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solly's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/4 stars
I read this for the first time, in French, when I was in high school (as I like to say, in my emo-gay-snob phase). I liked it, but I don't think I understood it as I did rereading this with a knowledge of Victorian History and literature. I think this is probably best appreciated with some ideas of the codes of the time.
First of all, because it made me realize how gay it was! Like, reading it the first time, my 15yo self was like "oh but this isn't as gay as I thought it would be"! What a mistake!!! Weird that Wilde didn't get arrested immediately after publishing this because for Victorian standards, this is super duper gay. And it's the censored version!!! It is super explicit that Basil Hallward is in love with Dorian Gray, and some implications about Dorian's 'sins' are kinda pointing to ew! bisexuality! how dare he!
It's also super interesting in a lot of other ways. It's infused with Dandyism and Decadent period/writing, with Lord Henry embodying both of these "philosophies". Wilde also said something along the lines of "Basil is what I think I am, Lord Henry is what society sees me as, and Dorian Gray is what I wish I could be-in other ages, perhaps." and that makes you think about that ending, would Dorian Gray meet a tragic fate at the end if Wilde hadn't felt the pressure of his time telling him to have Dorian pay a price for his sins?
The book also obviously *suffers* from the biases of its time, and there are quite a few instances of racism, sexism, antisemitism. Can hardly be helped in a book written by a white English Victorian nobleman, but sometimes it's really ewww.
It was a nice read. I think I got more out of it because I studied a lot about the period, and I don't think I would have enjoyed it that much otherwise. There's a lot to analyse and I'll probably be writing something for uni about gender in the book =D
I read this for the first time, in French, when I was in high school (as I like to say, in my emo-gay-snob phase). I liked it, but I don't think I understood it as I did rereading this with a knowledge of Victorian History and literature. I think this is probably best appreciated with some ideas of the codes of the time.
First of all, because it made me realize how gay it was! Like, reading it the first time, my 15yo self was like "oh but this isn't as gay as I thought it would be"! What a mistake!!! Weird that Wilde didn't get arrested immediately after publishing this because for Victorian standards, this is super duper gay. And it's the censored version!!! It is super explicit that Basil Hallward is in love with Dorian Gray, and some implications about Dorian's 'sins' are kinda pointing to ew! bisexuality! how dare he!
It's also super interesting in a lot of other ways. It's infused with Dandyism and Decadent period/writing, with Lord Henry embodying both of these "philosophies". Wilde also said something along the lines of "Basil is what I think I am, Lord Henry is what society sees me as, and Dorian Gray is what I wish I could be-in other ages, perhaps." and that makes you think about that ending, would Dorian Gray meet a tragic fate at the end if Wilde hadn't felt the pressure of his time telling him to have Dorian pay a price for his sins?
The book also obviously *suffers* from the biases of its time, and there are quite a few instances of racism, sexism, antisemitism. Can hardly be helped in a book written by a white English Victorian nobleman, but sometimes it's really ewww.
It was a nice read. I think I got more out of it because I studied a lot about the period, and I don't think I would have enjoyed it that much otherwise. There's a lot to analyse and I'll probably be writing something for uni about gender in the book =D
isabellaaaareadsss's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 maybe 3.75.
oscar wildes writing is stunning and i really enjoyed his characters!
however, i felt bored at times in a book i didn’t expect to feel bored, the chapter where dorian rants about jewels is unforgivable. in american psycho similar rants are included and show materialism and routine, boring your reader with materialism is really effective and symbolic but i don’t feel that it worked here with the pacing of the book. basically that chapter really jarred me right up
oscar wildes writing is stunning and i really enjoyed his characters!
however, i felt bored at times in a book i didn’t expect to feel bored, the chapter where dorian rants about jewels is unforgivable. in american psycho similar rants are included and show materialism and routine, boring your reader with materialism is really effective and symbolic but i don’t feel that it worked here with the pacing of the book. basically that chapter really jarred me right up
florchi's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
zuena's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meganfitz7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
3.0
i need to stop reading books written before 1900 omg. every single time i delude myself into thinking ill enjoy it and then regret it almost immediately but i never dnf. the premise was cool and i guess it was fine but like??? could have been a short story potentially there were so many chapters of pure what is he talking about. idk if i would recommend a lot of people seem to like but just not my vibe.
sybs_reads's review against another edition
5.0
A gorgeous gothic horror with a timeless theme and gripping story. The prose can feel like a burden at times but there is so much beauty and substance to it its hard to be mad at it.
nanaxaz's review against another edition
reflective
tense
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
4.0
hobiflowery's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0