It's the time old tale of corruption, vanity and evil. The title character of Dorian Gray, rather than see his beauty fade over the years, trades his soul for eternal youth. While it's more effective than any anti-aging cosmetic, it holds a dangerous path for Dorian. After reading the book, I feel like I managed to pick up the main ideas that Oscar Wilde was trying to convey.

These are the lessons that I learnt from reading the Picture of Dorian Gray:

1) How to sell your soul: Sins and bad deeds are so wearing on the looks and soul, it's much better to have eternal youth and let some other object grow old and ugly instead. Caution: do not stab your vessel of corruption in a fit of rage, side effects include reversal of the eternal youth and possibly death.

2) How to woo a girl: When it comes to the art of dating there's a lot of confusion… Should you wait three days to call next? Are they interested? Should we get married after a few weeks? Well don't fret, just follow the lead of Dorian Gray. Showing up to your object of affection's place of work every night is acceptable, as long as you bring flowers to give them afterwards. Some might find this approach a little forward but really you're just being charming, you might even say Prince Charming. Which brings me to point number three.

3) Are we moving too fast? You can already picture your future with them, you know you're deeply in love but do you know their name? Sadly, an affectionately given nickname such as 'Prince Charming' doesn't count. You might want to hold off on choosing the china plates and get to know your betrothed a little more before it comes to tying the knot. After all, it has roughly been three weeks since you met.

4) Always go for an actress: Most women are just one boring person, but actresses are every woman! It's a much better deal, why stick with one dull personality for the rest of your life when you can go for someone with a little more variety. One day she's Shakespeare's Juliet, the next day she could be Walford's Dot Branning, it's so much more exciting.

5) Do I make time for myself? Sometimes we get so involved in our friends' lives that we forget to take a little me-time. We should try to appreciate ourselves instead of obsessing over the beauty of our friends. That might come back to bite us later or, you know, stab us. Not everyone is appreciative of the time we spend on them.

6) Who you gonna call? We all get into those 'oops' moments, you've run out of sugar or you've murdered one of your oldest friends. It's good to know that you can always rely on the kindness of your other pals to help you get rid of the body or, failing that, blackmail them! It's a fool proof method of persuasion.

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