roman mannered on the hypocrisy of unbridled pleasure

is an ambiguous novel since it could pass for a manifesto of hedonism (pleasure seeking advocate out of any legal) but it ends rather as a religious and moralistic demonstration that sin corrupts all souls (especially for the hedonists).

many pages also feature a misogynistic vision of the world to read pretty disgusting, women are often regarded as decorative animals in society or unbearable balls.
Many other pages crush the populace and nobility up on a pedestal, a dichotomous world view where sin exists only in the shallows (prostitution, opium, murder).

beautiful pages will be read on dandyism without getting caught up in the game because this is ultimately a hobby to book spender than bored.
yes, that's the last word of this novel: boredom. dorian gray is bored, bored Lord Harry, a rich and bored rentier society, vanity and hypocrisy do the rest.

several film adaptations betray the novel by shortening certain psychological motives, unfortunately.

a good novel to know, as the novel "The trickle" of Balzac's on the same register, and the same theme: the desire kills ... it's very Buddhist stuff, eh?