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The Picture of Dorian Gray

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame."

Initially met with controversy and censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only novel by the incomparable Oscar Wilde. It is bursting with his trademark wit, his love of art, and his embrace of life and all it has to offer.

Dorian, fearful of age and the subsequent fading of his beauty, expresses a wish: that a glorious oil portrait of him suffers the burden of age, and not him. He would sell his soul for it. Unfortunately for him, the wish is granted.

Through Dorian, Oscar Wilde weaves an unforgettable tale about the punishment of excess and misplaced desire.

Told in an exquisite blend of the Gothic and the philosophical, this fable about our obsession with the aesthetic unravels a horrifying truth: it is not if, but when and where our sins will manifest.

The Legend Classics series:
Around the World in Eighty Days
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Importance of Being Earnest
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Metamorphosis
The Railway Children
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Frankenstein
Wuthering Heights
Three Men in a Boat
The Time Machine
Little Women
Anne of Green Gables
The Jungle Book
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories
Dracula
A Study in Scarlet
Leaves of Grass
The Secret Garden
The War of the Worlds
A Christmas Carol
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Heart of Darkness
The Scarlet Letter
This Side of Paradise
Oliver Twist
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Treasure Island
The Turn of the Screw
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Emma
The Trial
A Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Grimm Fairy Tales
The Awakening
Mrs Dalloway
Gulliver's Travels
The Castle of Otranto
Silas Marner
Hard Times

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 4, 2011
      First published in 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and the following year in novel form, The Picture of Dorian Gray categorically changed Victorian Britain and the landscape of literature. An ostentatious, self-confessed aesthete, known for his wit and intellect, Wilde not only had to endure his prose being labeled "poisonous" and "vulgar," but also suffer its use as evidence in the ensuing trial, resulting in his eventual imprisonment for crimes of "gross indecency." Frankel's introduction provides a deft preliminary analysis of the novel itselfâexploring etymology and extensive editorial alterations (both accidental and deliberate)âand offers valuable insight into the socio-cultural juxtaposition of aristocratic Victorian society and the London underworld. The original typescript provides the unique opportunity to examine what was considered acceptable in both the US and UK at the time. Intriguing annotations allude to Wilde's influences and enterprising range of reference, incorporating art, poetry, literature, Greek mythology, philosophy, and fashion (certain to inspire further reading; an appendix is provided). Comparisons are drawn between Dorian Gray and Wilde's other literary output, as well as to the work of Walter Pater. Numerous illustrations subtly compliment Frankelâs inferences. A fine contextualization of a major work of fiction profoundly interpreted, ultimately riveting.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:970
  • Text Difficulty:5-7

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