The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was published in 1890 and immediately criticized as scandalous and immoral. It tells the story of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man who remains youthful while his portrait ages and reflects his moral corruption. Dorian sells his soul and pursues a life of pleasure and immorality, which corrupts his soul as reflected in the changing portrait. In the end, Dorian kills the portrait to try and free himself from his spiritual corruption, but mysteriously dies in the process. The novel explores the relationship between art, morality, and the human soul through Dorian's Faustian bargain.