The Picture of Dorian Gray Introduction Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray Author: Oscar Wilde Publisher: Lippincott's Monthly Magazine Year: 1890 Type of book: TragedyII. Summary of the Plot A. Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Halward become good friends withDorian Gray, the young model that Basil uses for his paintings. They grow greatlyfascinated by the boy and take a great liking in him. Basil is finishing a picture ofAdonis using Dorian as the model. Upon completion, Dorian is fascinated by it, forit is a strikingly real representation of himself. He sadly laments that the picture willalways show a young, beautiful face while he will grow old and wrinkled. He saysthat he would give anything in the world if it could be the picture that grows olderand he remain young. He says that he would give his soul for such anarrangement. Little does he know that he has sold his soul to the devil.III. Section of Central Focus The Picture of Dorian Gray is set in late Victorian England. Thecharacters are mostly of the upper classes, and can be compared with the morewealthy characters in the novels of Charles Dickens. They are very arrogant andhave many unkind things to say about those "below" them. This was also a timewhen other cultures were not accepted into that of Victorian England. The bookdescribes the theatre-owner as an "abominable Jew." The rich "epicures" of thetime were truly idle, often showing lavish displays of wealth, such as expensiveproducts imported from afar. The Picture of Dorian Gray resembles a play set in London during the1800s. Although this was Wilde's only novel, many of his plays had a similarsetting and general atmosphere.IV. Evaluation I enjoyed this book because it was a rather dark and cautionary tale about"making horrible wishes that one just might get." I would recommend this to those Search For: Free Essays - Free Term Papers - Free Book Reports ...
