Book Log 2015 #38: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Turns out that A Passage to India wasn't old enough to fulfill the "read a book that's over 100 years old" part of the Popsugar reading challenge. But this one, which I'd been thinking about reading, did.

The basic story: Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man just starting to make his way in London. He is having his portrait painted by Basil Hallward (who is quite taken with Gray) when he meets of friend of Hallward's, Sir Henry Hotton. Gray and Hotton develop a friendship (generally dominated by Hotton), which leads Gray toward a life of aesthetics and hedonism. As part of that life, Gray wishes that his looks would never fade, but rather that they'd be reflected in his portrait. This is exactly what happens; as Gray lives a life where he does not deny himself any sensation, regardless of the consequences, he continues to look like the unblemished youth who first sat for Hallward.

Originally published as a serial, reaction was not favorable. As tame as the book seems now, charges of immorality were bandied about quite widely, with threats of legal charges against publisher and author alike. The publisher even removed what it considered the most questionable passages, to little relief. Wilde would later rework the story, adding chapters and a preface about the philosophical nature of the work and the importance of art in society (this is the version I read).

Unlike A Passage to India, this book stands up better to the ravages of time, thanks to Wilde's prose and the familiarity of the themes. Its brevity also helps keep the book from dragging where it might if it were longer.

(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book more than 100 years old; a popular author's first novel)