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Background

Originally published in Lippincott’s Magazine as a novella in 1890. Expanded into a novel and published in 1891 by Ward Lock and Co.

Genre: Literary Fiction (Classics)

Setting: London with Occasional forays into the English countryside.

Additional Notes and reviews:

Wilde made some edits to his original in order to tone down the homoerotic references. He simplified the themes to create the central story questions around appearances, consequences, and narcissism.

There is an uncensored version of Wilde’s original, which was published in 2011 by Belknap Press.

Theme: What happens when there are no consequences for our bad actions? How does evil seduce innocence? What is the power of appearances in society?

Things we thought AUTHOR did well as a writer that we would like to emulate:

• Tension—Wilde sets this up from the beginning when the artist Basil Hallward asks Lord Henry not to corrupt Dorian. The reader knows right away that Hallward considers Henry to be a corrupting influence and that he wishes for Dorian to remain innocent. This is the main conflict of the story—how corruption happens little by little through our choices, by letting our desires overtake our reason. It is also the story of privilege, in a way. How without consequences, there is very little to keep people from becoming monsters. It is a cautionary tale, and I wonder if it might be a good idea for billionaires to read it.

• Using Character Motivations and Decisions to drive the plot—The artist obviously wants to keep Dorian innocent and Henry wants to play with him. It is a similar plot to Les Liaisons Dangereuses, except in that case it is a contest to see who can corrupt the most. It is the spider and the fly writ large. The fly is trapped and doesn’t know it. Readers keep reading hoping that the fly will escape, but knowing it is unlikely. It is the “train wreck” effect, which is the experience I had reading Lolita. It is terrible, but you cannot look away.

Beautiful Language—Wilde masters creating beautiful lines that make you go back and read them again. Listen to that first page!