The historical background of the book
The picture of Dorian Grey is the only novel Oscar Wilde has written.
It was published before he reached the height of his fame.
Though the novel is now revered as a great and classic work, at the time of publishing critics were outraged by the book's apparent lack of morality.
There is as just as much disagreement over the novel’s meaning now as there was among its Victorian audience.
The historical background of the book
Regardless of the critique, the author stood by what he had written:
"All art is at once surface and symbol," Wilde wrote in the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray. "Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex and vital."
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