Oscar Wilde, the author of "The Picture of Dorian Gray", makes Basil's life change drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and expresses too much of himself in it, which, in Wilde's mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent. Wilde believes that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, so when Basil does this, it is he who creates his own downfall, not Dorian.
Wilde introduces Basil to Dorian when Basil begins to notice Dorian staring at him at a party. Basil "suddenly became conscious that someone was looking at him. He turned halfway around and saw D…
