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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.
Chapter eleven is really long and kind of boring and almost bumped this book down a star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Homophobia
funny
mysterious
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
God I love this book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
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
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder
Minor: Body horror
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
dark
mysterious
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Antisemitism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
This book is a wonderful and yet strange look into the psyche of a man who believes himself untouchable simply because he is beautiful. The queer undertones present throughout feel as though they have been altered or thoroughly stiffled, though their shadow remains. A dutiful reminder that to be beautiful, is to be good, and to be good, is to be kind and just.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Stalking
Minor: Addiction, Classism
dark
This is a classic for a reason. It was probably intentionally vague due to the time period when it was written, but I do wish Dorian’s vices were enumerated rather than merely alluded to as corruption of his soul.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder
Moderate: Suicide