Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

10 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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kananineko's review against another edition

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challenging 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 loved this! Great classic. Probably one of the most digestible bc of its relatively short length. My only complaint would be that some sections dragged in the middle to me (all the super long descriptions of what Dorian was learning)

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spineofthesaurus's review against another edition

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4.75


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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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avocadotoastbee's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is highly overrated!

The plot sounds promising:
Young Dorian Gray wishes that his portrait would age and bear the marks of his sins instead of him. When he realizes that his wish is coming true, he commits all kinds of sins, while keeping his young, perfectly pure appearance.

The execution was disappointing though:
The book starts slowly and then, in the second half of the book, events suddenly overturn. Also, none of the events really follow through. I was disappointed that after each eventful chapter there was another big time jump. I had expected more. Also, it became very predictable as time went on.

The absolute worst thing, however, was the character of Lord Henry Wotton. With Lord Henry, Wilde has created the most misogynistic character ever. But that's not all, The Portrait of Dorian Gray contains many problematic characters and statements. The racism, anti-semitism, and misogyny that were ever-present completely spoiled the reading experience.

But not all of it was bad:
I enjoyed the little bits of wisdom and queerness Wilde sprinkled in.
The underlying exploration of aging, indulging in "pleasures", pain, living with dark secrets and death was well done and endlessly quotable.

“What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose […] his own soul?”

Overall, I know Oscar Wilde is a Gay Icon and can do so much more, but The Picture of Dorian Gray just wasn't for me.

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binches's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

rating: very good ⭐⭐⭐⭐
personal enjoyment rating: good ⭐⭐⭐

I think this is a really good book and the way it discusses life and philosophizes on certain concepts was quite interesting and insightful (though intentionally flawed at times). The characters were very unlikeable and messed up and I couldn't wait for every single one of them to die (that's not criticism btw it's the whole point of the book). However, I don't think the writing is necessarily for me. I don't think it's bad by any means, I just didn't really vibe with some of it at certain points. 

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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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ale15sousa's review against another edition

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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

3.0

I really wanted to like it but I didn't. I almost hate read it (with the help of an audiobook) in hopes of liking it or reaching the good part. I'll probably give it another chance in a few years. 

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himeru's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love Dorian Gray so much I wish British people were real

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thea_rem's review against another edition

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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
The writing style is excellent and watching Dorian be corrupted slowly but surely is disturbing but fascinating to read about. 
But what really threw me off a lot is how Wilde writes women. They are to be beautiful but dumb. An intelligent Woman is a rarity and can only be tolerated for a short amount of time. Woman live of emotions and exaggerate them, while men are creatures of the mind. If the books wasn’t so short I wouldn’t have finished it and if I hadn’t lend it from the library I would’ve thrown it against a wall.

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