Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

199 reviews

marciafelis's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I went into reading this book expecting to like it far less than I did, but from the beginning, the characters and especially the dynamics of their relationships pulled me in. Though the story is ostensibly about Dorian Gray, in my opinion, it's Lord Henry who plays the largest part in causing it to happen (Basil Hallward mostly contributes through the picture). In the novel's second half, I wasn't as happy with the pacing; I felt like some parts dragged on while others could have been drawn out longer.

The irony is perhaps that although Dorian Gray has a painting showing him his "true" self, as a person he is (or becomes) utterly unable to reflect on himself and his actions, always finding something or someone else to blame.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexism and Suicide

Minor: Drug use and Antisemitism

adrionmacaron's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Murder

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent

arj's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Classism

Moderate: Sexism and Suicide

Minor: Drug use

grace_cr1's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

dakotajade's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Suicide

hamarhemmo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Stalking, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Grief, and Dysphoria

Minor: Outing and Alcohol

jasperdotpdf's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i am. losing it. actively. WHAT THE FUCK

good book. v good prose. lord henry‘s opinions made me want to punch him in the face. incredibly gay subtext. the occasional completely unchallenged sexism & use of antisemetic stereotypes were bothersome. chapter 11 was pure torture. really funny at times & frequent slander of the british. absolutely iconic ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Antisemitism

Minor: Drug use and Stalking

thevampiremars's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I knew of Oscar Wilde, of course, but this was my first time actually reading his work. I found it difficult not to use the book as a means of analysing its writer. He was known for his wit but was he genuinely clever or just good at appearing clever? Maybe there’s no distinction. Maybe it’s foolish of me to try to judge the character of a man by the work he creates. Wilde himself rebuked the idea that art should be taken as autobiography, that works of fiction reveal something about the writer. Then again, he also wrote in a letter “[The Picture of Dorian Gray] contains much of me in it — Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry, what the world thinks of me; Dorian is what I would like to be — in other ages, perhaps.” It’s hard not to read the story as a reflection of its author to some extent.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is so much gayer than I expected. Like, it’s difficult to even describe it as subtext. It’s right there, unmistakable despite careful censorship, from chapter one onwards. I have to admit, this kind of pining, withholding, and hinting at queerness appeals to me far more than the uncomplicated “representation” we tend to see nowadays. I acknowledge literature like this comes from a society in which homosexuality was criminalised and deeply stigmatised – the ambiguity I adore wasn’t just a stylistic choice, it was a necessity – but it resonates with me in a way modern queer media just doesn’t.

The story is dominated by the theme of influence (and its inverse, impressionability). It’s handled well for the most part but I don’t really understand the significance of

the book Lord Henry recommends to Dorian. I know that some scholars identify it as an ode to either The Yellow Book or Huysmans’s Against Nature, and that the idea of a “poisonous book” was accentuated in later editions in response to the controversy surrounding this very novel upon its publication. In other words, I know that Wilde was playing with the idea of an immoral piece of literature corrupting (read: queering) young minds. That said, Dorian is already affected by the picture painted by Basil Hallward and the mirror given to him by Lord Henry, not to mention Lord Henry’s words; the addition of the corrupting book seemed to overcomplicate what was otherwise quite an elegant concept.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is good. I wasn’t blown away by it, but the premise is solid and I was pleasantly surprised by how audaciously queer it is. I can see why it’s considered a classic. Definitely worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Drug use

feelinwitchy's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

obsessed obsessed obsessed obsessed

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Stalking, and Alcohol