In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde refers to a number of other texts and allegorical characters as he develops the novel's key themes and characters. In fact, this process starts as early as Chapter One when Wilde (through Lord Henry) likens Dorian Gray to Adonis, a figure in Greek mythology. This likeness is important in the characterization of Dorian because it demonstrates his extreme beauty and also foreshadows the conflict between Basil and...
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde refers to a number of other texts and allegorical characters as he develops the novel's key themes and characters. In fact, this process starts as early as Chapter One when Wilde (through Lord Henry) likens Dorian Gray to Adonis, a figure in Greek mythology. This likeness is important in the characterization of Dorian because it demonstrates his extreme beauty and also foreshadows the conflict between Basil and Lord Henry as they vie for Dorian's attentions (just like Aphrodite and Persephone in the Greek myth). Similarly, a further Greek reference to Narcissus, again made by Lord Henry, foreshadows the corruption of Dorian's soul as he comes to recognize his own beauty.
In addition, with the Yellow Book, academics believe that Wilde makes a reference to a contemporary text called A Rebours (Against Nature) which was written by Joris-Karl Huysmans in 1884. A Rebours tells the story of a man who rejects society and creates his own world filled with personal pleasures and desires. Like A Rebours, the Yellow Book inspires Dorian's hedonistic and self-indulgent lifestyle. In turn, this propels Dorian to the depths of moral corruption while simultaneously causing his portrait to physically degrade.
(You can find more information about A Rebours and its influence on Oscar Wilde in the second reference link provided.)
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