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Cover of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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.