Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

25 reviews

brnineworms'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: Classism, Death, Murder, Blood, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

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

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

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

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

hannibanani29's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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: Murder and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Antisemitism, Blood, and Misogyny

Minor: Classism, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Drug use, and Sexism

lazycycle's review against another edition

dark funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Blood and Misogyny

Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Racism, Animal death, Ableism, Antisemitism, and Racial slurs

rory_john14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Addiction, Antisemitism, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Stalking, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, and Infidelity

Minor: Confinement, Alcoholism, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Grief

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Misogyny

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Animal death

leabhar_love's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Body horror, Drug use, Animal death, and Classism

linaanderberg's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction and Suicide

Minor: Animal death and Drug use

seawarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

While some passages in this book were terribly dull to me, Wilde's dazzling language and audacious characters kept drawing my interest back in. I'm fortunate to have just read the works of a few of the philosophers referenced in this book for college, though I'm sure there were several references to other works of literature and ethics systems that went over my head. The edition of the book I had access to did not provide citations of other works Wilde referenced, but I imagine one that did would have only made my reading experience richer. 

I'm sure that most of what I can say about this book in regards to its philosophy and history has already been said by someone more knowledgeable that me, so I won't go into my thoughts on those matters. As a horror story I think it still holds up well in the modern day. Dorian's descent into soullessness grows more chilling by the chapter, as his sins culminate and lead to his ultimate end. Wilde's wit and descriptive language made the scenery and characters come alive, and as the book went on I felt it less challenging to make sense of his dense paragraphs and philosophies. I would recommend this book to other readers. It remains a classic not only for Wilde's adept writing, but the controversy it caused at the time of publication. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Antisemitism, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Gun violence, Grief, Drug use, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

selmv'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

4.25

 tiene el final perfecto . . da igual q sea predecible, está escrito de una manera q m gusta mucho . .
es super tragico ver la evolución d 1 personaje q empieza siendo tan puro e inocente y "nuevo" y crece para ser (o siendo) alguien taaan corrupto, es 1 concepto muy triste pero a la vez tan interesante . . es mucho mejor q los villanos q son malos d manera innata o q simplemente lo son abiertamente; cuando la gente es mala en secreto me produce 1 fascinación increíble a la vez q mucho miedo pq oh em gee es aterrador - pero justamente de eso carece el libro!!!!!!! no tiene descripciones d lo cruel o corrupto que era dorian durante su crecimiento y tal, sino q nos lo hace entender d maneras muy vagas etece !!!!!!!!!! pero descripciones d cosas banales no faltan :: hubo una parte en la que me enteré d hasta los mas pequeños e inutiles detalles d las telas d damasco y las joyas exoticas y los instrumentos de marrakech con los q dorian tuvo la suerte (o no suerte?) de interactuar d 1 manera u otra Z z zz z zZ z okay rich boy !
en mi cabeza habia escrito 1 reseña tan bien hecha y elaborada expresando lo q pienso del libro pero no sé organizarla ahora q me he puesto en ello . . bueno, tampoco m voy a molestar en ponerle esfuerzo a una reseña d goodreads tee hee ! pero quizás en el futuro edite esto y explique bien mi opinión . . o alome me reservo ese esfuerzo para mi futuro diario de lecturas (q seguramente abandone a medio hacer, como todo lo q hago) aaaaahh necesito leer algo mega devastador algo q m rompa la vida !!!!!!!!!! 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death and Suicide