Scan barcode
ko_rax's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It was great to witness Dorian's descent into madness. Boy, he went from innocent, pure and youthful to batshit evil and horrendous.
Now, did I enjoy reading it? Absolutely not - I cannot bear witnessing characters make foolish decisions, or worse, entice others to be foolish (I am looking at you,Henry, you vile ENTP and misogynist ) - but that also was not the point of this novel at all. In fact, Dorian was meant to be a fool. We as readers, I dare say, were meant to witness the consequences, and/or lack thereof, of ignorance, abuse of power (or beauty, or "pretty privilege") and the absence of utterly needed reflection.
Now, did I enjoy reading it? Absolutely not - I cannot bear witnessing characters make foolish decisions, or worse, entice others to be foolish (I am looking at you,
"There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful."
Dorian became hideous, and was unwilling to
I find this classic to be very marvellous, written with great attention to detail and prose. Maybe a little long-winding and challenging for some. Still, Oscar Wilde, what an astounding piece of art you have written! With that being said, what better way is there than to close it off with a quote of his on art itself?
"We can forgice a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
All art is quite useless."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Drug use and Blood
marianasreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Blood and Drug use
luseaj's review against another edition
reflective
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
5.0
First book of the year </3 reread but a total banger,hopefully the essag that i turned in for it gets a good grade
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Drug use, and Murder
bookishmagpie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Drug use
seanml's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know if I completely bought the idea of Dorian's trajectory during the novel. However, I did enjoy much of it, and the ghost story-like ending especially. The novel's best product is Wilde's many many philosophical quotes and musings that pepper the pages - most of them said by the character Lord Henry, as much as I dislike him. 8/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Blood and Drug use
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
exceptionallyrainytuesdaynight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Racial slurs, and Antisemitism
tomesxox's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a bit of a trip. It took me some time to push thru the beginning but once it got going I couldn’t set it down. I always find classics to be a mixed bag but I’m happy to have finally finished this one. A solid read overall even with my initial struggle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Drug use
thestrangebeingyouare's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Addiction, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug use, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Antisemitism
the story is strange and beautiful, but the main characters are all extremely flawed. there are also some aspects of misogyny and antisemitism that are unrelated to the plot, so i do warn you to be aware of the authors prejudices so you can critically read the story.hildayay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Drug use
inoshiiro's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Picture of Dorian Gray has always been on my TBR, and has been collecting dust since I purchased the Penguin Classics version sometime around 2020. This year, for an English course concerning literature in the fin de siècle, I was given the excuse to finally read the novel when it appeared in the course readings.
I think my reading was likely a bit coloured by the literary/societal concepts we were learning about alongside the texts. The mentions of degeneration, aesthetes, and cultural biases were jumping out at me when I read the text, highly influencing the way I approached its themes. I feel like if I read this novel earlier in my life, I would likely have had a very different viewpoint on it.
I think the themes of homosociality and queer sexualities are prominent, but I felt more drawn to the way the characters and its story embodied the prevailing ideas about degeneration, social-Darwinism, and the role of the arts.
As a femme reader as well, the attitudes towards women were of course, unappealing. I wasn't put off the story or anything--and I very well know that the attitudes are definitely a product of their time--but that didn't stop me from feeling baffled at Lord Henry's remarks about female intelligence, and sympathetic to the the OTT cruelty towards Sybil Vane .
Despite this, I did enjoy the book. The storyline was something I vaguely already knew about due to the plots prevalence in pop culture, and the fact that the book was recommended to me by an ex-highschool friend. However, the way the novel unfolded, as well as the more intimate details were unknown to me until I was actually sitting there and reading. I finished the thing in two sittings, well before we had to discuss it in class.
My rating of 3.75 stars can be concluded like this: The book was entertaining and I found myself looking forward to the plots progression. That being said, it is still a book about men and their morals, which isn't exactly my cup of tea. And the fact that I had to write a 2500 word comparative essay about it for class probably didn't boost my enjoyment either.
I think my reading was likely a bit coloured by the literary/societal concepts we were learning about alongside the texts. The mentions of degeneration, aesthetes, and cultural biases were jumping out at me when I read the text, highly influencing the way I approached its themes. I feel like if I read this novel earlier in my life, I would likely have had a very different viewpoint on it.
I think the themes of homosociality and queer sexualities are prominent, but I felt more drawn to the way the characters and its story embodied the prevailing ideas about degeneration, social-Darwinism, and the role of the arts.
As a femme reader as well, the attitudes towards women were of course, unappealing. I wasn't put off the story or anything--and I very well know that the attitudes are definitely a product of their time--but that didn't stop me from feeling baffled at
Despite this, I did enjoy the book. The storyline was something I vaguely already knew about due to the plots prevalence in pop culture, and the fact that the book was recommended to me by an ex-highschool friend. However, the way the novel unfolded, as well as the more intimate details were unknown to me until I was actually sitting there and reading. I finished the thing in two sittings, well before we had to discuss it in class.
My rating of 3.75 stars can be concluded like this: The book was entertaining and I found myself looking forward to the plots progression. That being said, it is still a book about men and their morals, which isn't exactly my cup of tea. And the fact that I had to write a 2500 word comparative essay about it for class probably didn't boost my enjoyment either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use and Stalking