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The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic novel and a study of narcissism by Oscar Wilde. Summary of the Book Dorian Gray is a handsome man whose greatest fear is that he will age and lose his beauty. When he sees a portrait of himself, he feels sad that his beauty will wane and prays that he could stay young while the portrait ages. In a Faustian turn of events, he stops aging from that moment. As the years pass, everyone begins to wonder how he manages to stay youthful. He hides a secret no one knows: for a hideous painting lies in his house. The portrait shows Dorian Gray in his true form, displaying the ugly inside for what it is. In doing so, it constantly reminds him that his own narcissism will destroy him once and for all. About Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet best remembered for his epigrams, his plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death. He is also one of the foremost gay icons of latter half of the 20th century. The above book was adapted into several films over the years, including one version by Oliver Parker, starring Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray, Ben Chaplin as Basil Hallward and Colin Firth as Henry Wotton.