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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Wilde has an amazing gift when it comes to writing, there’s no doubt about that. I really enjoy how the book pokes fun at those who think of themselves they way Dorian Gray and Lord Henry do, and also at the kinds of people/sycophants that surround them. I love how the story was subtly and somehow also obviously about the effect of outside influences while simultaneously showing how one has to take agency and responsibility for how you LET yourself be influenced. Very cool.
I also must say, NEVER have I ever read a book with a character having a voice as distinct as Lord Henry‘s. You just know that man loved hearing himself talk. I‘m sure a good quarter of this book is filled with his endless ramblings of sickening surety on how society works, along with his nonsensical and simply tiring analyses of women.
The only thing that could‘ve been improved was the pacing. Things dragged on for quite some while sometimes.
I also must say, NEVER have I ever read a book with a character having a voice as distinct as Lord Henry‘s. You just know that man loved hearing himself talk. I‘m sure a good quarter of this book is filled with his endless ramblings of sickening surety on how society works, along with his nonsensical and simply tiring analyses of women.
The only thing that could‘ve been improved was the pacing. Things dragged on for quite some while sometimes.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
picked up at the wrong time had to much happening.
dark
reflective
slow-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
I did not really vibe with this book at all! I think it’s because I hyped it up so much in my head and it didn’t really live up to my expectations. Most of the time I was convinced I was reading a different version of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.
This just wasn’t for me, unfortunately!
This just wasn’t for me, unfortunately!
dark
reflective
sad
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5⭐️ rounded up to 4
I can totally see why this is a literary classic.
Love how drawing art of your crush is an activity that transcends time.
Read via audible
I can totally see why this is a literary classic.
Love how drawing art of your crush is an activity that transcends time.
Read via audible
this is my best friend’s favorite book. i wanted to finish it before her birthday (it’s honestly been so long since i’ve gone in and annotated my books, but i wanted to do this for her to really submerge myself into this reading experience. i’m so glad i did!).
the picture of dorian gray is honestly one of the most fascinating explorations of beauty, corruption, and the illusion of eternal youth. dorian himself is such a haunting character because he embodies this almost divine level of physical perfection, but beneath it all, he's rotting from the inside out. the way wilde uses the portrait as a symbol of dorian’s true self is genius—it’s like a physical manifestation of the consequences he refuses to face. beauty in this novel is both a gift and a curse. it grants dorian privilege, admiration, and frivolous indulgence, but it also traps him. he becomes obsessed with preserving his youth because lord henry convinces him that beauty is the most valuable thing a person can possess. and what's tragic is that dorian never realizes (or maybe refuses to accept) that beauty without substance is hollow. he spends his life chasing pleasure and aesthetic perfection, but all it does is isolate him and turn him into something inhuman. the symbolism of the portrait is so powerful because it forces the question: what happens when you remove consequence from pleasure? dorian remains untouched by time, but the painting bears every sin, every cruelty, every indulgence. it’s like the ultimate contrast between appearance and reality—how the world sees him versus what he truly is. and i love how wilde plays with the idea that beauty can be deceptive. dorian looks pure and untouched, but the painting shows the grotesque truth. it’s almost like a warning: beauty can’t save you from yourself. the ending is especially poetic. dorian destroys the painting in a desperate attempt to free himself, but in doing so, he seals his fate. the final image of his body, old and hideous, with the portrait restored to its original beauty, is such a perfect inversion of everything he tried to escape. it’s like wilde is saying that no matter how much you try to hide from the truth, it will always catch up to you. it’s such a dark, hypnotic take on the pursuit of beauty. it makes you wonder: if you could stay young and beautiful forever but had to sacrifice your soul, would it really be worth it?
overall, such a lovely read :) definitely a novel i will go back to and add further annotation and analysis <3
the picture of dorian gray is honestly one of the most fascinating explorations of beauty, corruption, and the illusion of eternal youth. dorian himself is such a haunting character because he embodies this almost divine level of physical perfection, but beneath it all, he's rotting from the inside out. the way wilde uses the portrait as a symbol of dorian’s true self is genius—it’s like a physical manifestation of the consequences he refuses to face. beauty in this novel is both a gift and a curse. it grants dorian privilege, admiration, and frivolous indulgence, but it also traps him. he becomes obsessed with preserving his youth because lord henry convinces him that beauty is the most valuable thing a person can possess. and what's tragic is that dorian never realizes (or maybe refuses to accept) that beauty without substance is hollow. he spends his life chasing pleasure and aesthetic perfection, but all it does is isolate him and turn him into something inhuman. the symbolism of the portrait is so powerful because it forces the question: what happens when you remove consequence from pleasure? dorian remains untouched by time, but the painting bears every sin, every cruelty, every indulgence. it’s like the ultimate contrast between appearance and reality—how the world sees him versus what he truly is. and i love how wilde plays with the idea that beauty can be deceptive. dorian looks pure and untouched, but the painting shows the grotesque truth. it’s almost like a warning: beauty can’t save you from yourself. the ending is especially poetic. dorian destroys the painting in a desperate attempt to free himself, but in doing so, he seals his fate. the final image of his body, old and hideous, with the portrait restored to its original beauty, is such a perfect inversion of everything he tried to escape. it’s like wilde is saying that no matter how much you try to hide from the truth, it will always catch up to you. it’s such a dark, hypnotic take on the pursuit of beauty. it makes you wonder: if you could stay young and beautiful forever but had to sacrifice your soul, would it really be worth it?
overall, such a lovely read :) definitely a novel i will go back to and add further annotation and analysis <3
if i had read this in a state of instability i would probably have had a bit of a meltdown but as we already know im quite stable rn and while im glad i read this i didn’t enjoy it quite as much as i expected to