Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

445 reviews

locomotive_xo's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective fast-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

When thinking about this book as the inner turmoil between the different versions of himself Oscar Wilde felt lived inside him, I really enjoy it. The essays at the beginning really helped to bring important context to the story, and I was easily able to draw the parallels between Wilde’s own real life experiences and what was happening in the story. I find it very relatable in the sense of having all these truths about you, and what you choose to hide and what you choose to show, who you choose to love openly, and how what you leave behind of yourself festers and curdles inside you.

There is a sort of melancholy you get throughout this book that I really enjoy, and the moments when the self-loathing and repression are so strong, you feel it as a heavy pit in your stomach. Sweet Basil!

I will admit I’m horribly terrible with philosophy and some of Lord Henry Wotton’s ramblings about life and morality truly had me dizzy, but the irony of his character shined through and was what I ultimately clung to. I did want to kick him a few times. I’m gonna be honest, I had to Google “did Oscar Wilde hate women?” while reading this 😭 just to make sure because there were so many long monologues about how women were boring and had no value and I was like hm alright.

Ooo and also what struck me was a lot of the discussion around puritanism, especially during the Victorian era in which is was written. I feel like it resonates especially right now…I don’t have fully fledged thoughts about it, but it did sit with me.

Fav quotes (looking now, I should’ve jotted down more substantive ones, but these are mostly ones that made me giggle it looks like 😭):

“Her name was Victoria, and she had a perfect mania for going to church.”

“The bright dawn flooded the room, and swept the fantastic shadows into dusky corners, where they lay shuddering.”

“I quite admit that I adored you, madly extravagantly, absurdly.”

“He grew more and more enamored of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul. He would examine with minute care, and often with a monstrous and terrible delight, the hideous lines that seared the wrinkling forehead or crawled around the heavy, sensual mouth, wondering sometimes which were the more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age. He would place his white hands beside the course, bloated hands of the picture, and smile. He mocked the misshapen body and the failing limbs.”

“It is an odd thing, but every one who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco.” (PTV was on to something…)

“Death and vulgarity are the only two facts of the nineteenth century that one cannot explain away. Let us have our coffee in the music room, Dorian. You must play Chopin to me. The man with whom my wife ran away played Chopin exquisitely.”

Content Warnings

asrasher's review against another edition

3.0

challenging funny mysterious 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

While dotted with funny moments and pithy witticisms, the book is really haunted by the author. It's difficult to ignore his transparent interest in underaged boys, and assuredness in his own intellect. But it's still a very interesting read, especially as a somewhat unconventional gothic novel.

Content Warnings

_diescutely's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

This book will forever be engraved in my soul, forever this book will follow me.

There aren’t enough words in the english language to describe this book, no word can easily encapsulate the feeling this book gave me.

The writing was so eloquent in a way that no writer I’ve read has been able to achieve. This was the first book I actually took time to annotate and jot down some quotes (114 to be exact)

Now don’t be fooled, this book is still old and classic. There are parts that don’t make sense, that bore me and chapters filled with useless rambling and misogyny. But if you can just look past that and take the book for what it is, your efforts will not be in vain. This book is worth reading.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever watch the Netflix adaptation to this book, especially since they made Basil and Dorian siblings (Basil, the same man who repeatedly refers to worshipping Dorian). I still think if any book had to be the cause of someone going to jail for their homosexuality tendencies, it should be this one.

I wish I could erase my memory, just to read it again.

Content Warnings

djbfromkc's review against another edition

2.5

Content Warnings

kaylynngros's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious fast-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

classic literature checklist: racism✔️, classism✔️, misogyny✔️, antisemitism✔️

ignoring the blatant prejudices, this book was captivating in ways i didn’t expect whatsoever. at first, i was like damn they yap a lot, but then we got to the painting and dorian’s loss of innocence and spiral into insanity and i was like hell ya. anyway, pretty good book and vibes. 4 stars

Content Warnings

wysterie's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious reflective 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

mostlykenny's review against another edition

5.0

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What drives a person to keep their image? The value of Beauty means a lot in society and Dorian Gray shows how far he is willing to keep his secrets. This was absolutely amazing. You see how Dorian is transformed throughout the novel, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Brilliant read ⭐️

Content Warnings

packedjam's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious reflective 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

sorry i'm still stuck on that whole antisemitic section. like i wasn't expecting great moral writing in the beauty/corruption book but holy hell what was that

Content Warnings