Well, the way of paradoxes is the way of truth. To test reality we must see it on the tight rope. When the verities become acrobats, we can judge them.

– Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 3. Mr. Erskine is commenting on the paradoxes of Lord Henry. Wilde publicly stated that Henry’s character was a representation of the way the public saw him. In Chapter 17 Dorian says of Lord Henry, "His name is Prince Paradox."