The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde's only novel, was first published in an American magazine in 1890 and then appeared in book form in 1891. it sold wee, but was immediately attacked by the press for its immorality, although Wilde had predicted that it would be recognised as "a real work of art with a strong ethical message in it". The novel caused a scandal and when Wilde revised it for publication I 1891, he cut or modified some of the passages which were later used in court as evidence of the author's, and Dorian Gray's, homosexuality.
In this tale of innocence depraved by experience, the handsome Dorian Gray is corrupted by the aesthete Lord Henry Wotton, a partial self-portrait of Wilde himself. Dorian selfishly pursues his sensual pleasures, becoming more and more corrupt, but keeps his golden youth, while his portrait in the attic ages and decays, changing into a horrible image of Dorian's wicked soul. Dorian leads a double life for twenty years, but eventually, haunted by what his painting could reveal, and disgusted with himself, he decides to destroy it and, in so doing, kills himself. The portrait will then recover its original youth and beauty. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a dark and disturbing novel which wild described as the story of "a young man selling his soul in exchange for eternal youth - an idea that is old in the history of literature, but to which I have given new form".
The sequence "Life as the greatest of arts" is taken from chapter 11 of the novel. Dorian Gray's lifestyle, influenced by Lord Henry Wotton's theories on beauty and youth is described in this sequence.
In the first sequence the narrator presents Dorian's house. It is a beautiful house and everyone ho visit the house has to be pleasured. Inside the house Dorian gives dinners (the modernist parties). Dorian's typical guests are selected young people came from Eton or Oxford egger to come to his dinners. Dorian was a model.
In the second sequence the concept "art for art's sake" is expressed. Besides the narrator focus reader's attention on the concept of Dandyism. Dandyism was try to state the absolute modernity of beauty and fascination. Beauty is well order, symmetry.
In this sequence Dorian reflects that too much of human experience has been sacrificed to asceticism and pledges to live a life devoted to discovering the true nature of the senses.
Oscar Wilde uses the language of sense impression. He gives importance to the reader, he focus the attention on who receives the work of art.