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dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism
Minor: Drug use, Racism
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
fuck lord henry all my homies hate lord henry. good on victoria for leaving that miserable POS. rich people should have their excesses seized. get a job. my copy of this book was old and withered and musty like dorian gray and his crusty ass. basil <3 bby you didnt deserve what you got <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
Minor: Infidelity, Slavery
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder
dark
mysterious
Shallow vanity and living a debaucherous life, free of accountability at the expense of maintaining a soul with a conscience and kindness. A tale that holds as much today as it did 130 years ago.
It is weird, and perhaps a little obnoxious to review a classic (!!) but will say there is quite a bit of philosophy in this and long thoughts and internal dialogue which I will admit, I found my mind wandering at times. But otherwise this is an acclaimed classic for a reason.
** Note: some uneasy use of prejudicial slurs when referring to people of Jewish faith.
It is weird, and perhaps a little obnoxious to review a classic (!!) but will say there is quite a bit of philosophy in this and long thoughts and internal dialogue which I will admit, I found my mind wandering at times. But otherwise this is an acclaimed classic for a reason.
** Note: some uneasy use of prejudicial slurs when referring to people of Jewish faith.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder
Minor: Racial slurs
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Murder
dark
emotional
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
It’s a truly extraordinary story of vanity and philosophy. Also it’s a lil gay.
I loved the ways each character contrasted and the prose was beautiful. Basil’s adoration for Dorian in the beginning of the novel is quite romantic. I will say, about Lord Henry,he’s the most pretentious, wannabe profound man who’s thinking is solely to mock others and live as frivolously as he wants: it’s in his constant quoting and “debating” that he makes statements so complicated that it becomes hard to argue against. He shuts others down, basically. No wonder no one can stand him. That man is toxin at its most potent. The slow but sure corruption of Dorian Gray combined with the changing world around him was something to behold. And the way they describe the picture, Dorian’s inner monologue, and just all the analogies they pull out was so detailed. Sure, they make many mentions of stories and characters I know nothing about but the context is provided. If Dorian was talking about romance, I’m going to assume whatever random Greek name he mentions has something to do with that.
Sometimes a dialogue can go on for too long and loop into itself or an internal monologue seems longwinded, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Beauty is skin deep and Dorian’s youth really was a mask on top of the hedonist he became. At one point, yes, he was all that Basil’s painting displayed, but he’d corrupted it thoroughly that even Basil couldn’t recognize his soul. Though, we have to admit, Dorian had the makings of it with his vainness. Influence, and the horrible things it can accomplish.
I loved the ways each character contrasted and the prose was beautiful. Basil’s adoration for Dorian in the beginning of the novel is quite romantic. I will say, about Lord Henry,
Sometimes a dialogue can go on for too long and loop into itself or an internal monologue seems longwinded, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Beauty is skin deep and Dorian’s youth really was a mask on top of the hedonist he became. At one point, yes, he was all that Basil’s painting displayed, but he’d corrupted it thoroughly that even Basil couldn’t recognize his soul. Though, we have to admit, Dorian had the makings of it with his vainness. Influence, and the horrible things it can accomplish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Gun violence
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Body shaming
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was a reread bc i originally read it when i was too young to comprehend its complexities.
i was also prompted to reread bc i heard recently that netflix is picking it up as a series and theyre going to absolutely butcher if. but that nonsense aside-
i found this much easier to understand and enjoy this time around. the first time i read it i found it difficult to understand how this was an lgbtq+ classic, but although there is no explicit instances of homosexuality (although basil’s confession is a pretty gay if you ask me) you kinda have to look at it through a queer theoretical lens in order to see and understand the queer/ homoerotic subtext.
though i have heard their is an ‘uncensored version’ which i would be interested in getting my hands on to see how it compares to this version
i was also prompted to reread bc i heard recently that netflix is picking it up as a series and theyre going to absolutely butcher if. but that nonsense aside-
i found this much easier to understand and enjoy this time around. the first time i read it i found it difficult to understand how this was an lgbtq+ classic, but although there is no explicit instances of homosexuality (although basil’s confession is a pretty gay if you ask me) you kinda have to look at it through a queer theoretical lens in order to see and understand the queer/ homoerotic subtext.
though i have heard their is an ‘uncensored version’ which i would be interested in getting my hands on to see how it compares to this version
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicide
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
dark
mysterious
tense
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 Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is about a rich young man, who sits for an artist who paints his portrait. However, there is a curse attached to the painting and the sitter as the painting will age and the man will not!
This results in Dorian's life ultimately spinning out of control, leading to a suicide of a young woman, who is an actress, and the murder of the one man who could be called his only true friend.
The story sometimes felt like it was stuck in a loop, and although is wonderfully written and deserves it place as a classic in literature, it was a struggle for me to read with some chapters feeling out of place whilst others were deeply engaging and moved the narrative forward.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for the 52 Book Club Summer Reading Challenge 2024, for prompt 23, Closing Ceremonies, author who hasn't released a book in the past four years.
This results in Dorian's life ultimately spinning out of control, leading to a suicide of a young woman, who is an actress, and the murder of the one man who could be called his only true friend.
The story sometimes felt like it was stuck in a loop, and although is wonderfully written and deserves it place as a classic in literature, it was a struggle for me to read with some chapters feeling out of place whilst others were deeply engaging and moved the narrative forward.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for the 52 Book Club Summer Reading Challenge 2024, for prompt 23, Closing Ceremonies, author who hasn't released a book in the past four years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol