The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

In this graphic novel adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic story, Dorian Gray hides a monstrous secret in his attic--a portrait that ages and shows the results of his hedonistic and selfish lifestyle while he remains ever-youthful and handsome.

Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray / Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray. Englisch | Deutsch Zweisprachige Ausgabe. Übersetzt von Hedwig Lachmann und Gustav Landauer Originaltitel: The Picture of Dorian Gray. Erstdruck in: »Lippincott's Monthly Magazine«, Juli 1890. Erste Buchausgabe (mit 6 neuen Kapiteln und vielen Änderungen): London, New York, Melbourne (Ward Lock and Co.) 1891. Hier in der Übers. v. Hedwig Lachmann und Gustav Landauer. Neuausgabe. Großformat, 210 x 297 mm Herausgegeben von Karl-Maria Guth. Berlin 2018. Textgrundlage ist die Ausgabe: Wilde, Oscar: Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray. Übers. v. Hedwig Lachmann und Gustav Landauer, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1972 Umschlaggestaltung von Thomas Schultz-Overhage. Gesetzt aus der Minion Pro, 11 pt.

Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied and amoral experiences; all the while his portrait ages and records every soul-corrupting sin. This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3 (B), University of Freiburg (English Faculty), course: Oscar Wilde Proseminar, 13 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: This paper will be separated into three main parts. The first examines late-Victorian moral values, literary standards as well as Oscar Wildes view of art and its criticism. The second part explores reactions of the audience, especially the press, to Wildes novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.. The third part then critically analyses these arguments and explains the role Victorian values and the resulting literary expectation played in the criticism."

The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfilment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than he. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, and when he subsequently pursues a life of debauchery, the portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging.

Publishes for the first time the author's original, uncensored typescript, in an annotated edition with 60 color illustrations.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s classic story of a young man whose beauty prompts a painter to paint a life-like portrait of him. However, all is not what it seems...Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age andfade. A must-read for children and adults alike! The novel is a social satire as well as a key explorer of Victorian norms. We are made to observe human emotions like love, jealousy, hate and the forces of evil and good. Oscar Wilde propagates his ‘art for art’s sake’ theory, even as he weaves a narrative around a beautiful young man (Dorian Gray) and his friends (Lord Henry and Basil).The book is a classic in the true sense of the word, as it appeals to the universal instincts of Man.