The Picture of Dorian Grey

I was looking forward to reading Oscar Wilde in novel form, as I remember thoroughly enjoying The Importance of Being Earnest my senior year in high school and loving his writing style. However, I got bored quite often in reading this novel, skipped over paragraphs and pages and thought Wilde could be quite long-winded at times (particularly the pages where Wilde goes on and on referencing the stages Dorian Gray goes through in embracing aestheticism and the “new Hedonism” through collecting fine furniture or whatever it was). The novel, in my opinion, is too long and could be a few chapters shorter. Nonetheless, the concept of “art for art's sake” and living a life solely for the purpose of seeking out pleasure is a fascinating concept, especially considering how unconventional this must have been at the time it was published. Lord Henry is a ghastly influence over Gray and this relationship seems to be a fair warning to those who allow certain individuals, thoughts or ideas to navigate their life and moral compass for them.

The idea that Gray had a visual soul of sorts to witness the wizening and decay of as he himself remained seemingly pure and full of youth is one that made me think quite a bit. The moral direction of this thought process is one I could probably muse on about for more than is necessary, but ultimately, really made me think about what it is I allow to hold influence over the decisions I make and how I approach life.

Overall, a fairly interesting read with a lot of good quotes and thoughts/ideas/principles to ponder. Would I read it again? Probably not but am glad I finally can add this book to my “read” list.