Name: Matthew Jackson's review of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Item: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rating: 1
Author: Matthew Jackson

Oscar Wilde

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. 1st World Library-Literary Society is a non-profit educational organization. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - [3] The studio was filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn. From the corner of the divan of Persian saddle-bags on which he was lying, smoking, as usual, innumerable cigarettes, Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-colored blossoms of the laburnum, whose tremulous branches seemed hardly able to bear the burden of a beauty so flame-like as theirs; and now and then the fantastic shadows of birds in flight flitted across the long tussore-silk curtains that were stretched in front of the huge window, producing a kind of momentary Japanese effect, and making him think of those pallid jade-faced painters who, in an art that is necessarily immobile, seek to convey the sense of swiftness and motion. The sullen murmur of the bees shouldering their way through the long unmown grass, or circling with mono-tonous insistence round the black-crocketed spires of the early June hollyhocks, seemed to make the stillness more oppressive, and the dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The launch of the Sterling Signature Classics program. Sterling will roll out six new Signature Classics each season. When handsome young Dorian Gray sees a painter's stunning portrait of him, he is transfixed by its reflection of his own beauty. He is also troubled by the knowledge that the image in the painting will remain forever youthful and handsome while he himself grows older and less desirable. He wishes aloud that the roles were reversed, saying that he would give his soul if only the painting would suffer the ravages of time and he were to remain forever young. From that point on, Dorian lives a life of hedonistic indulgence, knowing that only the painting will show his moral corruption.

Emily McMeans

"Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of someone else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him.”

“I fancy that the true explanation is this. It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style. They affect us just as vulgarity affects us. They give us an impression of sheer brute force, and we revolt against that.”

The Picture of Dorian Gray, the only novel by Oscar Wilde, was first published in 1890. A substantially revised and expanded edition was published in April 1891. For the new edition, Wilde revised the content of the novel's existing chapters, divided the final chapter into two chapters, and created six entirely new additional chapters. Whereas the original edition of the novel contains 13 chapters, the revised edition of the novel contains 20 chapters. The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Dorian is selected for his remarkable physical beauty, and Basil becomes strongly infatuated with Dorian, believing that his beauty is responsible for a new mode of art. Talking in Basil's garden, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view. Espousing a new kind of hedonism, Lord Henry suggests that the only thing worth pursuing in life is beauty, and the fulfillment of the senses. Realising that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian cries out, wishing that the portrait Basil has painted of him would age rather than himself. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, subsequently plunging him into a sequence of debauched acts. The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, each sin being displayed as a new sign of aging on the portrait. The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered one of the last works of classic gothic horror fiction with a strong Faustian theme. It deals with the artistic movement of the decadents, and homosexuality, both of which caused some controversy when the book was first published. However, in modern times, the book has been referred to as "one of the modern classics of Western literature.

Lukas

Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

A new series of classic fiction in flexi leather-look binding.

B&N Collectibles Picture of Dorian Gray

Molly Sheerer

"A man cannot be to careful in the choice of his enemies. I have not got one who is a fool. They are all men of some intellectual power, and consequently they all appreciate me."

"I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects."

"I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us."

"Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault"

Lukas Behringer

Es gibt nur zwei Arten von Menschen, die wirklich faszinierend sind - Menschen, die wirklich alles wissen, und Menschen, die rein gar nichts wissen.

Scarly

In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures, and so we fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope of keeping our place.

Le portrait de Dorian Gray

Je trouve cette vision de la valeur personnelle des artistes totalement fascinante, quand elle est mise en parallèle avec toute la vie et l’âme que les artistes vouent à leur art. L’artiste livre son art ou il le vit, et sans lui, il n’est plus rien.

“Les autres écrivent la poésie qu’ils n’osent pas traduire en actes.”

C’est qu’ils sont incapables de prouver ce qu’ils écrivent dans et par ce qu’ils sont.

Maelie Dolbec

Basil, mon cher enfant, met dans son oeuvre tout ce qui fait son charme. Le résultat, c’est qu’il ne lui reste dans sa vie rien d’autre que ses préjugés, ses principes et son bon sens. Les seuls artistes que je connaisse et qui soient personnellement délicieux sont de mauvais artistes. Les bons artiste existent simplement par ce qu'ils font, et sont en conséquence totalement inintéressants dans ce qu'ils sont. Un grand poète, un poète réellement grand, est l'être le moins poétique qui soit. Mais les poètes mineurs sont absolument fascinants. Plus leurs vers sont mauvais, plus ils ont lair pittoresque. Le simple fait d'avoir publié un livre de sonnets médiocres rend un homme absolument irrésistible. Il vit la poésie qu’il est incapable d’écrire. Les autres écrivent la poésie qu’ils n’osent pas traduire en actes.

Athena

‘I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain. My God, Harry, how worship her!' 

A handsome, dissolute man who sells his soul for eternal youth is horrified to see the reflection of his degeneration in the distorted features of his portrait.

claire cheah

I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintences for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects. 

The world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history.

A fashionable young man sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty in Oscar Wilde's fascinating gothic tale. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde’s only full-length novel, is the enduringly eerie story of a naïve and irresistible young man lured by decadent Lord Henry Wotton into a life of depravity. Though Dorian is steeped in sin, his face remains perfect, unlined as years pass—while only his portrait, locked away, reveals the blackness of his soul. This timeless tale of Gothic horror and fable, reveling in the unabashed hedonism and cynical wit of its characters, epitomizes Wilde’s literary revolt against the proprieties of the Victorian era. Sharing this volume with The Picture of Dorian Gray are Wilde’s clever and sophisticated story “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” and two of his delicate fairy tales, “The Happy Prince” and “The Birthday of the Infanta.” With an Introduction by Gary Schnidgall and an Afterword by Peter Raby

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories

morgan

Were they no better than chess-men, moved by an unseen power, vessels the potter fashions at his fancy, for honour or for shame? His reason revolted against it, and yet he felt that some tragedy was hanging over him, and that he had been suddenly called upon to bear an intolerable burden. Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns play Hamlet for us, and our Hamlets have to jest like Prince Hal. The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.

Were these children of sin and misery predestined to their end, as he to his? Were they, like him, merely puppets of a monstrous show?

And yet it was not the mystery, but the comedy of suffering that struck him; its absolute uselessness, its grotesque want of meaning. How incoherent everything seemed! How lacking in all harmony! He was amazed at the discord between the shallow optimism of the day and the real facts of existence. He was still very young.

"But surely that is tempting Providence, Gladys."

"My dear Duchess, surely Providence can resist temptation by this time."

But then one regrets the loss even of one's worst habits. Perhaps one regrets them the most. They are such an essential part of one's personality.

"Knowledge would be fatal. It is the uncertainty that charms one. A mist makes things wonderful."

"All ways end at the same point, my dear Gladys."

As for omens, there is no such thing as an omen. Destiny does not send us heralds. She is too wise or too cruel for that.

The next day he did not leave the house, and indeed, spent most of his time in his own room, sick with a wild terror of dying, and yet indifferent to life itself.

I have never searched for happiness. Who wants happiness? I have searched for pleasure.

"Never! Scepticism is the beginning of faith."

For all sins, as theologians weary not of reminding us, are sins of disobedience. When that high spirit, that morning star of evil, fell from heaven, it was as a rebel that he fell.

Matthew Jackson

Robert Mighall

Coralie Bickford-smith

The handsome appearance of dissolute, young Dorian Gray remains unchanged while the features in his portrait become distorted as his degeneration progresses.

Hannah Yang

I've always loved Oscar Wilde quotes (or at least, quotes attributed to him) and I've wanted to read this book for ages. I'm so glad I finally picked it up! 

The Picture of Dorian Gray, like the portrait it describes, is strangely and eerily lifelike—I've read several people comment that this book is like Oscar Wilde's portrait, and I agree. The sinfulness and delight in sinfulness in the book is so melodically and beautifully described, rationalized, and spoken about that I think The Picture of Dorian Gray could have a similar corrupting effect upon its readers as that of the book Harry sends to Dorian. 

I can understand why some people would be frustrated in that we only on a few occasions actually see Dorian being a bad person, and a huge stretch in the middle of the book went into huge amounts of detail about Dorian's various fancies (which was gorgeously written but honestly a little tedious to read), but the majority of the book was absolutely enchanting for me and it grabbed my attention from the very start. I personally enjoyed how, rather than watching Dorian's descent into evil, we get to read the reflections that prompted it and the regrets and fears as his condition worsened—we kind of miss out on the "drama" in exchange for some really important questions about human motivations and interests, about art, about love, and other such reflections.

This is a fascinating read and I will be thinking about it for a long time! I recommend it to everyone.

Definetly a story I will have to think about further 

Lili

This classic story explores how the obsession with beauty, art, and youth, though a rewarding pursuit day by day, can corrupt the soul that does not worry about how a beautiful life can still be a tragically beautiful one. It explores how selfish desire to live in accordance with one’s own dream can lead them to ruin those around them. This book is not inaccessible in its language and contains many (true and false) theories on the true nature of life which lead the reader to ponder their own ways and morals. The characters are true to themselves and the plot is cohesive with the same message throughout. A very good book for fall, dark academics, and those interested in the cultural obsession with youth and beauty.

The book's exploration of vanity, morality, and the consequences of indulgence is undeniably thought-provoking. However, I found some parts of the book to be overly repetitive and slow-paced, making it a bit of a challenge to stay engaged throughout.

My favorite part was definitely the ending but I have to admit, I was hoping for a bit more closure there. Nevertheless, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic work worth reading, just be ready for some ups and downs along the way

Souhaila

Finally read The Picture of Dorian Gray and I have mixed feelings about it. 

The book's exploration of vanity, morality, and the consequences of indulgence is undeniably thought-provoking. However, I found some parts of the book to be overly repetitive and slow-paced, making it a bit of a challenge to stay engaged throughout.

My favorite part was definitely the ending but I have to admit, I was hoping for a bit more closure there. Nevertheless, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic work worth reading, just be ready for some ups and downs along the way

Barbara Williford

This was my first book of Oscar Wilde. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

There are moments, psychologists tell us, when the passion for sin, or for what the world calls sin, so dominates a nature that every fibre of the body, as every cell of the brain, seems to be instinct with fearful impulses. Men and women at such moments lose the freedom of their will. They move to their terrible end as automatons move. Choice is taken from them, and conscience is either killed, or, if it lives at all, lives but to give rebellion its fascination and disobedience its charm. For all sins, as theologians weary not of reminding us, are sins of disobedience. When that high spirit, that morning star of evil, fell from heaven, it was as a rebel that he fell.

Dorian Gray, who first gave in to vanity, slowly descends into that passion for sin and impulse until he gives in to rebellion and eventually his freedom. There are so many morals of this book. A thought provoking must read!

Brilliant. None of the characters are likeable. Some are pitiable, some are tragic but none likeable which makes for an interesting dynamic. Great tragedy. 

An exquisitely beautiful young man in Victorian England retains his youthful and innocent appearance over the years while his portrait reflects both his age and evil soul as he pursues a life of decadence and corruption.

#G584

You I loved the drama of this story and the homoerotic nature of the friendships between Lord Henry, Dorian Gray and Basil Hallward were incredibly entertaining and really forward for the time of the writing. I sort of wish Wilde had found a way to describe mouths as anything other than 'sensual' though. This book gave me so many ideas about British elitism and exploitation and sins and I'm very happy I read it.

Lily Elizabeth Labella

Charlsy Sekyere

** spoiler alert **
           Started willingly reading literary classics this year, with this book being my seventh book of this genre. I'm honestly a tad conflicted about how I feel about the book. Have you ever read a book and you are constantly trying to decipher your feelings for the book or the overall message/s of the book? This seems to be the way I feel when reading classic literature, but this seems to be my disposition for most classics. There are some exceptions, however, such as The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and Animal Farm.

Moving on to the actual book. 

In spite of the old-fashioned flowery Victorian style of writing, the book is easy to follow and understand, and contains some interesting discussion points and concepts. Unfortunately, I find myself indifferent to the book in general. The book isn't awful or unreadable. It fails to captivate nor is it a page-turner despite Lord Henry's unnecessary, pretentious philosophical musings on world concepts. However, Lord Henry is viewed differently by Dorian Gray, who appreciates the intelligence and ideas he brings to conversations. 

Dorian Gray as a character is very impressionable. Perhaps this is due to his age, but he is easily swayed and moved by other people's opinions and views, especially those of Lord Henry, whom he repeatedly states he is 'terrified' of but is receptive to. The character of Dorian Gray ignores Lord Henry, who earlier states that one should not be influenced by other people's views. He is easily motivated by those views throughout the book, much to Basil's dismay, who pleads with Lord Henry not to influence Dorian Gray in any manner.

Dorian Gray is also portrayed as superficial and materialistic, falling in love with 'ideas' rather than fully comprehending and experiencing things as they are (such as his short-lived 'love' for Sibyl). Rather than see Sibyl as Sibyl, an actual living with her own stories and feelings, he seems to be enamoured with the dream of Sibyl as an artist, playing roles such as Juliet, Ophelia and Cordelia. As soon as he is done fantasizing and obsessing about a particular thing, he becomes callous, cold, and unfeeling. His treatment of Sibyl reveals all of this, despite his guilt and remorse after he disregards her.

The shallowness of his appearance is also concerning, as he is obsessed with keeping his youthful appearance and handsome looks. His portrait painted by Basil is mocked and viewed with contempt. To Basil's dismay, all these characteristics only worsen as the book progresses and Dorian becomes older, especially his love for luxury and anything that represents wealth (as shown by the excessive description of tapestries, furniture, and jewels). In my opinion, Dorian's soul possesses all of these qualities. In Basil's aged and twisted portrait of him, they are thus depicted. Consequently, he fears it and is haunted by its existence. 

It turns out that Dorian Gray is not redeemed at the end despite committing more sins. The way he begins is also the way he ends. Dorian displays no growth or learning, and therefore I felt nothing for him at the end of the book. 

My overall opinion of the book is that it is a decent one that deliberately presents interesting characters that can be examined, discussed, and analysed in order to gain meaningful insight into humanity and other complex concepts (youth, love, materialism, hedonism). Apart from this, I have an indifferent feeling towards the book. At times, as the book explores these concepts, the book comes across as preachy and as longwinded (e.g. Dorian's description of jewels and embroidered textiles) failing to be a page-turner and a book that I would recommend enthusiastically.

2.5-3 stars. Around that range.

Connor Bragg

An wonderfully written story that discusses the core of man.

Lisa <3

dmitria guimarães

lord henry might be my favourite well written motherfucker. we stan

marie

я дуже зла на цю книгу:)
перші сторінок 20 я раділа і думала, що це кайф і кемп і ми в богемному гейському світі, але потім почались мізогінія і антисемітизм..

коли я помру і потраплю до пекла, обов‘язково дам оскару вайлду в єбучку

Picture of Dorian Gray

Krystyna 

One of my all-time favorite books, hands down! I took a Stephen King and gothic literature class in college and this was one of the books we had to read. I probably wouldn't have picked this up on my own. I am so glad I was introduced to this book. It is a classic that I will be re-reading in the future. It is a great classic novel to read if you enjoy gothic literature.

Wynter

What a dizzying descent into the darkness of human heart! Oscar Wilde, I take my hat off for you. The vanity, the degradation of morals, the raw fear of inevitable... all come together in a splendid character that is Dorian Gray. I didn't think I'd be so swept by that ending, since the story is practically part of our culture, but the drama still managed to surprise me.

Picture of Dorian Gray (Penguin Popular Classics)

Colleen

*This review contains minor spoilers about the general content of this book.

I have been trying to fill in the gaps of classics that I have not read before. 
  The Picture of Dorian Gray
 was towards the top of my list of missed classics. It has been recommended to me several times and I know a few people who list this book in their top ten all-time favorites. Having now read it, I can see why this book is considered a classic. However, I am left a bit undecided regarding exactly how I feel about this book or what rating to give it.

The start of the novel was not at all what I was expecting. I knew the basic outline of the novel: a young man sells his soul so that his painting will age instead of him. But the opening set a very different tone than I was expecting. The first chapter and most of the second are comprised of two men spending a great deal of time talking about how pretty and perfect Dorian Gray is. I understand that Dorian's looks are pivotal to the story. But two chapters of discussing his hair and lips were more than what was required to set the stage. It all came off as very homoerotic. And I felt more like I was overhearing a dirty conversation at a sex slave auction rather than two friends discussing a painting. And really, you can only call someone a "young Adonis" so many times before it gets old.

After that, the story did get much more interesting. The plot kicked in, and the story started to fly by. Then around halfway, the story stalled again. I understand that this book is very much a commentary on social ills. Here we have Dorian Gray, a (now immortal) young man with endless time and money; so of course he seeks to find something to fill the soulless void inside of him. BUT the pages and pages describing Dorian's collections of clothes and jewels and anything else money could buy wore thin after a while. It was more than enough to depict his hedonistic lifestyle. (Hedonism does seem to be the keystone of the whole novel.) It did get interesting again after that, but I just never got fully engrossed in this book. I felt that some cog was not aligning between us. The tone was very ponderous and at times heavy-handed, and I just wasn't in the mood to contemplate morals and depravities. I feel like it should have sparked more intellectual debate, but I just wasn't in the mood. 

The writing itself was very good overall. There were some very nice quotes, such as these:

“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”

“Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”

But there were also thoughts expressed in this book that made me roll my eyes. I think Wilde was playing devil's advocate a bit to make his point. Most of these notorious quotes were said by Lord Henry Wotton who is very much a catalyst to Dorian's trip down the slippery slopes of corruption. These absurd quotes include:

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” 

“Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.” 

“Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.” 

“You must have a cigarette. A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?” 

And then there were the slams about women. I didn't get up in arms about them, but the attitude was over the top at times. 

“A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.”

“She is very clever, too clever for a woman. She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness.”

"My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals."

(That last one definitely earned a "Oh no you didn't!" glare from me.)

Overall, I feel that this is probably a good book that just didn't find me at the right time. I might reread it in a few years and see if my opinion changes.

This review fulfills the "Book More than 100 Years Old" category of the Popsugar reading challenge. http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-...

Obraz Doriana Graye

eve 

Jak řekl sám Oscar Wilde; Malíř neodhaluje nitro toho, kdo stál modelem. Spíš své vlastní nitro odhaluje malíř na pomalovaném plátně. Toto neuvěřitelné, mrazící a krásné dílo nám ukázalo Oscarovi ideály, ryzost a jeho nejtemnější touhy. Obraz Doriana Graye, jak smutný příběh knihy, jak smutný život autora.

Ariel

** spoiler alert **
           3.5 stars
I enjoyed reading the book, definitely one of my fav classics. I was hooked around the middle. Did I love it enough to give it 4 stars idk.

Favourite parts of the book:
 1) the ending, where his attempt to rid himself of his sins and corruption went gone, consequently killing himself and restoring the painting to its original state. I LOVED THE DRAMA
2) the James Vane incident, where he had actually caught Dorian Gray but was misled due to his youthful appearance, I love how Dorian used his appearance to deceive James into thinking otherwise. It showed Dorian's character "growth"- he did "kill" sibyl so it was understandable.
3) The murder of Basil. Need I say more, love more corruption 
 
I love the book for what it is however, I found some parts quite unnecessary and I found that I wanted more. Did I care abt the book that Dorian oh so loved? Not really. I wanted more of Dorian's inner thoughts and feelings I wanted the connection between Henry and his impact on the corruption of Dorian's character to be more prominent.

Picture of Dorian Gray is about a boy who wished for eternal youth. He traded his soul for it, yet was haunted by his portrait that showed his true face.

I enjoyed how the author made me feel like an observer. The characters felt real and the men in particular were rather realistic. The scenery were well written, I could get lost in Oscar Wilde’s writing. He has a beautiful way of describing everything, although i did not agree with everything Lord Henry says. I found that character rather annoying and sexist. Thankfully his sexism isn’t anywhere near the point of the plot. It did make him sound realistic. I just awarded him with an eye-roll and moved on. 

I don’t know what took me so long to read this. It is an amazing book by itself, as well as a good book to start with if you never read the classics. 

Picture of Dorian Gray is about a boy who wished for eternal youth. He traded his soul for it, yet was haunted by his portrait that showed his true face.

I enjoyed how the author made me feel like an observer. The characters felt real and the men in particular were rather realistic. The scenery were well written, I could get lost in Oscar Wilde’s writing. He has a beautiful way of describing everything, although i did not agree with everything Lord Henry says. I found that character rather annoying and sexist. Thankfully his sexism isn’t anywhere near the point of the plot. It did make him sound realistic. I just awarded him with an eye-roll and moved on. 

I don’t know what took me so long to read this. It is an amazing book by itself, as well as a good book to start with if you never read the classics. 

7777

Henry Wotton and Dorian are something else

Nardos Bizuayehu

miraj

as E.M. Forster once wrote: "I am an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort."

Collector's Edition - unedited and unabridged with index of contents and numbered pages. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde, first published complete in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. The magazine's editor feared the story was indecent, and without Wilde's knowledge, deleted roughly five hundred words before publication. Despite that censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding the public morality. In response, Wilde aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press, although he personally made excisions of some of the most controversial material when revising and lengthening the story for book publication the following year.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Collins Classics)

ivan

Reading this several years after and finally having a physical copy to annotate it—grade 8 me would be floored rn. The closest thing I could describe this book would be a slow burning fire, to which you can only observe and not lift a finger to extinguish or help fan the flames.

Between seeing Basil and Lord Henry being the friend equivalent of the angel and devil on Dorian's shoulder, and seeing them as the many follies of man, The Picture of Dorian Gray remains one of my favorite novels.

I have a struggle when I read some form of classics, as no matter how short the book is, I manage to take quite a while to complete it. However, I believe Wilde has managed to keep my attention, and so whilst it did still take me a while to read, I did not lose my attention at any point. I have never read a book with such a unique plot, and I love all the different meanings you could interperate. I adored the ending. Absolutely adored it. You can imagine my absolute shock. 

I love the moral compass which Lord Henry manages to almost convince Dorian Gray to follow. And I love the confliction of Dorian Gray's mind. I love the way we see an obvious development of this sensitive and young man who has learned to discover a new world. The hedonistic traits we see him follow are the cherry on top, along with his "love" for Sibyl Vane; I love the confliction we experience about whether he does truly love her or not.

We see him experience his own mental conflict about what's right and what's wrong; and in some way we see him explore this via the painting which Basil gifts to him. 

We are also made to wonder how the story would work if Gray did not meet Lord Henry. How would the story lead? Surely there are more corrupt men with confusing and immoral beliefs? And is it not a wellknown idea that many people like to corrupt those who we view as pure and "naive"? So it was surely just a matter of time before someone else would corrupt the minds of young Dorian Gray? Honestly, its almost impossible to be firmly sure of how the story line would follow if there was a different event to occur.

The role of art is a prominent reoccuring topic which we see explored into a great bit of detail. The artwork of Basil, which he has produced a myriad of copies, has one particular developed piece. This piece of art essentially is used to convey the changes of Dorian Gray's morality. In essance, the changes in his mind rise to the surface and influence his face.

surtified™

I have a struggle when I read some form of classics, as no matter how short the book is, I manage to take quite a while to complete it. However, I believe Wilde has managed to keep my attention, and so whilst it did still take me a while to read, I did not lose my attention at any point. I have never read a book with such a unique plot, and I love all the different meanings you could interperate. I adored the ending. Absolutely adored it. You can imagine my absolute shock. 

I love the moral compass which Lord Henry manages to almost convince Dorian Gray to follow. And I love the confliction of Dorian Gray's mind. I love the way we see an obvious development of this sensitive and young man who has learned to discover a new world. The hedonistic traits we see him follow are the cherry on top, along with his "love" for Sibyl Vane; I love the confliction we experience about whether he does truly love her or not.

We see him experience his own mental conflict about what's right and what's wrong; and in some way we see him explore this via the painting which Basil gifts to him. 

We are also made to wonder how the story would work if Gray did not meet Lord Henry. How would the story lead? Surely there are more corrupt men with confusing and immoral beliefs? And is it not a wellknown idea that many people like to corrupt those who we view as pure and "naive"? So it was surely just a matter of time before someone else would corrupt the minds of young Dorian Gray? Honestly, its almost impossible to be firmly sure of how the story line would follow if there was a different event to occur.

The role of art is a prominent reoccuring topic which we see explored into a great bit of detail. The artwork of Basil, which he has produced a myriad of copies, has one particular developed piece. This piece of art essentially is used to convey the changes of Dorian Gray's morality. In essance, the changes in his mind rise to the surface and influence his face.

Veronica 

3.9/5 ⭐️ 

Ive read classics (or at least tried) and never finished them. 

However the picture of dorian gray was a classic I understood very well, as well as enjoyed. If you are looking to start reading classics I believe you should start with this one. Not dense at all, language is pretty simple, and its short.

The story was amazing, and I was very intrigued by dorian and his mind and thoughts. there were some chapters that I will say lost my interest however all in all, a very great book. 

The ending was a little underwhelming for me, but I see why it was done that way.

Also, Basil and Poor Sybil deserved better 🙌

Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied and amoral experiences; all the while his portrait ages and records every soul-corrupting sin. This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.

Matthew Jackson &
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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Matthew Jackson &The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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Join the club

Matthew Jackson &
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde