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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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(1891) Novel by Oscar *Wilde, first published in a somewhat different version in 1890 as a serial in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. It is a notable expression of the sentiments of the *Aesthetic movement, depicting both the delights and consequences of self-indulgence. Dorian Gray is a beautiful young man whose evil genius is Lord Henry Wotton; the only influence for good in his life is Basil Hallward, the painter of his portrait. Dorian sells his soul to remain eternally youthful, allowing the corrupting effects of age and debauchery to disfigure instead the portrait, which he keeps in a locked upstairs room. He eventually murders Hallward; and in disgust at his appalling image in the portrait, stabs that too. He falls to the ground, dead, old and disgusting, while the portrait returns to its original perfection.
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