My favorite stories in this collection were "The Birthday of the Infanta" and "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime." "The Birthday" was an incredible piece about the beauty of innocence and not being exposed to the "celebrity beauty culture" of that time period. It rings true and real just as much as if it were written today and knowing what a peacock Oscar Wilde was, I find it fascinating that he wrote such a love story to ugliness. And "Lord Arthur" is an excellent piece on free will and the lack of realizing that we all have it. But "The Picture of Dorian Gray"? I couldn't stand it. It was ugliness all the way through and not in a celebratory way. I know it is a classic and I'm glad I read it, but I won't be reading it again.