The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dover Thrift Editions) Reprint Edition

by Oscar Wilde (Author)

8,636 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0486278070

ISBN-10: 9780486278070

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In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

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From the Publisher

Dover Thrift Editions

Dover Publications has the most affordable editions available of the world's greatest literature — the lowest-priced choice for today's students, educators, and anyone who loves classic literature!

Fiction
Non-Fiction
Plays
Poetry

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

16 October 1854 - 30 November 1900

An Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, the early 1890s saw him become one of the most popular playwrights in London. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Dover's Library includes 7 Titles of Play, Fiction and Non-Fiction by Oscar Wilde.

Plays
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- The Ideal Husband
- Lady Windermere's Fan
- Salomé

Fiction
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- The Canterville Ghosts and Other Stories

Non-Fiction
- Oscar Wilde's Wit and Wisdom

Check out the full library of titles by Oscar Wilde at www.doverpublications.com

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Spellbound before his own portrait, Dorian Gray utters a fateful wish. In exchange for eternal youth he gives his soul, to be corrupted by the malign influence of his mentor, the aesthete and hedonist Lord Henry Wotton. The novel was met with moral outrage by contemporary critics who, dazzled perhaps by Wilde's brilliant style, may have confused the author with his creation, Lord Henry, to whom even Dorian protests, 'You cut life to pieces with your epigrams.'. Encouraged by Lord Henry to substitute pleasure for goodness and art for reality, Dorian tries to watch impassively as he brings misery and death to those who love him. But the picture is watching him, and, made hideous by the marks of sin, it confronts Dorian with the reflection of his fall from grace, the silent bearer of what is in effect a devastating moral judgement.

From the Back Cover

In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world.
For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

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Product details

ASIN : 0486278077
Publisher : Dover Publications; Reprint edition (October 13, 1993)
Language : English
Paperback : 176 pages
ISBN-10 : 9780486278070
ISBN-13 : 978-0486278070
Reading age : 18 years and up
Lexile measure : 700L
Item Weight : 4.8 ounces
Dimensions : 5.2 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #42,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13 in LGBT Classic Fiction
- #75 in LGBT Literary Fiction
- #114 in Literature

Customer Reviews:
8,636 ratings

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3 star		8%
2 star		2%
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G. Miller

Pass this by. Get another version

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2019

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This version is inexplicably bad. It reads as though someone put it through an internet translator and back again, for fun. It's virtually unreadable.

Here is a sample sentence:
"I do now not be given as proper with that, Harry, and I do now not agree with you do both."

Here is the exact same sentence, from another version:
"I don't believe that, Harry, and I don't believe you do either."

Skip this version, unless you want to twist your brain in knots trying to figure out what on earth the editor/publisher did to Oscar Wilde's story.

91 people found this helpful

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Shannon M. Mcgee

Art Painted In Words

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2018

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he Picture Of Dorian Gray starts out with the artist who is painting the title character, Dorian Gray. The artist is enthralled with Dorian’s beauty and a sense of innocence. The artist, Basil, introduces Dorian to a friend, Lord Henry, as he sits for the portrait. Some could say that Lord Henry introduces Dorian to a life of no morals and selfishness. As the lord is the first to mention that the painting will always be a picture of Dorian forever young and the real Dorian will grow old. In a way, this stimulates Dorian to announce his wish to give his soul for the reverse.

This was my second time trying to read TPODG. The first time I just could not get into it. This time, I can not figure out what made me not want to read it. The story is beautiful. Oscar Wilde’s words paint a portrait of its own. It is written in this mesh of Victorian and Contemporary. So for me that makes it easier to relate to. The words are not like reading Shakespeare.

I am not good at critiquing books and getting into every metaphor, or meaning behind it all. When I try that with a book I can’t enjoy it. So I just read, and from the beginning, I could tell this was going to be a new favorite author. This coming from a reader who is not a fan of many classics...but I keep trying and here I found one I loved.

I bought the book of the complete works of Oscar Wilde and will be next reading The Canterville Ghost. I can not gush enough how much I loved this book. I am curious now to watch one of the movie version of Dorian Gray because I never have.

30 people found this helpful

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dwhit

This book is pocket sized almost and the listing does not tell you that.

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

I returned this product to the seller. It was smaller than a regular paperback. I believe it’s size, literally it is a miniature version. The description does not give you the dimensions, but for almost $19 dollars I did expect a full size hardback. I was very disappointed.

27 people found this helpful

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Rachel_NYC

Different than what you might be expecting . . .

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2015

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My quick takeaway before a lengthier review: If you're expecting a thrilling and entertaining read like I was, you'll probably be disappointed (or at least surprised). In reality, the book moves very slowly, not all that much actually happens, and large chunks of it felt like bit of a chore to get through. A number of reviewers who disliked the book to varying degrees mention that it could have been condensed into a short story or novella to much better effect, and I tend to agree; tightening it up it would have made it a far more enjoyable read, I think. But although it wasn't the engrossing, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat book I thought it would be based on on its reputation and what I knew of the concept, it's still a book that I'm ultimately glad to have read, and one that made me think quite a bit.

My main gripe with the book is that there is a great deal of repetition in the story, to the point of complete tedium. Over and over, in the same language, we hear of Dorian's outer beauty and its effects on everyone around him, of Dorian's waning character (although we're only told how bad he's becoming, but are rarely invited in to actually see his misdeeds unfolding), and, especially, of the hedonistic ideals Lord Henry constantly espouses. Henry just seems to prattle on endlessly throughout the whole book, never changing and immediately quashing with some cynical bon mot anything that might be identified as real human emotion or experience expressed by Dorian (or any other character). This is not a book in which much actually ever happens. There are a few key events that occur, and then most of the rest is just people hanging around at dinners and parties, talking about nothing. There's also a strange chapter devoted almost entirely to descriptions of the jewels, tapestries and perfumes with which Dorian becomes obsessed.

After a while, the repetition as well as all the florid descriptions of the aforementioned luxuries (as well as every room and party and dress and person to whom we're introduced), becomes incredibly tiresome. It all seems to blend together in one endless, meaningless and shallow blur . . . which isn't the most fun to wade through, but at the same time is quite effective in impressing upon the reader the kind of ennui and emptiness that this materialistic and frivolous sliver of society seems to have produced to different effect in all of its central characters. And so in that sense, I wonder if the book does in fact succeed brilliantly in painting a picture of how superficial these characters' lives are, and how, devoid of any real meaning, they spin out of control chasing ridiculous passions and vices, or otherwise completely stagnate.

All things considered, I'm still trying to puzzle out whether the things I disliked about the book while reading it are actually part of its brilliance, or if it just really could have used some editing down to make for a more enjoyable experience without losing anything essential to the core of the story. It's a very short read and despite my issues with it, I'd still recommend giving it a try and deciding for yourself what you make of it all!

47 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Rob Ash

Beautiful Edition of the Original Picture of Dorian Gray at Exceptional Value!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2020

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I'm not sure it's worth my reviewing the story in this book since everyone is so familiar with it. But if you haven't actually read this original version then it is well worth doing so, if you can cope with the beautiful classic writing style.

The main reason I wanted to do this review was to let you know just how nice this book is physically.
The format is a Flexibound Edition by Barnes & Noble. It's basically a faux leather-bound cover. Obviously not real leather, it is a soft feel plastic or rubber which is marginally flexible in the hand.
The first and last pages are backed in the old-world style using frantically patterned end papers.
The page edges are colour sprayed to complement the cover.
There is also a page marking ribbon.
Even the relatively thick paper stock has slightly off white colouring and lends itself to the feel of an old original collectable.

In short, for the incredibly low retail price of this book you get an absolutely stunning edition, which looks fantastic on the shelf in a collected set and feels great in the hand as you read. Barnes and Noble do a nice collection in this format. Just search for (Barnes Noble Flexibound editions) on Amazon

19 people found this helpful

Cribs

A picture that I enjoyed viewing...mostly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

It took me a long time to get round to this one but it is a classic after all and considered one of the most eloquent Victorian novels ever to be published, so I thought I better at least give it a chance.

Overall, I’m glad I did.

I’d actually give it a 3.5, its positives far outweigh its negatives. An example of which would be the unnecessarily detailed manner in which Wilde describes the interests that Dorian submerges himself in whilst existing in his years of hedonistic vanity. I agree some content on this was needed, I just didn’t like the overtly flowery essay type style that Wilde employed. This of course is his style but it just went on too long for me, it was information that essentially distracted from the main plot and became uninteresting. It came across like Wilde merely wanted to show off about how much he knew about everything artistic. As I write that I realise it was actually quite informative of the way wealthy intellectuals perhaps filled their time but regardless it felt misplaced to me.

Also, some of the character exchanges seemed very unrealistic. Particularly Henry’s dialogue with the duchess, a seemingly unending stream of snappy but artificial one liners. Poetic and lyrical perhaps but no one converses like that for as long as they did.

That being said, I liked much of the other character exchanges. The ones between the male characters, and perhaps this speaks volumes about Wilde’s world view of women in general. I think he may have found women a frightening enigma and this is reflected in not only the dialogue with the female characters but also the way in which Lord Henry philosophises over the value of the female intellect.

Some may find the overtly homoerotic (not so subtle) undertones a bit much. But I could see this was just Wilde injecting his own private thoughts into his characters and that is when a story is best. It was a time when such things were unacceptable to say let alone publish so this to me didn’t detract from the main plot or what his characters were essentially going through.

When this novel was at its best was when it was dealing with the main themes of vanity and the perceivable worth of youth. The story is generally superb if somewhat abrupt at it’s climax and Wilde’s mastery of the english language is for the most part a wonder to behold.

Tempted to go to 4 stars, but just couldn’t forgive the large chunk in the middle that was just Wilde peacocking and unashamedly parading his high intellect and knowledge. Still, a great novel.

25 people found this helpful

Ashok Krishna

Temptation, Manipulation & Corruption

Reviewed in India on May 3, 2017

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TEMPTATION!

From the moment the unfortunate Eve bit into the forbidden apple, to these current days, when we lesser-mortals are lured by the overpriced electronic 'Apples', Temptation has been shadowing us humans. A baneful prelude to our vices, very few amongst us can claim to have overcome temptation. While we are protected by various constraints that help us overcome our temptations - social stigma, fear of gods, fear of law and so on - once in a while even the most saintly amongst us 'blinks' and lets temptation cause mayhem.

The corrupt lot never lets any constraints stop them, while the Holiest few never let temptations taint them. It is the ordinary beings in the middle that suffer the most at the hands of Temptation. Pulled by the pleasures on one side, barred from it by principles and penal codes on the other, this middle lot bears the onslaught of temptation grudgingly. How often have we craved to indulge in the vices to which we are lead – sometimes by becoming invisible, some other times by transforming ourselves into someone or something else! We have all wanted to relish the baser pleasures of life, without letting their effects stain our souls. This book then is the expression of such a desire on the part of Oscar Wilde.

Yes. This is a book on temptation, manipulation and eventual corruption. Except that here the protagonist - or, is it the antagonist?! - is never tainted by his sins. The corruption of his soul is borne by his portrait instead of its carnal sheath.

Dorian Gray is a charming young boy knocking on the doors of adulthood. Lord Henry is a wealthy, hedonistic idler whose only purpose in life is to seek pleasure and pleasurable sensations. Basil Hallward is a simple, righteous persona and a talented painter that 'adores' Dorian. A chance meeting of all these three - on the fateful day Basil puts his heart and soul into painting Dorian – designs the rest of the tale. Lord Henry 'teaches' innocent Dorian to take pride in his own physical beauty, which is temporary and urges him to indulge in the pleasures suited to his age. Manipulated by Henry thus, Dorian becomes aware of the flush of youth in his veins, as truthfully depicted by Basil in the portrait, but is also dejected at the prospect of growing old and haggard someday. In one god-forsaken moment, he loudly wishes that he would even exchange his soul to stay as beautiful as he is and let that wonderful portrait feel the passage of Time.

Starting with the simple pleasures of life, Dorian once commits a serious injustice to the girl he falls in love with. Back at home, Dorian finds his portrait slightly changed to show signs of cruelty amidst all that boyish charm. Dorian realizes that his ‘wish’ has come true and all the sins of his soul will leave their stains on the portrait instead of his face or his youth. But just as he repents and tries to make amends for his grave error, Lord Henry, a mentor as vile as there could ever be, sets him again on the wicked ways. Tempted also by a book lent by Henry, and untouched by the effects of his ‘sins’, Dorian falls deep into the pits of life, all the while watching the portrait turn from ugly to ghastly with each ‘sin’ that he commits. Was Dorian able to mend his ways? Did he ever get to redeem his soul? This book is a tale that answers those questions.

Oscar Wilde wrote this novel – his only one – while English society was reeling at the height of Victorian morality. Being a homosexual himself, Wilde was condemned, ostracized and left to die in penurious exile. It is quite an irony then that a book which brought its author all the infamy must be one of the best-selling books of our ‘modern’ times.

Going through the book, I couldn’t help wondering whether Dorian Gray and Lord Henry were Wilde’s alter-egos. Remember, we writers have a knack of lending a part of our soul to the characters that we lovingly create. The sense of importance lent to the statements of Henry, the weakness with which the other characters contradict him and finally end up agreeing with him, the hold that this hedonistic idler wields on the whole tale are all evidence enough that Henry, more than even Gray, is the alter-ego of Oscar Wilde. Basil, the moral person that he is, sounds feebly like the other part of Wilde that regrets his ‘mistakes’.

Not just for the author, but for us the readers too, this book holds a mirror. While stating the moral decadence that Dorian falls into, Wilde does not elaborate on the kind of sins Dorian takes pleasure committing. In that sense this feels akin to Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde’. There also, the protagonist leads a double life, being a noble gentleman as Dr.Jekyll while lurking in the darkness as Mr.Hyde sating his gore hungers. But what kind of immoral activities that Mr.Hyde indulges in is never articulated, leaving it to our guess. Here also, Dorian’s one sin is to indulge in narcotics, but the rest of the decadences are left unsaid, like a blank canvas on which we can paint the nature of those sins. Both these books are similar in letting us decide on the level of moral corruption, thus bringing out the inner demons that we have all been hiding inside us too.

The literary fluency of Wilde, his ability to portray in words the England of the late 19th century - from flora to the banal - do all make it a pleasure to read this book. But, I couldn’t help noticing his egoistic English self, like most of the British of his days, which made him think of India as the land of snake-charmers – at least in the fleeting reference.

A psychological thriller that stemmed from the unreliable ‘art’ of physiognomy, this book is a forbidden apple that we must all bite into!

78 people found this helpful

Emily Weatherburn

Incredible!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fantastic book. It’s not all that long, and is the only novelised evidence of Wilde’s literary talent. Personally, it took me two days to read, and I enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. There are times when Wilde spends a little too much time describing ancient kings and philosophers of the past, but these don’t need to be read in too much detail. Probably its finest moments are its beginning, as Dorian realises the importance of youth, and its end.

This is a book that will really make you think. Its characters are so boldly imprinted on its pages that they are easy to picture; this is particularly true of the infamous Lord Henry, who slowly manipulates Dorian over the course of the novel. It raises a lot of questions, but rarely answers them. In my opinion, this is much preferable to having all your questions answered: it leaves a sense of mystery that hangs over The Picture of Dorian Gray and turns it into a fascinating read.

17 people found this helpful

M. Dowden

Always Worth Reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have read this story countless times, seen two film versions and even a stage play, but like many other people this story has stayed with me long after I have closed the book, and I thus come back to it again and again. This is the only novel by Oscar Wilde and if you follow the publication history of this you will see why that probably is. What Wilde wrote was originally censored for its publication in a magazine, and then Wilde re-wrote and extended the tale for its final book publication, which is what we are presented with here. Originally when this story first appeared in ‘Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine’ it caused a bit of an outrage and the story was also used against Wilde when he was prosecuted.

Nowadays though, with all the things we are presented with in the media and what we see on the internet some will consider this very tame. Although arguably it has never been what is mentioned in the tale, it is what is hinted at and how good your imagination can be.

I expect most people who decide to read this will already be quite familiar with the tale and so know the main plot. Dorian Gray of the title is soon to come into money, is a bit vain, relatively kind hearted and means well, and very handsome, and then he meets Basil Hallward, an artist, who wishes to do his portrait. So far not much to write home about, although Basil obviously makes Dorian vainer, and there are definite tones of amorousness between the two, and then he meets Basil’s friend Lord Henry. As a friendship develops between Dorian and Lord Henry, Dorian is led into a more hedonistic lifestyle. What Dorian doesn’t realise though is that he has unwittingly entered into a Devilish Pact caused by the portrait of him. As Dorian’s life becomes more lurid, perverted and diabolical he never seems to age, but his portrait becomes something truly terrible to behold.

One of the reasons this works so well is that apart from a few details and some undertones of promiscuity between males and females we never really know what Dorian’s actual actions are. We know that to become involved with him can leave you tainted, but we have to use our imaginations to create what we think he gets up to. Another reason why this works and is still very popular today is due to the fact that it plays upon our vanities. With cosmetic surgery, Botox and numerous unguents that are supposed to make us stay looking young on the market, it would seem that many of us are afraid of getting a wrinkle or blemish. Indeed whilst this remains so then there is no reason to suppose this book will fall by the wayside. And on top of that this story is a really good read with some scintillating dialogue between the characters.

19 people found this helpful

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Dover Thrift Editions

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

16 October 1854 - 30 November 1900

Check out the full library of titles by Oscar Wilde at www.doverpublications.com

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