Reviews

really really interesting stuff in terms of decadent writing and the shock of aestheticism and amorality that gave this book its horror in victorian england. reading this very close to frankenstein, i could draw many parallels between the horror and fear and themes of responsibility for creation between the two books- indeed, exploring in another context the complexities of parenthood being more than you bargained for. the pretentiousness of the men got to me a little sometimes (though deliberate!) and how they are so self absorbed and homoerotic they are wont to verge into misogyny. the (at times violent) antisemitism and other kinds of racism really made me ick as a modern reader i will say, especially using really antisemitic stereotypes to invoke disgust and horror.
update: it is so homoerotic lmao and I found it easier to read than the 1st time. though why is the antisemitism so bad in the theatre bits???? like how is it needed or necessary, even if just to make sibyl vane seem prettier? it's so gross

aaubert's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

dimsumallyson's review against another edition

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4.0

Fascinating read. Simple, yet haunting plot. I love the theme that you can’t kill the worst parts of yourself, and just live on with the best parts. The worst parts and the best parts make you who you are, for better or worse.

Favorite Quotes:

“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself...”

"Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing..."

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”

“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.”

songofachilleus's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

rebecca_oneil's review against another edition

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4.0

I finished this book club book really late! :) I feel like my classics reading is paltry, so I'm glad to have this one under my belt. It was a page-turner (except for a meandering philosophical part in the middle), and besides his witticisms, I love Oscar Wilde's descriptions involving color.

Fun fact: while reading on my Kindle, I was able to define "macaroni" (from "He had been a macaroni of the eighteenth century") - "an 18th-century British dandy affecting Continental fashions." As in..."stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni"!! I always thought Yankee Doodle Dandy was being silly with that pasta name. Nope. It's a real thing!

Favorite quotes:

"There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel that no one else has a right to blame us. It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution."

"Pleasure is Nature’s test, her sign of approval. When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy."

“Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”

"The aim of life is self-development. To realise one’s nature perfectly—that is what each of us is here for. People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They have forgotten the highest of all duties, the duty that one owes to one’s self."

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