The first reason I think the book The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is still read today is because it is such an interesting story. I really enjoyed the book and think that people from any decade would enjoy it also. Another reason this classic is so timeless is because of the message. The message being that beauty comes from within. The Picture of Dorian Gray displays this through Dorian's self portrait and the changes his soul and appearance go through. "He would examine with minute care, and sometimes with a monstrous and terrible delight, the hideous lines that seared the wrinkling forehead or crawled around the heavy, sensual mouth, wondering sometimes which were the more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age" (Wilde, page 131, paragraph 2). From reading this book, one can learn the affects of vanity and that you will always be held responsible for your actions and have to suffer the consequences. In this particular piece of writing, Dorian is affected by vanity in the most extreme case scenario possible; he trades his own soul for eternal youth and beauty. Like I said, he also suffered the consequences for his actions. These included losing his friend Basil, his love Sibyl, and eventually his own life. The Picture of Dorian Gray is definitely a book worth keeping around.
Wilde,Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.
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