Who Wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, When, and How Long Is It?
Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray. It first appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in July 1890, and Wilde expanded it into a book published in April 1891. The novel runs to about 78,000 words, usually 200 to 320 pages.
It is the only novel Wilde wrote.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) |
| Magazine version | July 1890, 13 chapters |
| Book version | April 1891, Ward, Lock and Company, 20 chapters |
| Length | About 78,000 words; 200 to 320 pages |
| Uncensored edition | Harvard University Press, 2011 |
Who was Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer born in Dublin on 16 October 1854. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and at Oxford, and became a leading figure of the Aesthetic movement, which held that art should be valued for its beauty. He is best known for his plays and epigrams and for this novel. He died in Paris on 30 November 1900, aged 46.
↑ Back to the topWhen was it first published?
In 1889 J. M. Stoddart, an editor for Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, dined with Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle and asked each for a story. Wilde's was The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in the magazine's July 1890 issue. Before it appeared, the editor cut about five hundred words that he feared were indecent, without telling Wilde.
↑ Back to the topHow did it become a novel?
After harsh reviews, Wilde revised the story and published it as a book in April 1891 with Ward, Lock and Company. He added six new chapters, divided the last chapter in two, and included a preface about art, which is famous in its own right. The book has 20 chapters, compared with 13 in the magazine.
↑ Back to the topHow many pages?
Length depends on the edition. Standard editions run from about 200 to 320 pages, and the text is roughly 78,000 words. The 1890 version is shorter and the 1891 book is the one most readers know.
↑ Back to the topIs there a version with the cuts restored?
Yes. In 2011 Harvard University Press published an annotated edition by Nicholas Frankel, based on Wilde's original typescript, with the material the magazine editor removed.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Picture of Dorian Gray
This guide covers Oscar Wilde's novel in its 1890 and 1891 versions. Page counts vary by edition.