# Dorian Gray is... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 19, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046 "2010-03-19T18:57:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/1 "2010-03-19T18:57:40Z")
Without Googling, give your answer. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/2 "2010-03-19T18:59:30Z")
A character created by Oscar Wilde who was eternally gorgeous (and foppish), and the secret to his youth and gorgeousity šŸ™‚ was a painting hidden in the attic that aged instead of him. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/3 "2010-03-19T19:18:03Z")
A character in an Oscar Wilde book who has a special portrait of himself. He looks young and beautiful, while the portrait ages and looks horrifying as it portrays the effects of all his vices. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/4 "2010-03-19T19:19:36Z")
Embarrassingly I learned this from ā€œThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,ā€ and **not even** the graphic novel. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/5 "2010-03-19T19:25:34Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Embarrassingly I learned this from ā€œThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,ā€ and **not even** the graphic novel. Ha ha, thatā€™s lame! me too ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/6 "2010-03-19T19:27:41Z")
Gary Larson had a wonderful take on this as ā€˜The Picture of Dorian Gray and his Dogā€™. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/7 "2010-03-19T19:28:44Z")
Thatā€™s ok, I learned it from a Far Side cartoon. Also, Liz Phair has a great lyric referencing Dorian Gray in her song HWC. > [@](#): > > Face it, one of these days > Without you Iā€™m just another Dorian Gray > Itā€™s the fountain of youth > Itā€™s the meaning of life > So hot, so sweet, so wet my appetite In case you donā€™t know, HWC stands for Hot White Cum ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/8 "2010-03-19T19:33:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Ha ha, thatā€™s lame! > > me too Iā€™ve read a condensed version of it, but the only reason I remember the name is the same as both of yours. And I was sure I got it wrong: With the ability to choose more than one answer, I assumed it must be more than one thing, but there was no other option that jumped out at me. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/9 "2010-03-19T19:34:31Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Embarrassingly I learned this from ā€œThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,ā€ and **not even** the graphic novel. Well that makes sense, considering he isnā€™t in the graphic novel. (I think there are references to him, though, and he might have been in a previous incarnation of The League, but as a character he isnā€™t in the first or second volumes. I havenā€™t read the third (I do own it, though) so I canā€™t say anything on that.) At any rate, the inclusion of Dorian Gray is actually the only, and I mean only, thing good about the movie. Not neccesarily the implementation of him, just that he was there. (And the inclusion of Tom Sawyer, all grown up and as some sort of secret agent from America was one of the dumberst additionsā€¦along with the carā€¦and Mina being a vampire.) ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/10 "2010-03-19T19:34:32Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Ha ha, thatā€™s lame! > > me too Me three.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/11 "2010-03-19T19:38:36Z")
Can I ask for the reason for this poll? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/12 "2010-03-19T19:52:59Z")
DG was one of my favorite stories by OW. Good stuffs. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/13 "2010-03-19T20:01:12Z")
Since all but one were color related I guessed the name of a character. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/14 "2010-03-19T20:29:02Z")
Are the other things called ā€œDorian Grayā€, too? Iā€™m a bit puzzled as to what responses were expected here. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/15 "2010-03-19T21:23:01Z")
To be fair, I \*did \*encounter a color called ā€œDorian Grayā€ when we were redecorating. Yes, really. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/16 "2010-03-19T21:23:52Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Can I ask for the reason for this poll? I wrote a novel. I had a quick little exchange between the main character and another character she hadnā€™t seen in some time, where he told her she didnā€™t age, she laughed and said no but she had a photo in a closet she was afraid to look at, and he didnā€™t get it. My editor wrote: ā€œI donā€™t get it either, what does this mean?ā€ She has a masterā€™s degree in comparative literature (same degree I have, but hers is from an Ivy League college and she got Latin honors). And she didnā€™t get it? So I just wondered how many people got it, because I assumed everybody would. And Dopers have not let me down. PS, in the novel, I removed the exchange. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/17 "2010-03-19T21:33:48Z")
HNS, Iā€™ve used that exact line on a couple of people I had not seen in ages, who had just complimented me on my youthful looks. They got the joke for sure. I think older people might remember the original movie. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/18 "2010-03-19T21:38:52Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I wrote a novel. I had a quick little exchange between the main character and another character she hadnā€™t seen in some time, where he told her she didnā€™t age, she laughed and said no but she had a photo in a closet she was afraid to look at, and he didnā€™t get it. > > My editor wrote: ā€œI donā€™t get it either, what does this mean?ā€ > > She has a masterā€™s degree in comparative literature (same degree I have, but hers is from an Ivy League college and she got Latin honors). And she didnā€™t get it? > > So I just wondered how many people got it, because I assumed everybody would. And Dopers have not let me down. > > PS, in the novel, I removed the exchange. This is why I love my co-workers. I have a snapshot from our wedding (early 1990s) thatā€™s starting to fade, except the turquoise contacts I was featuring at the time. Iā€™ve always described it as a f-ed up version of it. Few ever got it til I started working with other tech writers. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/19 "2010-03-19T21:48:01Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I had a quick little exchange between the main character and another character she hadnā€™t seen in some time, where he told her she didnā€™t age. Thereā€™s a [syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Gray_syndrome) for that. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046/20 "2010-03-19T21:52:56Z")
Iā€™ll ask this here. Wasnā€™t he gay? I didnā€™t finish the book, but from what I read I thought he was gay. I do know the ending of the book. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie has him as a ladyā€™s man. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dorian-gray-is/533046.md?page=2)