<DIV><p><i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> was a succès de scandale. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895.</p> <p>Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only Dorian's picture bears the traces of his decadence.</p> <p>A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society. <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> offers a disturbing portrait of an individual coming face to face with the reality of his soul.</p> </div>