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rereader33's review against another edition
5.0
2024 Year of Classics
Holy fuck. HOLY. FUCK. This may just be my favorite classic of all time, and one that I feel like EVERYONE should read now because the topics discussed within these pages have never been more relevant than now.
But before I start, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SPOILERS!!! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING!!
First and foremost, a little bit of background and context: I didn't know much about this book, other than the summary and the author's unjustified treatment. I had no idea this was a Gothic horror story and I can assure you that if I had known that, I would have read this sooner because Gothic horror is my JAM. Thus, when I started reading this book, I was going in pretty blind, and I don't know whether that that unintentionally enhanced my enjoyment of the story, but I don't think it didn't have any effect.
Now, on to my review: I'm writing this immediately after reading the novel, so I haven't had much time to digest what I had read, but here are my scattered, incoherent thoughts. To me, this book is a warning against blindly believing in what others say, the dangers of being influenced by others, and the destruction that can occur from choosing not to self-reflect and become a better person.
Dorian Gray is truly a tragic Gothic horror protagonist; while is a truly horrible, callous, and cruel individual, its almost impossible to fully blame him for turning into the monster he becomes. Every time he did something awful (and we'll get to that later), part of me couldn't help but remember back to when he was first introduced. His introduction paints him (pun intended) as a naive, innocent, but easily influenced individual. He has a bit of a boyish attitude to him, but he is effectively a pure person. But through his time with Lord Henry, he morphs into what can only be described as scum of the Earth, and yet there is something pitiable about him.
Lord Henry is a cult leader, you cannot convince me otherwise. No, he technically isn't in the story, but the way that he talks and behaves reminds me of the charismatic cult leaders poisoning innocent peoples' minds with sludge. His speeches were verbose, often contradictory, and filled with dangerous suggestions, but what was most dangerous about his speeches was the confidence in which he said them. People tend to believe what others say if the person says them with confidence, because how could they be wrong? And Henry has Dorian wrapped around his finger from the moment they met. He is such a horrifically manipulative man who openly admits that he's only saying these things because he wants to see how it will affect Dorian. There were times where I asked myself who was the true villain: Dorian for all of the crimes he committed, or Henry for creating the monster who committed said crimes?
Basil's death broke my heart purely because he was the only good person out of the three. Yes, he was obsessed with Dorian and was a little cringey in his adoration, but he seemed to be the only one that had any moral compass. That being said, I believed his role in the story was to be the one to warn Dorian of his downfall, and unfortunately had to pay with his life. It was like he was the only one seeing how much damage Dorian was doing to himself (and to some extent the damage Henry was doing to Dorian's innocence) and for that reason he had to die.
What shook me the most, though, was the part where Dorian verbally eviscerates Sybil after she acts poorly. This is probably where Dorian takes his first steps to turning into the monster he will eventually become; he verbally assaults the women he has spent the last several pages worshipping and promising his life to because her acting was terrible and it "broke his heart". Rather than try to at least attempt to see her side of things, he coldly and cruelly insults her and breaks things off with her, which leads to her suicide. This was hard enough to read, but the following conversation that Henry has with Dorian made me physically ill. Upon learning about her suicide, Dorian actually feels remorse for the role he played in it, and tries to express this to Henry, and how does Henry respond? Not only does he dismiss any suggestions that Dorian played a role in it, but he actively tries to romanticize and brush off her death, like it wasn't as tragic and/or as important as Dorian is making it out to be. This was such a sickening scene to read, and yet it was perfectly in character for both of them. Henry doesn't care about anyone but himself, and he wants Dorian to behave similarly, and by the end of the scene they're off to the Opera. It was refreshing to see Basil confront Dorian and actually rebuke him for his behavior, though he wound up dead at Dorian's hands. This whole section was so painful to read, yet wasn't overly exaggerated or dramatic.
This brings me to my final point-classics become classics because they have messages and themes that have either withstood the test of time and remain relevant. And in this age of influencers, false information, and cult-like groups seemingly popping up everywhere, this novel has probably never been more timely. I think what made this novel so painful to read was, despite the supernatural elements in it, so much of this story seemed plausible not just then but now. I could absolutely imagine something like this happening in this era, just with different art mediums and maybe social media. I've said this many times before and I will continue to say it, but horror is at its best when it discusses the horrors of everyday life. And it is not unheard of for someone to become easily influenced by those that either mean them harm or are simply using them for entertainment, nor is it impossible to imagine someone so consumed with youth and pleasure that it ruins their life and the lives of others. This novel is a disturbing warning that should absolutely be heeded, lest you end up like Dorian Gray.
Final thoughts: this novel is a masterpiece, without question. The writing was beautiful, the characters nuanced and well-written, and the creeping horror the cherry on top. I highly recommend this to anyone, horror enthusiast or otherwise, as I feel it is not only a great read but a timely and important one as well.
Holy fuck. HOLY. FUCK. This may just be my favorite classic of all time, and one that I feel like EVERYONE should read now because the topics discussed within these pages have never been more relevant than now.
But before I start, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SPOILERS!!! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING!!
First and foremost, a little bit of background and context: I didn't know much about this book, other than the summary and the author's unjustified treatment. I had no idea this was a Gothic horror story and I can assure you that if I had known that, I would have read this sooner because Gothic horror is my JAM. Thus, when I started reading this book, I was going in pretty blind, and I don't know whether that that unintentionally enhanced my enjoyment of the story, but I don't think it didn't have any effect.
Now, on to my review: I'm writing this immediately after reading the novel, so I haven't had much time to digest what I had read, but here are my scattered, incoherent thoughts. To me, this book is a warning against blindly believing in what others say, the dangers of being influenced by others, and the destruction that can occur from choosing not to self-reflect and become a better person.
Dorian Gray is truly a tragic Gothic horror protagonist; while is a truly horrible, callous, and cruel individual, its almost impossible to fully blame him for turning into the monster he becomes. Every time he did something awful (and we'll get to that later), part of me couldn't help but remember back to when he was first introduced. His introduction paints him (pun intended) as a naive, innocent, but easily influenced individual. He has a bit of a boyish attitude to him, but he is effectively a pure person. But through his time with Lord Henry, he morphs into what can only be described as scum of the Earth, and yet there is something pitiable about him.
Lord Henry is a cult leader, you cannot convince me otherwise. No, he technically isn't in the story, but the way that he talks and behaves reminds me of the charismatic cult leaders poisoning innocent peoples' minds with sludge. His speeches were verbose, often contradictory, and filled with dangerous suggestions, but what was most dangerous about his speeches was the confidence in which he said them. People tend to believe what others say if the person says them with confidence, because how could they be wrong? And Henry has Dorian wrapped around his finger from the moment they met. He is such a horrifically manipulative man who openly admits that he's only saying these things because he wants to see how it will affect Dorian. There were times where I asked myself who was the true villain: Dorian for all of the crimes he committed, or Henry for creating the monster who committed said crimes?
Basil's death broke my heart purely because he was the only good person out of the three. Yes, he was obsessed with Dorian and was a little cringey in his adoration, but he seemed to be the only one that had any moral compass. That being said, I believed his role in the story was to be the one to warn Dorian of his downfall, and unfortunately had to pay with his life. It was like he was the only one seeing how much damage Dorian was doing to himself (and to some extent the damage Henry was doing to Dorian's innocence) and for that reason he had to die.
What shook me the most, though, was the part where Dorian verbally eviscerates Sybil after she acts poorly. This is probably where Dorian takes his first steps to turning into the monster he will eventually become; he verbally assaults the women he has spent the last several pages worshipping and promising his life to because her acting was terrible and it "broke his heart". Rather than try to at least attempt to see her side of things, he coldly and cruelly insults her and breaks things off with her, which leads to her suicide. This was hard enough to read, but the following conversation that Henry has with Dorian made me physically ill. Upon learning about her suicide, Dorian actually feels remorse for the role he played in it, and tries to express this to Henry, and how does Henry respond? Not only does he dismiss any suggestions that Dorian played a role in it, but he actively tries to romanticize and brush off her death, like it wasn't as tragic and/or as important as Dorian is making it out to be. This was such a sickening scene to read, and yet it was perfectly in character for both of them. Henry doesn't care about anyone but himself, and he wants Dorian to behave similarly, and by the end of the scene they're off to the Opera. It was refreshing to see Basil confront Dorian and actually rebuke him for his behavior, though he wound up dead at Dorian's hands. This whole section was so painful to read, yet wasn't overly exaggerated or dramatic.
This brings me to my final point-classics become classics because they have messages and themes that have either withstood the test of time and remain relevant. And in this age of influencers, false information, and cult-like groups seemingly popping up everywhere, this novel has probably never been more timely. I think what made this novel so painful to read was, despite the supernatural elements in it, so much of this story seemed plausible not just then but now. I could absolutely imagine something like this happening in this era, just with different art mediums and maybe social media. I've said this many times before and I will continue to say it, but horror is at its best when it discusses the horrors of everyday life. And it is not unheard of for someone to become easily influenced by those that either mean them harm or are simply using them for entertainment, nor is it impossible to imagine someone so consumed with youth and pleasure that it ruins their life and the lives of others. This novel is a disturbing warning that should absolutely be heeded, lest you end up like Dorian Gray.
Final thoughts: this novel is a masterpiece, without question. The writing was beautiful, the characters nuanced and well-written, and the creeping horror the cherry on top. I highly recommend this to anyone, horror enthusiast or otherwise, as I feel it is not only a great read but a timely and important one as well.
nickiitay's review against another edition
4.0
March Classic Novel Pick
4.5⭐️
Ate! This! Up!
Little personal back story behind this book; I, the self-proclaimed Queen of Procrastination, left not one but TWO books unread until the night before my University English final. Thankfully, one of them was The Picture of Dorian Gray. I blew through it in a couple of hours and thought to myself “damn I’ve got this is in the bag.” Shoutout to Mr. Oscar Wilde for penning a masterpiece.
I guess this is technically a reread, but I’m still counting it towards my 2024 classics challenge (sue me)
"What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty and eat away its grace. They would defile it and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on, it would be always alive."
4.5⭐️
Ate! This! Up!
Little personal back story behind this book; I, the self-proclaimed Queen of Procrastination, left not one but TWO books unread until the night before my University English final. Thankfully, one of them was The Picture of Dorian Gray. I blew through it in a couple of hours and thought to myself “damn I’ve got this is in the bag.” Shoutout to Mr. Oscar Wilde for penning a masterpiece.
I guess this is technically a reread, but I’m still counting it towards my 2024 classics challenge (sue me)
"What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty and eat away its grace. They would defile it and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on, it would be always alive."
reader_astray's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
icy_lightning's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jelin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
readerisha_'s review against another edition
4.0
“Some day, when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, when thought has seared your forehead with its lines, and passion branded your lips with its hideous fires, you will feel it, you will feel it terribly.”
I don't hate this book. I also don't like the book. It is just neutral to me.
I finished this in about three days. I can't read this continuously because my head hurts with what's happening inside the book. My imagination is strong so I actually pictured what was happening.
Overall, great book and made me realize a lot of things. 4 stars, Oscar Wilde made me speechless.
ghida's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pandorasbra's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
limondesperso's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mowbs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5