Content levels
Positive tags
Synopsis
**The Picture of Dorian Gray** is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical *Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine*. The novel-length version was published in April 1891. (Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray))
Is The Picture of Dorian Gray appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This Victorian Gothic novel contains themes of moral corruption, implied homoeroticism, substance abuse, and a murder. While not graphically explicit, its dark philosophical content and depictions of hedonism and vice make it more suitable for mature readers.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, murder, and addiction (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
A dark, twisting story about a beautiful young man whose portrait ages and bears the marks of his sins while he stays forever young — and what that costs him.