Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

205 reviews

dark inspiring 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

“The portrait that Basil Hallward had painted of him would be a guide to him through life, would be to him what holiness is to some, and conscience to others, and the tear of God to us all.”

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."

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I remember enjoying this more when I first read it years ago - perhaps it works better on the page than in audiobook form. Certainly didn't care much for the narrator, who was serviceable but a little dull, but unfortunately this was the only version available from my library. I suppose it's either Wilde's style or the style of the times, but there were sections where the plot and characters are dropped temporarily in favour of a long essay on the themes of the book, which makes for a strange sort of novel. Don't get me started on the strange Jewish manager character.

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Literally the blueprint. Wish there was more hot, gay sex, but he got away with what he could.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional 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

My opinion shifted as I read, but overall, I thought this was fantastic. It had stunning prose, a powerful message, and an incredible ending that made up for the slow chapters I didn't connect with. I see this becoming a favourite of mine. Some comments in the book were unpleasant, but as with any classic, l view it as a product of its time while still being critical. What struck me was Basil feeling like he put part of himself into his art. If art reflects its artist's soul, The Picture of Dorian Gray reflects Oscar Wilde's. I felt like I could sense his spirit within it. I felt his love & heartache, desires & fears, virtues & faults. It's more than fiction; it's a glimpse of his time, worldview, and emotions. The characters felt real because they contained a piece of Wilde. Their internal struggles were real because they reflected Wilde's own. It takes bravery to bear a piece of your soul to the world. He was a true artist.

There's a line between self-love and narcissism; Dorian Gray crossed it. He was more than his youth or beauty, but he couldn't see that. Obsession with beauty corrupted his soul. He was in love with his youthful appearance, leaving him unable to love another because he only cared for the superficial. ‍Sybil loved Dorian. Basil loved Dorian. Dorian loved only himself, so he destroyed those foolish enough to love him. He destroyed lives because he lacked virtue & decency. He swayed others onto a path of vice just as Henry did to him.
This book is a warning about untamed vanity, selfishness, and valuing pleasure above all else. The messages are even more relevant in the internet age.
Dorian kept his youthful, innocent appearance, even as his soul rotted. I had both loathing and enjoyment for his character. I wanted to see him change, be better, and find peace. Dorian Gray was selfish, hedonistic, and cruel... yet I felt bad for him. In the beginning, he was just a boy. His worldview was still evolving when it was tainted. Throughout, I found myself feeling deeply sad about his corruption. Was it Henry's influence that ultimately corrupted Dorian? Could the beauty of his soul have been saved, even by someone like Basil? Was he always doomed to realize that youth and beauty fade, and to lose himself to this? I felt like Dorian had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, with each of his friends swaying him in different directions. Ultimately, negative influence won, but it could've gone the other way. It was heartbreaking.
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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious reflective tense 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

"Life is not governed by will or intention. Life is a question of nerves, and fibres, and slowly built up cells on which thought hides itself and passion has its dreams." 

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. 

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dark funny reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Witty prose and dialogue are the heart of Wilde’s writing—easy to read, engaging, and the first book I actually finished this month so that says a lot about the pacing :) 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark slow-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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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

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