Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

257 reviews

deadeyedscoundrel's review against another edition

5.0

dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

cardaisy's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My enjoyment of this was probably somewhat hampered because I was reading it on a deadline for a bookclub, but I found it overall a bit too slow for my liking. That being said, there were certainly bursts of it that I really liked, particularly those that leaned more into the gothic horror themes

Content Warnings

ambiguousaesthetic's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The writing style is beautiful, extremely evocative. Unfortunately, so much of the depth and complexity and intention of the text was lost on me as it's written for a different audience, and conceals itself in a way that means a lot of the 'friend of Dorothy' type encodings are lost on me as a general, modern reader. I bet if I had the chance to study this text deeply for uni I'd adore it but at present it didn't really impact me deeply as I was too thrown by the extremely derogatory treatment of minorities across the story to pay enough heed to the artistic/sexuality deconstruction.

Content Warnings

alpacatea's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious reflective medium-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

Content Warnings

calamityin's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I found this a very interesting book. It's honestly a bit surprising I am 24 and haven't read it before, especially given I grew up in a family heavily focused on academics and then got an English degree. I enjoyed it, and I do think I shoud have read it earlier, but I'm glad I have gotten to it now.

I found it an interesting book to use as a touchstone when thinking about the rise of anti-intellectualism in today's modern culture. Lord Henry is someone who is not an intellectual, constantly and openly refusing to engage with anything around him on a true level, but is harrolded by many as a great philosopher, even being a main linchpin in the corruption of Dorian at the beginning. Throughout the narrative, Dorian parrots things Lord Henry has espoused, and continues to encourage a culture of beauty over intelligence or careful thought. Lord Henry is able to avoid consequence by simply not acting on any of the things he says, but Dorian, who says those things as if he does not care, seems incapable of not acting. He is actively seeking the pleasure that Lord Henry insists is there, not noticing when Henry is not doing the same.

The murder of Basil is simply the culmination of this idea that to care about something in a truthful way is wrong. Basil is insulted by both Lord Henry and Dorian in the latter half of the book for being principled. When he acts on his principles, he is acting in a way that Dorian finds tedious and even difficult to endure! Dorian acts as if he is being tortured by having to listen to Basil say that committing transgressions is immoral, and even as he regrets murdering him, he still continues to assert to himself that Basil should not have "put him through" what he was saying.

This idea that beauty is something that is earned by being good and that death is the deserved ending of those who act immorally is something that I will probably take longer to think about. I would probably identify it as the key theme of the novel, which brings up lots of questions. Why is Oscar Wilde so interested in beauty as a concept? Why does he feel inclined to write about it in this way? The idea that death is the natural end of those who are improper is not a new one, especially in the writing of Wilde's cohorts, but this fascination with beauty as emblematic of character, while a common conception at the time, is something that seems unusual.

Content Warnings

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Now this is a classic. Dorian Gray goes through quite the transformation and endangers and disappoints many around him. The ending was very satisfying.

If only he had stayed closer to Basil, but of course Lord Henry had to pollute his mind with that yellow book.

Chapter eleven is really long and kind of boring and almost bumped this book down a star.

Content Warnings

gothicsapphic's review against another edition

5.0

dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“We shall all suffer for what the gods have given us, suffer terribly.”

I absolutely adore this book. From the concept to the exploration of the characters, Oscar Wilde’s amazingly crafted narrative is an excellent character study and a fascinating exploration of hedonism and vanity through the medium of gothic literature.

Dorian Gray’s character is a perfect canvas on which to paint a picture of corruption of youth through selfish ideals. The catalyst for this corruption, Lord Henry, offers an interesting look into the normalization of dehumanization, hedonism, and a preference for public perception above all else. Through Lord Henry’s normalization of these themes, the darkness of Dorian’s thoughts and actions quickly escalate, being combined with his unrestrained hunger for pleasure. Viewing all suffering and tragedy as if it were merely a play to observe, detachment from reality becomes the name of the game, one which Lord Henry knows how to speak and Dorian knows how to play very well

up until his ultimate undoing.

One who solely concerns themselves with hedonistic indulgences will strive to avoid mental anguish by any means necessary,

even if those means result in the degradation of one’s own soul, which is all the more exemplified by the case study of Dorian’s character.

The homoerotic admiration that Basil holds for Dorian is also extremely fascinating. The artist and his muse, with Basil forever stuck in a position of unrequited love

that eventually leads to his own demise. The very thing that brought Basil and Dorian together, Basil's art, is ultimately what drives them apart, a classic depiction of queer tragedy steeped in Basil's unreturned adoration for Dorian.

I continuously keep returning to this book; its themes surrounding beauty as a measure of goodness continue to be relevant in the current day and I often find myself thinking about the captivating characters even when I have not read the book for some time (This is my third full read through of this book). It is important to mention that some ideals within this book are dated by the popular views of the time (some examples are explicit sexist, antisemitic, racist and classist remarks). I personally believe that these ideals are not shown in a positive light, as it is usually Lord Henry or Dorian parroting Lord Henry’s beliefs who are making these remarks, but I understand others’ opinions on this may vary and some readers may be sensitive to these subjects. This book also contains explicit religious motifs, so if you are sensitive to that I would not recommend you read this book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for an entryway into gothic literature, especially if you’re interested in more supernatural elements or character studies in general! I will probably end up reading this book again before the year is over.

“The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought, and sold, and bartered away, It can be poisoned, or made perfect. There is a soul in each one of us. I know it.”

Content Warnings