#16 in Horror
The Picture of Dorian Gray
- 210
- Pages
- about 4 h
- Reading time
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About the book
Introduction by Jeffrey Eugenides • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde’s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author’s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray’s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel’s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, “a terrible moral in Dorian Gray.” Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde’s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray’s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.1 across 3,215 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 95% of the weight and the score stays at 8.0 — the Horror average of 7.5 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.4 | 126 | 4% |
| Hardcover | 8.1 | 3.1K | 96% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“at times reading like an indoctrination of philosophies, the picture of dorian grey is a unique deconstruction of innocence, morals, friendships, and vanity. With harry having his absolutes in life, Basils possession of Dorian, and Mr.grey himself falling into idolization of himself, each character is in a way mirroring the others actions, be it from mannerisms to speech and even selfishness. just in this way the book itself mirrors the readers interpretation. Inherently the book is gay, to not accept this would destroy the messages within the narrative. however there is so much more nuance wi…”
“The fact that I needed an audiobook to get through this short book is crazy to me. Still very gay”
“TL;DR - a true blue masterpiece, and one that is going to make me start a classics binge shortly. Whether it is the characterisation, the heady Faustian themes, and a surprisingly great plot - my first foray into Wilde's literature was nothing short of spectacular. Lord Henry's cynicism was laugh-at-loud at parts, and somewhat deep at others, but where the novel truly shines is in depicting Dorian's corruption - first as a charming and uncorrupted seventeen-year old, but then whose countenance grows darker the more he revels in his senses. What I liked the most in this depiction is that we get…”
Frequently asked
What is The Picture of Dorian Gray rated?
8.0 out of 10, from 3,215 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is The Picture of Dorian Gray worth reading?
Readers give it 8.0/10 from 3,215 ratings, which puts it ahead of 90 % of the Horror shelf.
How long does it take to read The Picture of Dorian Gray?
About 4 hours at an average reading pace — 210 pages.
Where does The Picture of Dorian Gray rank?
#16 in Horror on the current snapshot.
How long is The Picture of Dorian Gray?
It has 210 pages — shorter than 85% of the ranked books in Horror.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Horror — with scores between 8.0 and 8.1, closest to this book.
