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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Violence, Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
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
I found this a very interesting book. It's honestly a bit surprising I am 24 and haven't read it before, especially given I grew up in a family heavily focused on academics and then got an English degree. I enjoyed it, and I do think I shoud have read it earlier, but I'm glad I have gotten to it now.
I found it an interesting book to use as a touchstone when thinking about the rise of anti-intellectualism in today's modern culture. Lord Henry is someone who is not an intellectual, constantly and openly refusing to engage with anything around him on a true level, but is harrolded by many as a great philosopher, even being a main linchpin in the corruption of Dorian at the beginning. Throughout the narrative, Dorian parrots things Lord Henry has espoused, and continues to encourage a culture of beauty over intelligence or careful thought. Lord Henry is able to avoid consequence by simply not acting on any of the things he says, but Dorian, who says those things as if he does not care, seems incapable of not acting. He is actively seeking the pleasure that Lord Henry insists is there, not noticing when Henry is not doing the same.
The murder of Basil is simply the culmination of this idea that to care about something in a truthful way is wrong. Basil is insulted by both Lord Henry and Dorian in the latter half of the book for being principled. When he acts on his principles, he is acting in a way that Dorian finds tedious and even difficult to endure! Dorian acts as if he is being tortured by having to listen to Basil say that committing transgressions is immoral, and even as he regrets murdering him, he still continues to assert to himself that Basil should not have "put him through" what he was saying.
This idea that beauty is something that is earned by being good and that death is the deserved ending of those who act immorally is something that I will probably take longer to think about. I would probably identify it as the key theme of the novel, which brings up lots of questions. Why is Oscar Wilde so interested in beauty as a concept? Why does he feel inclined to write about it in this way? The idea that death is the natural end of those who are improper is not a new one, especially in the writing of Wilde's cohorts, but this fascination with beauty as emblematic of character, while a common conception at the time, is something that seems unusual.
I found it an interesting book to use as a touchstone when thinking about the rise of anti-intellectualism in today's modern culture. Lord Henry is someone who is not an intellectual, constantly and openly refusing to engage with anything around him on a true level, but is harrolded by many as a great philosopher, even being a main linchpin in the corruption of Dorian at the beginning. Throughout the narrative, Dorian parrots things Lord Henry has espoused, and continues to encourage a culture of beauty over intelligence or careful thought. Lord Henry is able to avoid consequence by simply not acting on any of the things he says, but Dorian, who says those things as if he does not care, seems incapable of not acting. He is actively seeking the pleasure that Lord Henry insists is there, not noticing when Henry is not doing the same.
This idea that beauty is something that is earned by being good and that death is the deserved ending of those who act immorally is something that I will probably take longer to think about. I would probably identify it as the key theme of the novel, which brings up lots of questions. Why is Oscar Wilde so interested in beauty as a concept? Why does he feel inclined to write about it in this way? The idea that death is the natural end of those who are improper is not a new one, especially in the writing of Wilde's cohorts, but this fascination with beauty as emblematic of character, while a common conception at the time, is something that seems unusual.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug use, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been experiencing the symptoms of BPD while reading this book.
Chapter eleven was a snoozefest to get through, though afterwards I enjoyed the rest of the book a lot better than the part before it.
I understood this book, I understood its message, but my god will you ever finish a sentence, Mr Wilde? I would start reading a sentence then forget what I even read by the end of it.
It's a 4.5 for me. If chapter 12 and onwards didn't exist, it would've been lower.
Chapter eleven was a snoozefest to get through, though afterwards I enjoyed the rest of the book a lot better than the part before it.
I understood this book, I understood its message, but my god will you ever finish a sentence, Mr Wilde? I would start reading a sentence then forget what I even read by the end of it.
It's a 4.5 for me. If chapter 12 and onwards didn't exist, it would've been lower.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Gaslighting
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Génial et détestable
Absolument détestable. Très bien mis en image. Les deux points sont pour le motif récurrent du portrait en dernière case sur toutes les pages impaires, du génie. Une excellente BD pour qui veut découvrir cette œuvre sans lire le roman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dorian Gray is a young and good-looking aristocrat when he sits for a portrait at the well-known painter Basil Hallward's studio. There he meets Lord Henry Wotten for the first time, who talks about how youth and beauty doesn't last long. Dorian gets annoyed and wishes that his portrait would grow old instead of himself; he would give his soul for that!
I read this book when I was young and have always claimed it to be one of my favorite classics. For a long time I've wanted to do a re-read to see if I still feel the same, and when my bookclub was going to read a classic we decided to read Dorian Gray. Unfortunatly I didn't enjoy it as much this time, but at least there's a lot to discuss so it works well as a bookclub choice!
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" got a lot of criticism when it first came out. But the reason it has become a classic is because of the timeless and universal themes: love, friendship, vanity, selfishness. To be young and good-looking is as important (if not more so) today than it was a hundred years ago, even if times have changed. Maybe it would be a bit easier to "digest" if it were set in a more modern setting? As of now the language feels a tad old-fashioned and bombastic. And none of the characters come off as being likeable...
To sum up this "review" I would say that I like the concept of the story, but the achievement makes it quite hard and sometimes boring to read. I'm still glad I read it again, even though it was somewhat disappointing.
I read this book when I was young and have always claimed it to be one of my favorite classics. For a long time I've wanted to do a re-read to see if I still feel the same, and when my bookclub was going to read a classic we decided to read Dorian Gray. Unfortunatly I didn't enjoy it as much this time, but at least there's a lot to discuss so it works well as a bookclub choice!
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" got a lot of criticism when it first came out. But the reason it has become a classic is because of the timeless and universal themes: love, friendship, vanity, selfishness. To be young and good-looking is as important (if not more so) today than it was a hundred years ago, even if times have changed. Maybe it would be a bit easier to "digest" if it were set in a more modern setting? As of now the language feels a tad old-fashioned and bombastic. And none of the characters come off as being likeable...
To sum up this "review" I would say that I like the concept of the story, but the achievement makes it quite hard and sometimes boring to read. I'm still glad I read it again, even though it was somewhat disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Classism
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use