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Chapters
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The Picture of Dorian Gray has 20 chapters.
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Chapters20 items
Chapter 1
Basil Hallward is finishing a portrait of a beautiful young man named Dorian Gray in his London studio. His friend Lord Henry Wotton visits and becomes fascinated by Dorian before…
Chapter 2
Lord Henry continues talking to Dorian in the garden while Basil finishes the portrait. Henry's ideas about pleasure, beauty, and the tragedy of aging sink deeper into Dorian.
Chapter 3
Lord Henry goes to visit his uncle, Lord Fermor, to find out more about Dorian's background. He learns that Dorian's mother was a beautiful aristocrat who ran off with a man below…
Chapter 4
Several months have passed. Dorian has become close with Lord Henry and has clearly absorbed his influence.
Chapter 5
The focus shifts to Sibyl Vane and her family. Sibyl is thrilled about her mysterious admirer, whom she calls Prince Charming.
Chapter 6
Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil meet for dinner before Dorian takes them to see Sibyl perform. Lord Henry and Basil learn more about Sibyl from Dorian, who is completely infatuated…
Chapter 7
Sibyl performs terribly. She has fallen so deeply in love with Dorian that she no longer cares about acting, because the stage feels false compared to real emotion.
Chapter 8
Dorian wakes up the next morning and feels a flicker of regret. He decides to go back to Sibyl and forgive her.
Chapter 9
Basil visits Dorian the morning after Sibyl's death. He is shocked by Dorian's calm and wants to paint him again.
Chapter 10
Dorian has the portrait moved to the old schoolroom at the top of the house and locks it away. He then sits down and reads a book Lord Henry has sent him, a French novel about a m…
Chapter 11
Years pass in a single chapter. Dorian becomes obsessed with collecting beautiful things: perfumes, music, jewels, embroideries, and religious objects.
Chapter 12
Dorian runs into Basil Hallward the night before Basil is set to leave for Paris. Basil has heard the rumors about Dorian and wants to talk directly.
Chapter 13
Dorian shows Basil the portrait. Basil is horrified.
Chapter 14
Dorian needs to get rid of Basil's body. He blackmails Alan Campbell, a former friend with a chemistry background, into destroying the evidence.
Chapter 15
That same evening, Dorian goes to a dinner party at Lady Narborough's house. He performs perfectly.
Chapter 16
Dorian goes to an opium den in the East End, trying to drown out his guilt over Basil's murder. He runs into James Vane there, who has been hunting him for years to avenge Sibyl's…
Chapter 17
Dorian is at his country estate, Selby Royal, hosting a party. He is visibly nervous and distracted.
Chapter 18
During a hunting party at Selby Royal, a man is accidentally shot and killed in the bushes. It turns out to be James Vane.
Chapter 19
Dorian visits Lord Henry and tells him he has decided to be good, starting with sparing a young village girl he could have corrupted.
Chapter 20
Dorian goes home and decides to destroy the portrait, which he sees as the only evidence of his crimes and the source of his torment.
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