUR SAVILE'S CRIME
THE HAPPY PRINCE
THE BIRTHDAY OF THE INFANTA

In Dorian Gray, Wilde's full-length novel, a fashionable young man sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Also included in the volume are three of the Irish master storyteller's short works.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Oh! In what a wild hour of madness he had killed his friend! How ghastly the mere memory of the scene! He saw it all again. Each hideous detail came back to him with added horror. Out of the black cave of time, terrible and swathed in scarlet, rose the image of his sin." In their ideal of an exquisitely sensitive temperament that thrills to fine shadings in sensation, the principles of the aesthetic (or "decadent") movement are well suited to the tale of terror. No story exemplifies this better than Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. The sparkling wit and zest for life of Wilde's characters combine with cold-blooded acts of horror to generate a deliciously twisted sense of elegance and evil, civilization and degradation. Oscar Wilde, like Edgar Allan Poe, shows us that what we find loathsome and frightening can also be beautiful. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451530454
• ISBN-13: 978-0451530455
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Wilde, Oscar

More About the Author

Oscar Fingall O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford where, a disciple of Pater, he founded an aesthetic cult. In 1884 he married Constance Lloyd, and his two sons were born in 1885 and 1886.
His novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and social comedies Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), established his reputation. In 1895, following his libel action against the Marquess of Queesberry, Wilde was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for homosexual conduct, as a result of which he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), and his confessional letter De Profundis (1905). On his release from prison in 1897 he lived in obscurity in Europe, and died in Paris in 1900.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular, May 1, 2005

By 

Charlie Gordon "imsosooky" (27708) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Short Stories (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

A wonderful blend of morality and wit, set in the background of beautiful phrasing and truly enjoyable descriptions.

This book is very clever because it starts you off on par with Dorian - the main character - who then has his youthful innocence. Bit by bit, you find yourself fully strung on by the book's manipulative character who lures you in to the concept that everlasting beauty is more important than a beautiful soul.

Though predictable, the understanding the author demonstrates for the boy's psychological qualms, which have direct parallels to our lives at present, makes this a spiritually moving read.

The wit and mode he uses to drive his message home are second to none.

Humorous, witty, insightful, and evocative, it's a must read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thinking about Dorian..., May 29, 2002

By 

"amesf" (MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Short Stories (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

This is a book for the mind! Extremely philosophical, extremely thought provoking! One character in particular talked all in philosophy. There were things he said that would practically keep me up all night thinking. This book is also a good example of how a bad influence can turn a good person into a down right evil one. But the way Oscar Wilde chooses to portray that in the story is so creative. Also I didn't find this book to be as predictable as most tend to be. I thought the ending was especially unpredictable and creative. The only complaints I have are that in a couple parts it got a little bit slow and it was pretty morbid. I do like happy endings and this book traveled further and further from a happy ending with every page. I guess that's okay because the point Wilde was trying to make was not happy. So overall I rate this book high and recommend it to anyone interested!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Picture is an Aesthetic Masterpiece, February 18, 2005

By 

Robert E. Murena Jr. "tedmurena" (Fairfield, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Short Stories (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

Oscar Wilde as leader of the literary wing of the Aesthetic Movement is by most accounts among the most bohemian of the Victorian English writers. Just looking at pictures taken of him reveals his fascination if not preoccupation with the beautiful and luxurious. Reading any work of his we quickly become privy of his style which strives for beauty and quality grammar. His themes revolve around the lives of the well off in the late 19th century and the "Picture of Dorian Grey" is a prime example of Wilde's Work. It is a full-bodied novel that fully takes itself seriously and builds up to a great climax. The plot is relatively simple and while it gives itself away quite early we read on, luxuriating in the beautiful prose and excitement about what's to come. The theme of eternal youth is something we can all relate to and in this world of extreme make over and botox it is a very relevant theme

The book reads quickly and Wilde doesn't waste the readers time developing scenes even though some description approach the extreme. And though Wilde tends to be more philosophical in this work than in others, it fits the story and is not ruinous to the overall effect. This book is a necessary stop along the tour of 19th century English literature and it is a wonderful one. If you enjoy it I recommend you check out some of his short stories: they are quick and some are very good. I recommend this version since it is inexpensive and holds up quite well (I am destructive to books).

Ted Murena