About this story
One garden conversation later you have wished your youth onto the canvas, and something appears to have agreed. Wilde's only novel, first half: the wish, the girl at the penny theatre, and the first cruelty the picture keeps on your behalf. You are Dorian Gray, and everything you choose is billed to the portrait.
Who you’ll meet
Lord Henry - the languid corrupting wit the reader (the painter) spars with, posed beside the fatal portrait of beautiful Dorian.
How it opens
Roses crowded the open studio door on a warm June afternoon.
Lilac and paint oil mingled above the long worktable.
London sounds almost innocent from this room.
At last, a painting worthy of your silence.
Choose
The picture is not finished while you flatter it.
It is the best work I have done.