The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde, tells the story of a handsome young man who is befriended by a painter, Basil Hallward, and becomes the inspiration for his work. The young man is also introduced to one of Basil's friends, the hedonistic aristocrat Lord Henry Wotton, who enthralls Dorian by sharing with him his philosophies and ideals about life, including his belief that youth is the most precious and important thing in the world.

When Dorian is given a painting of himself by Basil he is suddenly struck by his own beauty and with the words of Lord Henry still fresh in his ears he wishes that the painting would be the one to grow old while he retained his youth. He falls in love with a young actress, but when her life is tragically cut short he decides to follow Lord Henry's advice and spends the next several years in pursuit of every sordid pleasure he can find, inspired by a book which was given to him by his older friend. But while he remains young, his portrait, now hidden away from the world, collects the scars of every sin he commits.

The book was written in 1891 and was the only novel written by Wilde, it was originally serialized in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine but was considered morally indecent by the editors who censored several parts without consulting the author.