The Picture of Dorian Gray (The Gothic Chronicles)

When renowned artist Basil Hallward meets the wealthy Dorian Gray, he is immediately drawn to Dorian's countenance. Hallward becomes fitfully obsessed with capturing Dorian's remarkable beauty, confessing as much to his friend Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton counters, arguing that Hallward's portrait is an unparalleled masterpiece.

After his final sitting, in an impulsive fit of despair over losing his vitality to the ravages of time, Dorian pledges his soul, pleading that his portrait age and fade in exchange for Dorian's eternal youth. What follows is an unsettling descent into decadence, sensualism, murderous secrecy, and tragedy as the portrait supernaturally begins to reflect Dorian's spiritual and moral deterioration while his outward physical appearance remains unchanged.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is part of a four-volume collection that includes Bram Stoker's Dracula, Dante's Inferno, and a volume of Edgar Allan Poe's best-known short stories.