关于本书
这部哲理小说围绕画家巴兹尔·霍尔沃德与他的缪斯——美貌非凡的年轻人道林·格雷——之间强烈的关系展开。故事发生在十九世纪末的伦敦，随着亨利·沃顿勋爵把容易受影响的道林引入一个充满愤世嫉俗的享乐主义和危险自我探索的世界，小说探讨了艺术与人格的深远影响。
开篇
THE PREFACE
序言
The artist is the creator of beautiful things.
艺术家是美的事物的创造者。
To reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim.
展现艺术而隐藏艺术家，是艺术的目的。
The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.
批评家是能够把他对美的事物的印象用另一种方式或新的材料表达出来的人。
The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography.
最高级的批评和最低级的批评一样，都是一种自传的形式。
Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming.
在美的事物中发现丑陋含义的人是堕落的，而且毫无魅力。
This is a fault.
这是一种过错。
Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated.
在美的事物中发现美的含义的人是有教养的人。
For these there is hope.
对这些人来说是有希望的。
They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.
他们是被选中的人，对他们来说，美的事物仅仅意味着美。
There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.
不存在所谓道德的书或不道德的书。
Books are well written, or badly written.
书只有写得好的，或者写得糟的。
That is all.
仅此而已。
The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.
十九世纪对现实主义的厌恶，是凯列班在镜子里看见自己面孔时的狂怒。
The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass.
十九世纪对浪漫主义的厌恶，是凯列班在镜子里看不见自己面孔时的狂怒。
The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist,
人的道德生活构成艺术家题材的一部分，
but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium.
但艺术的道德在于完美地运用一种不完美的媒介。
No artist desires to prove anything.
没有一个艺术家想要证明什么。
Even things that are true can be proved.
即使是真实的事物也可以被证明。
No artist has ethical sympathies.
没有一个艺术家有伦理上的同情。