The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde has always had a flair for the dramatic as well as an absolutely gorgeous way with words. The prose of The Picture of Dorian Gray is without a doubt my favorite aspect of this book. Though some may consider it overly flowery and a tad bit over embellished, this is my favorite type of prose to read. It flows precisely like music and even without context, one is immediately enraptured by the sheer beauty of his diction.

“Sin is the only real color-element left in modern life” - Oscar Wilde

Originally published in 1890, editors were terrified that the story was too indecent and constantly attempted to censor it. The book has sexual undertones as well as questionable displays of morality, which back then might have been interpreted as satanic. If you can get past this much, it is an absolutely beautiful display of aestheticism, an art movement that has a special place in my heart. The novel is full of different literary allusions, with the overarching allusion being to the Greek myth of Narcissus.