Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

13 reviews

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.0

Knowing about Oscar Wilde's past is crucial to reading this novel. It's not just that his gayness was an open secret, but that his targets weren't just men, but also boys. As in actual teenage children. Wilde was also openly Antisemitic and misogynistic in his real life and throughout the novel. What his three main characters do, say, think, and feel very closely mirrors Wilde's own. Much like the titular Dorian, it is clear that Wilde suffered from an inflated ego, was bloated with pride, and had a conscience that weighed him down...but not enough to change, grow, or do better. Trigger warnings abound throughout this novel as we watch Dorian explore the world of vice and sin, leaving a body count in his wake.

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seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0


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hauntedboi's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.5


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ratxheart's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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


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1_800_fuck_off's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

i read the dover thrift edition of this book.

i picked up this book on a whim because it had been sitting on my shelf for some time. even though the first two chapters piqued my interest, it wasn't enough to convince me that i had to read the remainder of the book. i did, however, manage to complete all of it on the same day.  

the first half was fairly entertaining. i fw lord henry wotton. he was an amusing character, despite the fact that i didn't share many of his theories of life. despite the fact that he only made sporadic appearances by this point, he helped me finish the book's second half without becoming too bored. as amusing as he was, i do think lord henry most likely had a significant impact on dorian's development as the story progressed, though.

basil hallward was a bleeding heart. i liked him because there wasn't much to dislike about him—unless you don't like sympathetic characters, which he frequently presents as throughout the novel. he definitely loved dorian, and not just as a friend. my boy was in love. fortunately, even though i occasionally find these characters to be a bit boring, that wasn’t entirely the case with him. i had more pity for him than anything else, particularly after what became of him. 

then, of course, we have dorian gray, who began as a kind, shy, gullible, and curious boy on the precipice of adulthood. ironically, i don't really have much to say about him. dorian gray grew obsessed with beauty and staying young forever. he learned the consequences that came with that obsession. i don't really feel very much about him as a character, other than the possibility that when i get older, i might be able to relate to him more. even now, in terms of appearance, i wouldn’t mind staying young forever, but i don’t quite envy the events that followed after dorian made such a wish.

the book's primary topic is youth. it describes its marvels and the fascination that the rest of the world feels for it. all of its highs and lows. the beauty and the wildness of it. the arrogance one might experience in what could be the prime of their lives and the unfathomable sense of invincibility that goes along with it. 

now that i think about it, this book discusses society as a whole quite a bit. everyone has at some point envied youth and wished they could maintain that state of being and beauty forever. the people who are currently experiencing those years, which are frequently a source of envy for the rest of the world, have probably been through what dorian went through. most likely not in a specific way, but rather by being oblivious of the beauty of their youth until it has passed them by. some people have the good—or bad—fortune of having a lord henry wotton in their lives, whose character could also serve as a metaphor for society in general, who encourages them to take advantage of their youth and to focus only on their own needs. basically, to be selfish and chase pleasure in those fleeting years. youths are frequently subjected to the moans of those who long for that era once again or who regret not making the most of that brief period of time.

this book might make you seriously contemplate your present, your past, or your future. it's an intriguing classic, albeit a bit monotonous. especially the second half. even though it was somewhat expected, the ending was a bit of a "oh wow" moment in a positive sense. well, not entirely positive, but iykyk.

anyways. yeah. thought-inducing classic of a book. nice. on to the next book. 

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enoemo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

3.5

This was a good read (you know, apart from the random misogyny and antisemitism that came with the time and do not really add to the story either) and chapter 11. I don't know but chapter 11 was just a lot of rambling in an otherwise exciting book in my opinion. Also, I see how someone would likely dislike this book if deeply flawed characters are not their thing - for one it kind builds the main plot and also there's probably a bit too much Lord Henry in there.

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linalina's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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pershie13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Wow. This. Was. Phenomenal. The writing and pacing were good, the story was gripping, and I was wondering how this book was going to end literally until the last sentence. This is my favorite classic I've read so far and easily deserves five stars!

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dilara2912w's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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brnineworms's review against another edition

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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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