Dorian Gray is having his picture painted by Basil Hallward, who is charmed by his looks. But when Sir Henry Wotton visits, and seduces Dorian into the worship of youthful beauty with an intoxicating speech, Dorian makes a wish he will live to regret: that all the marks of age will now be reflected in the portrait, rather than on Dorian?s own face. The stage is now set for a masterful tale about appearance, reality, art, life, truth, fiction and the burden of conscience. Oscar Wilde?s only full?length novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a lasting gem of sophisticated wit and playfulness, which brings together all the best elements of his talent in a reinterpretation of the Faustian myth. This annotated edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray provides a richly contextualized version of Wilde?s only novel by including critical apparatus, historical photographs, and editorial notes. The narrative follows Dorian Gray, whose pact for eternal youth leaves his soul?and morality?reflected and corrupted within his portrait. Thematically, the novel interrogates aestheticism, the duality of appearances and reality, moral corruption, and the Faustian bargain. The annotations guide readers through Victorian social mores, Wilde?s philosophical allusions to Pater and Nietzsche, and the novel?s revision history?including the 1890 and 1891 editions. This edition is ideal for students and scholars seeking both literary analysis and source transparency.