I opened The Picture of Dorian Gray with great expectancy. The reason is that Oscar Wilde was one of the most intriguing personalities in history. I remember the words of Carpeaux: “His life was the work of genius; and to genius society has always paid dearly for the uniqueness of his nature”. So I opened the book, eager for the manifestation of genius. I found it. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that can only be written by a great artist. To begin, with the plot: the story is instigating from the first to the last chapter. The three main characters in the book are very well developed; friends, they represent conflicting faces of a genius mind. Morals are put to the test, art in evidence, social relationships in check and psychological dramas in spark. Basil Hallward, like few others, portrays the personality of an artist. Lord Henry Wotton is a character with impressive vivacity. And Dorian Gray develops into an ingenious arc drawn by Wilde. The work is characterized by courage and psychological acuity: the author does not write in chains, he does not fear rejection. And so he manages to express himself with sincerity and power, delivering unique and real characters. It is obvious: Oscar Wilde will remain slandered forever. But he will never cease to be what he was: a great artist.

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