About the book
BOOK SUMMARY
After seeing a portrait of himself, Dorian Gray wishes that the painting could age in his place. Encouraged by Lord Henry’s seductive ideas about pleasure and beauty, he pursues a life of indulgence while his portrait records the consequences.
Published 1890
Gothic Fiction
304 pages
A beautifully unsettling October read
October 6, 2026
I loved The Picture of Dorian Gray, especially for an October read. Its exploration of what happens when you care more about beauty and pleasure than anything else is timeless. And while the premise alone is very compelling, it’s also just superbly executed. Dorian’s transformation from a naive, enthusiastic young man into a paranoid and morally bankrupt degenerate just creeps up on you in the best way. It was very unsettling, like I could feel him slowly rotting under my own skin. And I loved the dramatic, Poe-esque ending.
I got a real kick out of the level of homoerotic tension in the opening chapters. Basil’s obsession with Dorian is the most obvious example, but honestly, the relationships between all three men are unusually intimate. What a shame poor Oscar Wilde couldn’t be loud and proud about who he was in real life. It’s interesting to think that the gay undertones and sexual implications were what prompted censorship of early versions of the novel, whereas the part of the story I thought might be most offensive by modern standards was how the theater owner was referred to almost exclusively as the “fat Jew.”
Separately, Lord Henry is one of the best literary characters I’ve encountered. He reminded me a lot of Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello, with all his calculated charm, clever manipulation, and inexplicable desire to destroy the lives of others. His endless supply of witty little epigrams is pure gold, unless you’re Dorian and actually take them seriously. For example: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden itself.” Lord Henry can make even the most toxic philosophy sound profound, and Dorian just eats it all up.
In conclusion, what’s not to love about great characters, engaging prose, thought-provoking themes, and a brilliantly executed Gothic premise? It’s an accessible classic that is both intellectual and entertaining.