A quarter of a century ago The Picture of Dorian Gray was discussed furtively and in whispers as a book of sinister meaning and frightening moral consequences. Today, when its theme of decadence is a matter of general knowledge, it is regarded as Oscar Wilde's most scintillating, and certainly his most popular, work. Dealing as it does with the radiance and corruption of a pampered youth, it is written in Oscar Wilde's most dazzling manner, full of stinging epigrams, shrewd observations and a nimble, sharp-barbed wit.