The Picture of Dorian Gray facts for kids
The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine.
|
|
| Author | Oscar Wilde |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Philosophical fiction, decadent literature |
| Published | 1890 Lippincott's Monthly Magazine |
| Media type | |
| OCLC | 53071567 |
| 823/.8 22 | |
| LC Class | PR5819.A2 M543 2003 |
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only book written by Oscar Wilde. It was first printed in a magazine called Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on June 20, 1890. Wilde later changed some parts of the story. This new version was published again in April 1891. People sometimes mistakenly call the story The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
Contents
What is The Picture of Dorian Gray About?
The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young man named Dorian Gray. An artist, Basil Hallward, paints a beautiful portrait of him. Basil thinks Dorian is very handsome. He becomes fascinated by Dorian's looks.
One day, Dorian meets a man named Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry tells Dorian that beauty is the most important thing in life. Dorian realizes he will get older and lose his good looks. He wishes that the painting Basil made would grow old instead of him. Dorian makes a powerful wish for this to happen.
How Does the Painting Change?
Dorian's wish comes true. But there's a strange twist. Every time Dorian does something mean, selfish, or wrong, his picture changes. The painting gets older and uglier. It shows all the bad things Dorian has done.
For 18 years, Dorian stays young and handsome. He does many bad things during this time. Meanwhile, his portrait becomes more and more aged and ugly. Later, Dorian decides to try and be a better person. He hopes this will make his portrait beautiful again. But it only makes the painting look worse.
Dorian thinks that only telling the truth about everything will fix the portrait. However, he doesn't feel bad about his actions. So, Dorian grabs a knife and tries to destroy the painting.
What Happens at the End?
Dorian's servants hear a loud scream from his room. They call the police. The police find Dorian's body on the floor. He has a knife wound in his heart. His body has become very old and ugly. But the portrait looks exactly as it did when it was first painted. It is beautiful and young again.
Who Are the Main Characters?
- Dorian Gray – He is a very handsome young man. He loves himself a lot (this is called narcissistic). Lord Henry teaches him to seek only pleasure. Dorian tries every kind of pleasure and bad deed. He watches how it changes him.
- Basil Hallward – He is the artist who paints Dorian's portrait. Basil is a very moral person. He is fascinated by Dorian. The painting of Dorian Gray is Basil's best work.
- Lord Henry "Harry" Wotton – He is a rich nobleman. He believes in living only for pleasure (this is called hedonism). Lord Henry was Basil's friend first. But he becomes more interested in Dorian's beauty. Lord Henry's clever words influence Dorian. He makes Dorian want to live a life of pleasure. Lord Henry likes to impress and influence people. But he doesn't seem to follow his own advice. He doesn't care about what happens because of his actions.
- Sibyl Vane – She is a talented actress and singer. She is beautiful and comes from a poor family. Dorian falls in love with her. Her love for Dorian makes her acting worse. She no longer enjoys pretending to be in love on stage. She is now experiencing real love. When Dorian stops loving her, she takes poison. Lord Henry compares her to Ophelia from Hamlet.
- James Vane – He is Sibyl's younger brother. He is a sailor who plans to go to Australia. James is very protective of Sibyl. Their mother only cares about Dorian's money. James worries that Dorian will hurt Sibyl. He promises to get revenge on Dorian if anything bad happens to her. After Sibyl dies, James becomes obsessed with killing Dorian. He follows him. But a hunter accidentally kills James.
How The Picture of Dorian Gray Became Famous
After Oscar Wilde died in 1900, his book The Picture of Dorian Gray wasn't immediately popular. But over time, it became very interesting to many people. It has been made into many movies and plays.
In 1913, a writer named G. Constant Lounsbery turned it into a play. This play was shown at the Vaudeville Theatre in London. In the same years, several silent movies were made based on the book.
One of the most famous movies is The Picture of Dorian Gray from 1945. This film won an Academy Award for its black-and-white camera work. Angela Lansbury, who played Sibyl Vane, was also nominated for an award.
Later, in 2003, Stuart Townsend played Dorian Gray in the movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In 2009, another movie called Dorian Gray came out. It starred Ben Barnes as Dorian and Colin Firth as Lord Henry.
The Dorian Award is named after Dorian Gray. It honors Oscar Wilde's work. The first Dorian Awards were given out in January 2010.
Images for kids
-
Dorian Gray observes the corruption recorded in his portrait, in the film The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). Inset painting by Ivan Albright
-
Plaque commemorating the dinner between Wilde, Conan Doyle and the publisher on 30 August 1889 at 1 Portland Place, Regent Street, London
-
The title page of the Ward Lock & Co 1891 edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray with decorative lettering, designed by Charles Ricketts
-
Original manuscript of the opening of chapter four
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: El retrato de Dorian Gray para niños
