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nancyboy's review against another edition
5.0
there are very few books that depict queer experiences as timeless as the picture of dorian gray. especially in this uncensored version. so much has changed from 1890 and yet so much is still the same. oscar wilde may not have the context of today and our queer language but i believe a lot of queer people relate so much to experiences of homosexuality in the text:
fear of your gay little secret being know despite it being extremely obvious to anyone who has eyes.
failing hopelessly in love with a gay who will never love you back.
those beautifully tragic summer romances.
being the forbidden fruit everyone would like to taste.
attempting to date the "opposite" sex and failing miserably.
trying to live your life by society's rules and that makes quite your homicidal.
having to live your true life in the shadows.
expressing your romantic feeling to the boy your obsessed with and well... shit hits the fan.
wanting to make romeo jealous.
being a repressed little gay forever and always.
believing you're the devil they say you all are so why not act the part.
honestly you could really go on forever with all the queer experiences that the novel talks about. when i say that the uncensored picture of dorian gray is one of the most homosexual novels i have ever read, i truly mean it. nothing else compares.
even oscar wilde's gay erotica Telany, though by contemporary standards i would deem it more literary fiction, doesnt even compare. it may technically have far more very explicit descriptions of homosexuality (and a lot of gay sex) as it follows a relationship between camille and telany. i appreciate how the novel Telany is about a gay man's experience of sexuality through many different sexual encounters, it just doesnt hit the same as dorian gray. Telany's scene feel more dated to the victorian era, plus a bunch of insanely weird plot points that i have idea why oscar wilde included.
even through the queer fiction i read today and its quite a lot, no one seems to have quite the way with words and sheer craft and skill to pack so much into one novel so elegantly. nothing feels undeveloped to me, it feels real, so real. i really dont know how oscar wilde did this.
its a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. i will continue to recite it and think about it every day
fear of your gay little secret being know despite it being extremely obvious to anyone who has eyes.
failing hopelessly in love with a gay who will never love you back.
those beautifully tragic summer romances.
being the forbidden fruit everyone would like to taste.
attempting to date the "opposite" sex and failing miserably.
trying to live your life by society's rules and that makes quite your homicidal.
having to live your true life in the shadows.
expressing your romantic feeling to the boy your obsessed with and well... shit hits the fan.
wanting to make romeo jealous.
being a repressed little gay forever and always.
believing you're the devil they say you all are so why not act the part.
honestly you could really go on forever with all the queer experiences that the novel talks about. when i say that the uncensored picture of dorian gray is one of the most homosexual novels i have ever read, i truly mean it. nothing else compares.
even oscar wilde's gay erotica Telany, though by contemporary standards i would deem it more literary fiction, doesnt even compare. it may technically have far more very explicit descriptions of homosexuality (and a lot of gay sex) as it follows a relationship between camille and telany. i appreciate how the novel Telany is about a gay man's experience of sexuality through many different sexual encounters, it just doesnt hit the same as dorian gray. Telany's scene feel more dated to the victorian era, plus a bunch of insanely weird plot points that i have idea why oscar wilde included.
even through the queer fiction i read today and its quite a lot, no one seems to have quite the way with words and sheer craft and skill to pack so much into one novel so elegantly. nothing feels undeveloped to me, it feels real, so real. i really dont know how oscar wilde did this.
its a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. i will continue to recite it and think about it every day
nancyboy56's review against another edition
5.0
there are very few books that depict queer experiences as timeless as the picture of dorian gray. especially in this uncensored version. so much has changed from 1890 and yet so much is still the same. oscar wilde may not have the context of today and our queer language but i believe a lot of queer people relate so much to experiences of homosexuality in the text:
fear of your gay little secret being know despite it being extremely obvious to anyone who has eyes.
failing hopelessly in love with a gay who will never love you back.
those beautifully tragic summer romances.
being the forbidden fruit everyone would like to taste.
attempting to date the "opposite" sex and failing miserably.
trying to live your life by society's rules and that makes quite your homicidal.
having to live your true life in the shadows.
expressing your romantic feeling to the boy your obsessed with and well... shit hits the fan.
wanting to make romeo jealous.
being a repressed little gay forever and always.
believing you're the devil they say you all are so why not act the part.
honestly you could really go on forever with all the queer experiences that the novel talks about. when i say that the uncensored picture of dorian gray is one of the most homosexual novels i have ever read, i truly mean it. nothing else compares.
even oscar wilde's gay erotica Telany, though by contemporary standards i would deem it more literary fiction, doesnt even compare. it may technically have far more very explicit descriptions of homosexuality (and a lot of gay sex) as it follows a relationship between camille and telany. i appreciate how the novel Telany is about a gay man's experience of sexuality through many different sexual encounters, it just doesnt hit the same as dorian gray. Telany's scene feel more dated to the victorian era, plus a bunch of insanely weird plot points that i have idea why oscar wilde included.
even through the queer fiction i read today and its quite a lot, no one seems to have quite the way with words and sheer craft and skill to pack so much into one novel so elegantly. nothing feels undeveloped to me, it feels real, so real. i really dont know how oscar wilde did this.
its a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. i will continue to recite it and think about it every day
fear of your gay little secret being know despite it being extremely obvious to anyone who has eyes.
failing hopelessly in love with a gay who will never love you back.
those beautifully tragic summer romances.
being the forbidden fruit everyone would like to taste.
attempting to date the "opposite" sex and failing miserably.
trying to live your life by society's rules and that makes quite your homicidal.
having to live your true life in the shadows.
expressing your romantic feeling to the boy your obsessed with and well... shit hits the fan.
wanting to make romeo jealous.
being a repressed little gay forever and always.
believing you're the devil they say you all are so why not act the part.
honestly you could really go on forever with all the queer experiences that the novel talks about. when i say that the uncensored picture of dorian gray is one of the most homosexual novels i have ever read, i truly mean it. nothing else compares.
even oscar wilde's gay erotica Telany, though by contemporary standards i would deem it more literary fiction, doesnt even compare. it may technically have far more very explicit descriptions of homosexuality (and a lot of gay sex) as it follows a relationship between camille and telany. i appreciate how the novel Telany is about a gay man's experience of sexuality through many different sexual encounters, it just doesnt hit the same as dorian gray. Telany's scene feel more dated to the victorian era, plus a bunch of insanely weird plot points that i have idea why oscar wilde included.
even through the queer fiction i read today and its quite a lot, no one seems to have quite the way with words and sheer craft and skill to pack so much into one novel so elegantly. nothing feels undeveloped to me, it feels real, so real. i really dont know how oscar wilde did this.
its a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. i will continue to recite it and think about it every day
mechies297_'s review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chqrlotte's review against another edition
5.0
Het begin was 5 sterren waard, maar hoofdstuk 9 verdient een speciale plek in een vuilbak
j_j_max's review against another edition
3.0
(Disclaimer: I have not read the original, uncensored version.) I don’t think this was book was bad by any means, but it was just okay. There were horrifically boring parts (especially the beginning) that I found myself fighting to push through, but other parts I flew through with interest.
My biggest complaint for this novel is that there could’ve been more development over time of Dorian, instead of what seemed to be a switch being flipped on - not the most believable in my opinion. In addition, as another reviewer said, there’s reference to other events and people that we know nothing about. I think expansions on those would have helped with that character development I am struggling with.
Regardless, I think the themes of youth, beauty, and influence were easy to grasp and were a good discussion on them/impactful/applicable. Those themes just would have hit harder with more expansion. I also loved the hints of queerness throughout the novel, though as others have stated, the introduction kind of blue balled us with expectations.
My biggest complaint for this novel is that there could’ve been more development over time of Dorian, instead of what seemed to be a switch being flipped on - not the most believable in my opinion. In addition, as another reviewer said, there’s reference to other events and people that we know nothing about. I think expansions on those would have helped with that character development I am struggling with.
Regardless, I think the themes of youth, beauty, and influence were easy to grasp and were a good discussion on them/impactful/applicable. Those themes just would have hit harder with more expansion. I also loved the hints of queerness throughout the novel, though as others have stated, the introduction kind of blue balled us with expectations.
skaterghost's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
cluttered_mind's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-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
4.75
iri00's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emilymknight's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
When I read The Picture of Dorian Gray early last year, it quickly became one of my favourite classics. And so when I found out that an uncensored version of this novel existed, I knew I had to read it.
For starters, I'm not usually interested in the introductions in books, sometimes they can be quite dense and often give details of the plot away so I usually skip and then sometimes read it after. However, because I already knew of the plot, I read the introduction of this novel and it was SO interesting. I knew of course that Wilde was sent to prison for a reason to do with his homosexuality, but I did not know they literally used the original manuscript for the novel AGAINST HIM IN COURT. After learning of his imprisonment, on what charge he was imprisoned, his wife and sons leaving him and changing their surname, the novel being edited and published without him seeing the edits, etc, I was expecting this uncensored version to be significantly darker, intense and difficult to read, but it was just not... at all. And that for me, just made me appreciate Wilde and his work as an author, to another level.
His style of writing is unmatched for me. Nothing will beat the experience I had when I first read the revised version last year, and I feel like the plot is expanded slightly in that one too while this uncensored version focuses more on the confessions of the characters and their developments ?
For starters, I'm not usually interested in the introductions in books, sometimes they can be quite dense and often give details of the plot away so I usually skip and then sometimes read it after. However, because I already knew of the plot, I read the introduction of this novel and it was SO interesting. I knew of course that Wilde was sent to prison for a reason to do with his homosexuality, but I did not know they literally used the original manuscript for the novel AGAINST HIM IN COURT. After learning of his imprisonment, on what charge he was imprisoned, his wife and sons leaving him and changing their surname, the novel being edited and published without him seeing the edits, etc, I was expecting this uncensored version to be significantly darker, intense and difficult to read, but it was just not... at all. And that for me, just made me appreciate Wilde and his work as an author, to another level.
His style of writing is unmatched for me. Nothing will beat the experience I had when I first read the revised version last year, and I feel like the plot is expanded slightly in that one too while this uncensored version focuses more on the confessions of the characters and their developments ?
''For there is such a little time that your youth will last, such a little time. The common hill-flowers wither, but they blossom again. The laburnum will be as golden next June as it is now. In a month there will be purple stars on the clematis, and year after year the green night of its leaves will have its purple stars. But we never get back our youth. The pulse of joy that beats in us at twenty becomes sluggish. Our limbs fail, our senses rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions that we did not dare to yield to. Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!''
''To him, man was a being with myriad lives and myriad sensations, a complex multiform creature that bore within itself strange legacies of thought and passion, and whose very flesh was tainted with the monstrous maladies of the dead.''