
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde · 1890
Wilde's only novel, and unlike anything else in Victorian literature. Decadent, philosophical, the corruption of beauty made literal. Its preface is a manifesto for art for art's sake. Underneath the aestheticism is a genuinely frightening morality tale about vanity, influence, and the soul.
Literary Fiction · the Pro canon
The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.