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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading Oscar Wilde’s book feels like watching the downfall of someone beautiful slowly rotting from the inside. At first, I thought it was just a story about a handsome young man and a portrait, but the further I read, the clearer it became that this novel is a mirror of human nature, of obsession, and of consequences.
Lord Henry, with his sharp rhetoric, is both fascinating and exhausting. His words are like sweet poison, and Dorian, too easily enchanted, swallows them whole. Basil, on the other hand, represents admiration that borders on devotion, a kind of love written with care, but bound by the limitations of his time. And Dorian himself, with every choice he makes, becomes the symbol of how outward beauty can mask an inner collapse.
The most striking moment, of course, is the ending when Dorian tries to destroy the portrait, only to destroy himself instead. The portrait returns to its purity, while his body shows the ugliness of his soul. This tragedy feels like a bitter reminder, you can lie to the world, but never to yourself.
What amazes me most is that Wilde never forces his readers to agree with him. He simply lays down sentence after sentence, sharp, paradoxical, and lets us reflect. That’s why the book feels so personal to anyone who reads it.
For some, the novel might feel too dark or even repulsive. But for me, that’s where its beauty lies. Wilde writes in a way that makes downfall feel almost elegant, and morality appears not as a sermon, but as a shadow you can never escape.
A book that, I believe, will remain relevant as long as humans continue to wrestle with ambition, beauty, and sins that can never truly be hidden.
Lord Henry, with his sharp rhetoric, is both fascinating and exhausting. His words are like sweet poison, and Dorian, too easily enchanted, swallows them whole. Basil, on the other hand, represents admiration that borders on devotion, a kind of love written with care, but bound by the limitations of his time. And Dorian himself, with every choice he makes, becomes the symbol of how outward beauty can mask an inner collapse.
The most striking moment, of course, is the ending when Dorian tries to destroy the portrait, only to destroy himself instead. The portrait returns to its purity, while his body shows the ugliness of his soul. This tragedy feels like a bitter reminder, you can lie to the world, but never to yourself.
What amazes me most is that Wilde never forces his readers to agree with him. He simply lays down sentence after sentence, sharp, paradoxical, and lets us reflect. That’s why the book feels so personal to anyone who reads it.
For some, the novel might feel too dark or even repulsive. But for me, that’s where its beauty lies. Wilde writes in a way that makes downfall feel almost elegant, and morality appears not as a sermon, but as a shadow you can never escape.
A book that, I believe, will remain relevant as long as humans continue to wrestle with ambition, beauty, and sins that can never truly be hidden.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
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
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced