3/5 Stars: ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is an Adult, 19th Century Classic by Oscar Wilde; ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is the allusive moral tale of youth, beauty and corruption. It is a classic instance of the aestheticism of the late 19th century’s English literature. The maxim of aestheticism ‘art for art’s sake’ is reflected in the opening of the novel, which specifies art’s aim to ‘reveal the art and conceal the artist’ – a wonderfully entertaining parable of the aesthetic ideal. It is clear that Wilde is not obsessed with the describing of settings as a novelist with a constructive bent would be. But the brevity of description is masterfully covered in the sombre conversations that fill most of the novel – if seen apart from the wit and epigrams of the secondary characters. ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is, and will continue to be, Wilde’s most accessible work, and the perfect introduction to this marvellous writer.