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 Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray November 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
By now, most people are aware of the basic plot of this book: young man foolishly wishes that, upon seeing his current beateous youth captured forever in a picture, he could remain in that moment of youth forever, and the picture age in his stead. Not only that, but the picture becomes twisted and cruel as a result of the callous hedonistic behaviour perpetrated by Gray in his perpetual youth. At first, Gray is horrified, but then finds himself submitting to it...
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fantastic novel, so fantastic that it made me sad that the eminently quoteable Wilde has only written the one. At one point, a bad-influencing friend of Dorian's lends him a novel that Gray is charmed by, a novel that tells of a man who lives a hedonistic lifestyle, with care only for pleasure and enjoyment, and it's this novel that kick-starts Gray's eventual downfall as it affects Gray's behaviour, leading him to eventually describe it as dangerous. Wilde's novel is possibly such a book: it's seductive discussions on hedonism, pleasure, and the real joys of life almost make one want to throw mores out the window and life such a life oneself, or at least wish intensely for a period that one has or could. Henry Wotton, Gray's witty, philosophical influence is a raconeteur, a man of life, who knows its pleasures and derides it's follies, chosing simply to ignore them. It's his discourses that are particularly charming and fascinating. There's obviously a temperance to his message (in terms of the whole arc of the novel), but that's almost neither here nor there. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a superb book, fascinating, witty, supremely intelligent and philosophical, romantic and gothic and chilling also. It's one of those books that might lay a bomb under your life, and it deserves its classic status.
 Hard work November 9, 2008
Found this book to be quite boring! The story was weak the characters dull, all in all an unenjoyable read and unnecessarily wordy.
nothing special October 22, 2008
i didn't really like this book. i found all the characters quite irritating, and the story was fairly absurd and didn't really capture my imagination. more than that, i just didn't feel like there was any real depth to the book. there was nothing truly unpredictable, nothing particularly thought provoking. i don't think there's anything particularly impressive or engaging or interesting about the story. i also found wilde's style of writing so flowery, it just felt a bit fake and naff.
i don't think there's anything particularly special about this book, and i wouldn't say it's particularly worthwhile reading it.
A New Light..... September 27, 2008
After reading a review of "The Ripper Code" in the TLS, I had to return to my school favourite and reread it. It was fascinating to read it in a new light.
 Sublime September 25, 2008
I loved this book, not so much for the cautionary tale or the disintigration of Dorian's conscience, but for the beautiful philosophy embelishing the story; many of the things Henry says, for example, are interesting and thought-provoking theories on life. And I loved how youth and beauty were depicted in the book. The only criticism I would give is that it was far too short for my liking, and I thought that the part between Dorian's youth and his 38th year could've been elaborated on. Though an original, genius story!
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