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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First and foremost, Wilde's prose is gorgeous. I found myself keeping a journal of all of the wonderful quotes and descriptions as there are some breathtaking passages throughout the novel. Wilde creates an interesting character and situation by offering a new take on the Faustian bargain. His take humanizes the classic trope by showing the strength temptation can have over a person and how far one will go to sate their craving for indulgence.
Can be a bit slow at times, perhaps on purpose to showcase the mundanity of 'having it all' and the ennui of the upper classes in England at the end of the 19th century. I greatly appreciated the Penguin Classics edition that kept notes in the back to explain context and demonstrate where the novel was edited due to censorship in 1891.
Overall, Wilde paints a tragic and complex character and humanizes him by never really offering a resolution or a moral to the story. Dorian is just a man with indulgences and obsessions and I can't say for certain any of us would have acted differently
Can be a bit slow at times, perhaps on purpose to showcase the mundanity of 'having it all' and the ennui of the upper classes in England at the end of the 19th century. I greatly appreciated the Penguin Classics edition that kept notes in the back to explain context and demonstrate where the novel was edited due to censorship in 1891.
Overall, Wilde paints a tragic and complex character and humanizes him by never really offering a resolution or a moral to the story. Dorian is just a man with indulgences and obsessions and I can't say for certain any of us would have acted differently
First of all; GAY! I have been told the picture of Dorian Gray classifies as horror, the actual horror in this book is the opinions the main characters have on woman.
That being said, I am not really sure how to rate this book. I have been reading this since february. The first half nearly put me in a reading slump, but the second half was good! I settled on 3 stars (for now)
That being said, I am not really sure how to rate this book. I have been reading this since february. The first half nearly put me in a reading slump, but the second half was good! I settled on 3 stars (for now)
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
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Recommendable read!
I found it very entertaining once the story really unfolds.
Interesting characters - not lovable a but interesting, and very intellect and very dead focused
I found it very entertaining once the story really unfolds.
Interesting characters - not lovable a but interesting, and very intellect and very dead focused
Rating 2.5/5, rounded up.
I wanted to read this as I want to be able to say that I have read some of the classics in literature. The story interested me as the concept is a magnificent plot, however, I feel that the storyline gets off track at times and can drag on in sections.
I feel that as characters, Dorian Gray is as easily manipulated as they come. He is a person who does not know how to form his own thoughts and latches on to everything that Lord Henry says because it is new and sounds exciting to him. Basil Hallward is the most grounded character in the story and it is a shame we do not get more of him.
The brief love story we get in the plot is short-lived and unfortunate. It is something that I believe could have been expounded upon. Sybil Vane did not get a fair amount of time in the novel.
I know I am looking at this from a modern literature point of view, but it’s hard to look past the holes in the story and what could have been in the plot. At under 300 pages, I did find myself forcing finishing the story at times. There were parts where things go interesting and really made it hard to put the book down but then we immediately get back into a slow part in the novel to push through.
Lord Henry is a cynical character that I do not enjoy reading about. I believe that Oscar Wilde wrote the novel in an attempt to gain notoriety, however, I do not see the appeal as the characters are not ones I enjoy reading from their point of view.
I think the ending was abrupt and a little obvious for my taste.
I wanted to read this as I want to be able to say that I have read some of the classics in literature. The story interested me as the concept is a magnificent plot, however, I feel that the storyline gets off track at times and can drag on in sections.
I feel that as characters, Dorian Gray is as easily manipulated as they come. He is a person who does not know how to form his own thoughts and latches on to everything that Lord Henry says because it is new and sounds exciting to him. Basil Hallward is the most grounded character in the story and it is a shame we do not get more of him.
The brief love story we get in the plot is short-lived and unfortunate. It is something that I believe could have been expounded upon. Sybil Vane did not get a fair amount of time in the novel.
I know I am looking at this from a modern literature point of view, but it’s hard to look past the holes in the story and what could have been in the plot. At under 300 pages, I did find myself forcing finishing the story at times. There were parts where things go interesting and really made it hard to put the book down but then we immediately get back into a slow part in the novel to push through.
Lord Henry is a cynical character that I do not enjoy reading about. I believe that Oscar Wilde wrote the novel in an attempt to gain notoriety, however, I do not see the appeal as the characters are not ones I enjoy reading from their point of view.
I think the ending was abrupt and a little obvious for my taste.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a single bad thing I could say about this book, it is a literary wonder.
dark
mysterious
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
Oscar Wilde verbindet in diesem Roman meisterhaft Schönheit, Moral und Verfall. Die Geschichte des jungen Dorian Gray, dessen Porträt altert und seine Sünden widerspiegelt, während er selbst äußerlich makellos bleibt, ist zeitlos aktuell. Wilde stellt darin Fragen nach Vergänglichkeit, Hedonismus und den Konsequenzen eines ausschweifenden Lebens. Sein Sprachstil ist elegant, voller Witz und oft von scharfer Ironie geprägt.
Mich hat die Atmosphäre sehr gefesselt, besonders die düstere Entwicklung Dorians. Gleichzeitig wirkten manche Dialoge für mich überladen und in ihrer Form nicht mehr ganz zeitgemäß – fast so, als wollte Wilde an einigen Stellen zu viel an Bonmots und Wortwitz unterbringen. Trotzdem überwiegt der Eindruck eines tiefgründigen und zugleich unterhaltsamen Klassikers, der nachdenklich macht über die Abgründe menschlicher Eitelkeit und den Wunsch nach ewiger Jugend.
Mich hat die Atmosphäre sehr gefesselt, besonders die düstere Entwicklung Dorians. Gleichzeitig wirkten manche Dialoge für mich überladen und in ihrer Form nicht mehr ganz zeitgemäß – fast so, als wollte Wilde an einigen Stellen zu viel an Bonmots und Wortwitz unterbringen. Trotzdem überwiegt der Eindruck eines tiefgründigen und zugleich unterhaltsamen Klassikers, der nachdenklich macht über die Abgründe menschlicher Eitelkeit und den Wunsch nach ewiger Jugend.
