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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
A fun tale exploring the vanity of humanity, hedonism, and a metric-butt-ton of philosophical musings.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, true to the classics, is full of characters debating philosophy and life as rich people do. Now, you might say this made it boring. However, the characters still shine through as the most negative influence on Dorian (Lord Henry) spouts all kinds of hedonistic rubbish and some of the most outrageous claims (despite being rationally argued), yet he acts out none of them. If you ever had that one friend who just likes starting arguments, so takes devil's advocate and strongly argues for stupid opinions, that is Lord Henry. The fun part comes in on Dorian. You see, while everyone else knows Henry is full of it, Dorian is a fine young, impressionable man. So when Henry talks about how beautiful he is and how it would be a real shame if he aged at all (because vanity. Looks can only kill for so long). Man, if only you could stay as young as that painting over there!
Thus we come to root of all problems. Dorian is a man driven by his passions and shaken by all winds, most of which come from that one friend we all question why we still hangout with. BUT Oscar Isaac throws in a fantastical element to run with this theme of hedonism and make a bland novel into a very interesting concept. What if your sins didn't effect you in this life? What if you could do anything you wanted and it didn't matter? All of Dorians sins and age are thrust upon a painting of him, leaving him free to do as he wishes. What starts off as a young, charming, and handsome man, quick spirals into something far, far worse. While he is free from his sins, those around him are not. And this is what makes The Picture of Dorian Gray worth reading.
While full of philosophical tirades, the book then explores the implications of said tirades actually being carried out. While Henry speaks but doesn't act, Dorian acts. So while, those musings feel boring, once the characters start doing stuff, you realize all the crap they were just spouting is actually important. So there might just be a lesson to be learned here. While you may be free in this life, will it be so in the next?
The Picture of Dorian Gray, true to the classics, is full of characters debating philosophy and life as rich people do. Now, you might say this made it boring. However, the characters still shine through as the most negative influence on Dorian (Lord Henry) spouts all kinds of hedonistic rubbish and some of the most outrageous claims (despite being rationally argued), yet he acts out none of them. If you ever had that one friend who just likes starting arguments, so takes devil's advocate and strongly argues for stupid opinions, that is Lord Henry. The fun part comes in on Dorian. You see, while everyone else knows Henry is full of it, Dorian is a fine young, impressionable man. So when Henry talks about how beautiful he is and how it would be a real shame if he aged at all (because vanity. Looks can only kill for so long). Man, if only you could stay as young as that painting over there!
Thus we come to root of all problems. Dorian is a man driven by his passions and shaken by all winds, most of which come from that one friend we all question why we still hangout with. BUT Oscar Isaac throws in a fantastical element to run with this theme of hedonism and make a bland novel into a very interesting concept. What if your sins didn't effect you in this life? What if you could do anything you wanted and it didn't matter? All of Dorians sins and age are thrust upon a painting of him, leaving him free to do as he wishes. What starts off as a young, charming, and handsome man, quick spirals into something far, far worse. While he is free from his sins, those around him are not. And this is what makes The Picture of Dorian Gray worth reading.
While full of philosophical tirades, the book then explores the implications of said tirades actually being carried out. While Henry speaks but doesn't act, Dorian acts. So while, those musings feel boring, once the characters start doing stuff, you realize all the crap they were just spouting is actually important. So there might just be a lesson to be learned here. While you may be free in this life, will it be so in the next?
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
This book is a masterpiece. Many people say they studied it in school but I didn’t grow up in a reading environment and culture, I was a bit reluctant as I thought I would be too old for it but this book showed me “TIMELESS”, absolute gem.
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
Intensisimo, drama drama drama. Me gustó mucho, es mi primer ✨dark academia✨ apruebo
reflective
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
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
One star removed for the crime against humanity that is chapter 11
((3.5 rounded down))
Picked this up at a local book store- as a gay man it felt like a book I should say I have read lol
My feelings are really mixed. The good is that some of the moments in the plot were very energetic and the overwhelming emotion is expressed in a very direct and effective way. Oscar Wilde uses his prose to his advantage to bring some moments to life.
However, there are sometimes pages. PAGES. of text that seem so off-topic and just seem to drone on and on and on and on. While you get this with any classic literature, I found the walls of dialogue to detract from the meaning of what was occurring in the text. Also, Dorian is an insufferable brat and I wish the end was more dramatic than it was.
Is it worth a read? Sure- if you enjoy classic literary fiction, and especially if you enjoy opulent over-the-top description of melancholy.
Picked this up at a local book store- as a gay man it felt like a book I should say I have read lol
My feelings are really mixed. The good is that some of the moments in the plot were very energetic and the overwhelming emotion is expressed in a very direct and effective way. Oscar Wilde uses his prose to his advantage to bring some moments to life.
However, there are sometimes pages. PAGES. of text that seem so off-topic and just seem to drone on and on and on and on. While you get this with any classic literature, I found the walls of dialogue to detract from the meaning of what was occurring in the text. Also, Dorian is an insufferable brat and I wish the end was more dramatic than it was.
Is it worth a read? Sure- if you enjoy classic literary fiction, and especially if you enjoy opulent over-the-top description of melancholy.