“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the colored canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul.” says Basil Hallward to Lord Henry, explaining his reasoning behind not showing a painting he created of the up-and-coming Dorian Gray, climbing the social ladder of late 19th century Victorian England. Under the guidance of Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic aristocrat who plants thoughts and ideas in Dorian’s mind encouraging him to pursue beauty and pleasure over maintaining his morality and humanity.

Oscar Wilde’s largely successful novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, continues to have influence decades later on current entertainment and media, such as tv shows like Once Upon a Time, or references to him in lyrics by bands like Nirvana when mentioning false perfection.

Wilde’s classic novel explores themes of the duality of human nature, moral corruption in the name of beauty and youth, and the consequences of earthly desires and pleasures. Dorian allows thoughts of selfishness and of vanity to be planted in him by his new friend Henry, which in turn leads to his demise. Dorian Gray falls in love with his self portrait, with the beauty of himself, which drives him to make a deal with the devil so he may stay young and beautiful forever. Instead of him bearing his scars and carrying the burden of age, his portrait is the only thing affected as he succumbs to his evil pleasures and desires.

Though it was published in 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray continues to have a lasting impact on the world, and on anyone who reads it. It gives a new meaning to selfishness and vanity, and is not a waste of time to anybody of any background. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that makes you question, are aesthetics what lead to happiness?