The Picture of Dorian Grey
Ratings1,256
Average rating4.1
TL;DR - a true blue masterpiece, and one that is going to make me start a classics binge shortly.
Whether it is the characterisation, the heady Faustian themes, and a surprisingly great plot - my first foray into Wilde's literature was nothing short of spectacular. Lord Henry's cynicism was laugh-at-loud at parts, and somewhat deep at others, but where the novel truly shines is in depicting Dorian's corruption - first as a charming and uncorrupted seventeen-year old, but then whose countenance grows darker the more he revels in his senses. What I liked the most in this depiction is that we get to know about Dorian's behaviour second-hand, and that too in parts - thus the misuse of the omniscient PoV is kept to a minimum.
A slight addendum - there are slight socialist undertones I got from this (for example, the depiction of vacuousness of the people having inherited wealth is unsubtle), to the point where I began to wonder if Wilde was a socialist - which he was? Unsurprising, but it only added to my appreciation of the text.
The fact that I needed an audiobook to get through this short book is crazy to me. Still very gay
One of my absolute favorite classics!! You MUST read this! The language is not as flowery as you'd assume and there is more than just character development - a real plot.
I swear that this is my favorite “old” classic after Hamlet because I absolutely despise all other books written during this time period.
Not my type of book, read it for school. I got surprised by the plot, a really good story. I just think the type of writting isn't for me.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde presented a fascinating, albeit challenging, reading experience. Initially, I was captivated by the author's meticulous attention to detail and the vivid portrayal of emotions. However, as the narrative progressed, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the sheer volume of descriptive passages, often feeling that they detracted from the flow of the story.
Chapter 11, in particular, proved to be a significant hurdle. The excessive detail, while perhaps intended to convey the character's inner turmoil, felt unnecessarily drawn out and ultimately hindered my enjoyment. I questioned the necessity of such meticulous descriptions, wondering if a more concise approach would have been more effective.
The narrative took an unexpected turn, which surprised me and injected a new dimension into the story. While I didn't necessarily want the book to become a murder mystery, the shift in focus certainly made it more engaging.
Ultimately, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” offers a thought-provoking exploration of themes such as addiction, ignorance, and the corrupting influence of beauty. While I appreciated the author's ambition, I felt that the execution sometimes fell short, leading to a somewhat uneven reading experience. The book's strengths lie in its intriguing premise and the compelling conclusion, but the excessive detail in certain sections detracted from the overall enjoyment. I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
Perhaps I am not fully grasping the nuances of Wilde's writing style or the deeper meaning he intended to convey. Regardless, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” remains a significant work in literature, and I can appreciate the effort and artistry that went into its creation.
Amazing book, especially this version. The impact of Wilde’s work in his time and space is pivotal to the mainstreaming of “alternative” plots that would bring previously taboo concepts into the culture.
Not a bad book. I heard a lot of good reviews about this book and maybe I had high expectations, but I expected more. The characters and philosophy are interesting, but their motivation and the pace of the story do not stand up to criticism. As for me, this is a pretty average book, positive emotions from which you will get if you do not have high expectations.
As much as I understand it's the product of its time, I simple cannot read so much sexism and not be put off. The story is interesting, but every character is odious and there's not that much comeuppance. I would have loved it if Dorian were slewn by the brother of Sibyl, but I know this would have deprived us of the dramatic self-kill at the end and thus could not be the ending.
Contains spoilers
If I had to listen to Lord Henry all the time I would go insane too.
Between this and Frankenstein that I also read recently and didn't particularly like I'm starting to believe that the classics are not really my cup of tea.
However, I understand why they are classics and that they bring interesting ideas to the conversation.
I already have other classics that I wish to read in the future and I will not abandon my quest just yet of finding a classic I vibe with
Final Rating: 3.5
Such a good concept! Just lacked the story telling to bring it all together. Underwhelming reading experience, but an extremely important moral concept that should be read by all.
Summary: Dorian Gray, a very handsome young man of good social standing, befriends Basil Hallward, a painter, and Lord Henry, a charming society man with a corrupting influence. When Basil gives Dorian a portrait of himself, Dorian cannot imagine the secrets this portrait holds or the drastic turn it will cause his life to take.
An excellent classic book with many movie adaptions. It goes over the state of the soul, vanity, corruption, and beauty. The main character, Dorian Gray, keeps putting the blame of his actions and state onto the picture of himself that has been cursed. He believes that if you have beauty, you have everything no matter how decadent, vile, or corrupt you are. He keeps forgetting that he placed the curse and he is doing the actions that are being placed on the picture. He values his beauty more than his soul.
Wilde's writing is beautiful and turns an offhand "if-only" into a story on the meaning of life and morality. The exposition is quite long as it takes half the book for the focus on the portrait to begin, and then chapter 11 definitely felt too long. If you're not fond of sociophilosophical conversation and introspective dialogue you might find the first half dry (maybe read the uncensored version instead since it's shorter? I am saying this prior to reading it though) but aside from that the second half suddenly becomes a page-turner. I recommend skipping Chapter 11 because it's far longer and more detailed than it needs to be. Overall though I enjoyed The Picture of Dorian Gray and have now ordered the uncensored version! It's definitely an insightful read into late nineteenth century England and - because this was my question prior to reading it - it's super gay as far as the 1800s go. Yay for historical gays :))
“I suffered immensely. Then it passed away. I cannot repeat an emotion. No one can , except sentimentalists.”
I always find it a little pointless to comment on anything considered a classic. Everything to be said has already been said.
But this novel has always stuck with me, even when i first read it years ago and didnt really understand the crux of it.
Sometimes i'm still unsure i do.
The detrimental effects of influence that one person can inflict on another is genuinely terrifying — how one person can entirely alter the makeup of another person just by exisiting and relaying themselves, even if the former doesn't entirely mean to do this.
I have this odd concern about myself all the time — that i'm not really my own person but just a makeup of all the people around me and all the things and art I consume. That i'm nothing but flesh and bone and mannerisms and ideals and jokes that inherently aren't mine.
In this book, Lord Henry says that art has no influence upon action, that we can indulge in it without being privy to it. He doesn't see art for what it can be, what it becomes for Dorian.
Poison.
“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.”
Parts of it definitely drag on with its incredibly pretentious, long winded characters but that does not stop the meat of the story from being engrossing and enjoyable. A classic for a reason and it 100% holds up.
