... satirize its life and ideals through his literary works, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Through his pieces, Wilde stresses that the only way to escape society's superficiality is to remain true to one's inner self and righteous morality. In both The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, British high society, representing superficiality, seduces common men. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, society, manifested in Lord Henry Wotton ... , seeks opportunity to transform a common man, Dorian Gray, to that of "superior social stature," throug...

• Word Count: 565
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate