Take a photo of a barcode or cover
this was the first of oscar wilde’s work that i have ever read and i was not disappointed! even though i did get a little bored towards the middle/later half of the book, wildes writing never failed to impress me. i found it so beautifully tragic that basil, the relationship he had with dorian, and of course, his painting of dorian, was a measurement for his descent into corruption. i found it just as terribly frustrating how with each conversation between henry and dorian, he so easily succumbed to his influence until it was to late to repair the damage to his soul. wildes commentary on the nuances of aestheticism was a highlight of the book and i thought the quote “It had taught him to love his own beauty. Would it teach him to loathe his own soul?” was a really interesting question that would get readers thinking.
here were some of my favorite quotes from the book (there is a lot):
“I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.”
“A rose shook in her blood, and shadowed her cheeks. Quick breath parted the petals of her lips. They trembled. Some southern wind of passion swept over her, and stirred the dainty folds of her dress. "I love him," she said, simply.”
“What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas.”
“I worshiped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshiped yourself too much. We are both punished."
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Murder
Minor: Drug use, Violence
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Suicide
The idea of the painting showing not only age but also moral corruption of his soul was pure genius from Wilde. The ending left me stunned. Dorian realizing the depth of his corruption made my heart ache. Not even his insistence that he could be "good" was enough to save him. His fate, perhaps, was sealed from the beginning; it was tragic, but inevitable.
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Classism
Minor: Drug use, Racism, Grief, Alcohol
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Outing
Quotes like that help me to understand why this story is considered a classic and why some people love this book. I was so excited to read this based on what I have heard on the concept and how fascinating it was for Wilde to write this type of story, especially in 1890. Despite this, I honestly did not have a good time reading this book. I may have had a lot more praise for it and may have worked better for me as a short story? It wasn’t because the language was flowery, more so that the main characters were so insufferable and it felt like nothing really happened until near the end. This book was only 200 some pages but FELT more than double that to SLOGGGG through, and this was with a tandem physical and audio read.
I give Wilde respect for this type of story in that time period (though it is heavy on the antisemitism and misogyny), but this was just not my jam nor my cup of tea.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Antisemitism, Classism
Minor: Suicide, Violence
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood
Minor: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Sexism