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dark
funny
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Antisemitism
challenging
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Homophobia
dark
emotional
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
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, Grief
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Toxic friendship
reflective
slow-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
I liked the interactions between the main characters and the main premise but some parts really dragged, with long descriptions about things that were pretty irrelevant.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Racism
challenging
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Outing, Classism
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism
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
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
mysterious
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
another classic down 💪🏼
i'm not even sure how to describe the experience of reading this book. i normally dislike classics, but this was gripping, and thrilling, and twisted and so disgustingly vile.
i felt for dorian, in the beginning. he was just a young man, led astray by the lure of hedonism. henry was enticing, and cunning, and awful. i could see how his influence warped dorian into becoming the self-absorbed man he became.
but ultimately, it was weakness, left unchecked, that ruined him. many times he wanted to run from henry, to ignore his shallow "advice," to save what was left of his soul. but he didn't.
at the end, i saw a glimmer of hope for him. i thought, perhaps, he could change. but even his hope of self-improvement was selfish. he didn't feel true remorse.
ugh, this book. i feel like i have a million things to say about how it describes perfectly the nature of humanity, but it all sounds pretentious and wanky.
more like dorian GAY, tho, amirite? the homosexuality motifs are barely concealed. the closet is glass.
i'm not even sure how to describe the experience of reading this book. i normally dislike classics, but this was gripping, and thrilling, and twisted and so disgustingly vile.
i felt for dorian, in the beginning. he was just a young man, led astray by the lure of hedonism. henry was enticing, and cunning, and awful. i could see how his influence warped dorian into becoming the self-absorbed man he became.
but ultimately, it was weakness, left unchecked, that ruined him. many times he wanted to run from henry, to ignore his shallow "advice," to save what was left of his soul. but he didn't.
at the end, i saw a glimmer of hope for him. i thought, perhaps, he could change. but even his hope of self-improvement was selfish. he didn't feel true remorse.
ugh, this book. i feel like i have a million things to say about how it describes perfectly the nature of humanity, but it all sounds pretentious and wanky.
more like dorian GAY, tho, amirite? the homosexuality motifs are barely concealed. the closet is glass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Classism
Minor: Drug abuse, Racism, Antisemitism