Oscar Wilde is undoubtedly brilliant, and I think he is at his best with the Picture of Dorian Gray. The story is essentially simple, and exemplifies a common longing that humans have always had - the desire to have beauty, youth, and wealth forever. Dorian Gray happens to embody all of those things equally; it is just a shame that he also happens to be a completely repulsive and detestable person who is hopelessly in love with himself. When given the opportunity to keep what he loves, his youth and beauty, forever, he of course obliges. Never mind the portrait of himself which, through the years, reflects his inner self with horrific detail. He ignores that. Dorian Gray is, above all else, human narcisssm and self-idolatry personified. He seeks physical pleasure and fulfillment and nothing else, and for a while, that works very well for him. Until, of course, he is faced with the portrait of himself he has hidden away. Wilde's book is so eerily relevant to humans in general, and only becomes moreso as the years go on. I often find myself thinking over and re-reading Wilde's texts, looking for meaning and relevance in every passage. His character, Dorian Gray, is fascinating to me, and that is something I tried to pay attention to and learn from in this novel. Wilde manages to be relevant to society at the time and society in years to come, and Oscar Wilde spares no wit or depth in this novel that says so very much about narcissm and selfish desires. He uses a fairy tale as a form of satire and social commentary, and he does it in a very eloquent way that I, as a writer, would like to attempt to emulate with my own works. The Picture of Dorian Gray is truly timeless, and a very interesting tool for examination of self and society.