- Wilde"s only novel, first published in 1890, posits the idea that the only thing worth pursuing in life is beauty. The novel"s protagonist, entranced by the perfection of his portrait and realising that his beauty will one day fade, makes a Faustian bargain whereby the figure on the canvas ages in his place. Gray embarks upon a hedonistic spree of debauchery and cruelty, which mark"s only the portrait"s face, while his exquisite beauty remains intact.