The Picture [or Portrait]  Dorian Gray is written by Irish author Oscar Wilde. A shorter version was published in July 1890, while the novel-length book was published in April 1891.

At the start of the novel, Basil Hallward is painting a portrait of Dorian Gray, a young, handsome man. Lord Henry Wotton, a flamboyant aristocrat and friend of Hallward's, sees Dorian's extraordinary beauty and believes it reflects his commitment to artistic perfection. Later, Dorian embraces these ideals, and even goes as far as vowing to sacrifice his soul to keep his looks, resulting in a magical transformation of his portrait. While Dorian's physical appearance stays unchanged, the painting shows his gradual moral deterioration. Soon, he becomes infatuated with Sybil Vane, a talented and attractive actress. When Sybil falls for Dorian, her love for acting fades. After witnessing Sybil's subpar portrayal of Juliet, Dorian, who only valued her for how she made him feel, callously rejects her. Dorian clears his name and sees that Hallward's painting has transformed after her passing: His smile now carries a hint of horrifying brutality. As time goes on, Dorian's portrait appears increasingly aged, malevolent, and grotesque, but still retains its majestic allure. As Dorian's friends suffer and some die, scandals surround him. James hears Dorian called Prince Charming in an opium den. Recognizing this as Sybil’s nickname for Dorian, James wants to kill him, but Dorian convinces him not to by arguing that he is too young to have known Sybil. James sets him free, but later learns that Dorian lied. James pursues Dorian but is accidentally killed on a hunting trip. Dorian is happy about James's death but mourns Sybil's. Hallward soon meets Dorian and tells him that, despite the widespread rumors in London about Dorian’s bad character and negative influence, he refuses to believe them due to Dorian's unparalleled beauty. Dorian angrily shows the picture to Hallward, partly blaming him for the corrupted enchantment and partly unable to keep the secret any longer. He fatally stabs Hallward in the neck. Dorian coerces Alan Campbell, a former partner and chemist, to dissolve Hallward's body, after which Campbell commits suicide. Dorian uses the murder weapon to destroy the picture, transforming into the portrayed physique, revealing his youthful beauty once again.

The novel is a satire and warning against the excesses and destructiveness of the aristocratic elite. Within the aristocracy, vanity is a socially acceptable sin that breeds heedless selfishness and exposes the moral degradation of the class as a whole. The affluent individuals that surround Dorian and mindlessly admire and praise him because of his appearance are also responsible for his demise. The disease of Dorian Gray, according to Wilde, is not only his, but rather a symptom of an aristocratic culture that places physical beauty above moral and intellectual growth. The most obvious victim of Dorian's careless pride is the impoverished Sybil Vane, whose position in life forbids her and her family from pursuing justice via the court system. Dorian's riches and rank provide him instant respect and prestige, whilst Lord Henry Wotton's pompous speeches and the use of other people's lives for his own ends serve as the foundation for both Dorian and Lord Henry's wrongdoing. Wilde wants to expose the predatory, debauchery, and even lethal inclinations of an out-of-control, shallow, and egotistical aristocratic elite.

Wilde takes great care to address this throughout the story because he believed that the presumption that outward beauty coincides with moral purity is false and damaging. Dorian is able to enchant people in great part because of his alluring good looks. Basil Hallward is most notable for mistaking Dorian's excellent looks for moral righteousness, which turns out to be a deadly error. Basil is enchanted by Dorian and unable to comprehend that any immorality may be hidden beneath the surface, despite the fact that Dorian has a well-documented history of bringing disgrace and bad luck to many people, as well as the obvious unnaturalness of his lack of aging. Basil is far too trusting and credulous and is ambushed and killed as a result, which is what finally makes it possible. Despite his negative effects on others, Dorian continues to attract hordes of admirers. These followers are obviously intoxicated by Dorian's looks and want to either ignore any indications of his moral decline or give him more leniency due to his beautiful looks. Dorian is able to act recklessly, selfishly, and destructively to other people's lives because of this.