Main characters basil hallward a reclusive painter much respected by the london aristocracy. he admires dorian to the point of adulation and paints many portraits of him, finally creating his masterpiece, the titular picture. basil introduces dorian to lord henry wotton. lord henry wotton a champion of sensual pleasure, notorious among london's hig

Dorian gray is a young man of extreme beauty. his friend, painter, basil hallward, is obsessed by it and draws all his inspiration. his fascination with the boy leads him to make a portrait, which turns out to be the finest work he ever created and it does not wish to expose "i put too much of myself." dorian is going to make the acquaintance of lo

Aestheticism and duplicity aestheticism is a strong motif and is tied in with the concept of the double life. a major theme is that aestheticism is merely an absurd abstract that only serves to disillusion rather than dignify the concept of beauty. although dorian is hedonistic, when basil accuses him of making lord henry's sister's name a "by-word

Oscar wilde's rich and dramatic portrayals of the human condition came during the height of the prosperity that swept through london in the victorian era of the late 19th century . at a time when all citizens of britain were finally able to embrace literature the wealthy and educated could only once afford, wilde wrote many short stories, plays and

The victorian period revolves around the political career of queen victoria. she was crowned in 1837 and died in 1901 (which put a definite end to her political career). a great deal of change took place during this period--brought about because of the industrial revolution; so it's not surprising that the literature of the period is often concerne