Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

333 reviews

gvstyris's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul.

The Picture of Dorian Gray derives its power from being both timeless and a time capsule: simultaneously a window into the superficiality of Victorian aristocracy and an eerily relevant tale of our society's enduring obsession with youth and beauty. Dorian's moral degradation is subtle and poignant, arguably amplifying following

Sybil's death and as a result of Lord Henry's influence.

This novel is a series of character studies, with each arc's resolution suitably poetic -- particularly those of Dorian and Basil. I also think it's worth acknowledging that the perspective in this book is deliberately very white, British and male, making it an interesting commentary on masculinity. I would argue that much of the misogyny shown on the page is deliberate and plot-relevant.

This was my first time reading anything by Oscar Wilde, and I was surprised by how overt the queer undertones were. I've similarly found Wilde's commentary on his relationship to his characters to be one of the more interesting takeaways here, with him noting that "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.” Much to research, anyways -- it's clear that this novel is inseparable from Wilde himself.

I've knocked off some points for the odd painfully overwritten section (Chapter 11, for example) which hindered my enjoyment throughout. I definitely had to push through at times, but am glad to have finally read this one.

Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love: it is the faithless who know love's tragedies.

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countdraculahimself's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-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

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lazmataz's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ko_rax's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective 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

4.25

It was great to witness Dorian's descent into madness. Boy, he went from innocent, pure and youthful to batshit evil and horrendous.

Now, did I enjoy reading it? Absolutely not - I cannot bear witnessing characters make foolish decisions, or worse, entice others to be foolish (I am looking at you,
Henry, you vile ENTP and misogynist
) - but that also was not the point of this novel at all. In fact,

Dorian

was meant to be a fool. We as readers, I dare say, were meant to witness the consequences, and/or lack thereof, of ignorance, abuse of power (or beauty, or "pretty privilege") and the absence of utterly needed reflection.

"There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful."

Dorian became hideous, and was unwilling to

atone for his crimes and sins, even until his end

. Unfortunately, Dorian chose to turn a blind eye towards

his actions and his overall behaviour

. Instead, he attempted to

escape and indulge in pleasantries and addiction, even hyper-fixation

simply to forget, until he was forced to remember all of it again.

I find this classic to be very marvellous, written with great attention to detail and prose. Maybe a little long-winding and challenging for some. Still, Oscar Wilde, what an astounding piece of art you have written! With that being said, what better way is there than to close it off with a quote of his on art itself?

"We can forgice a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.

All art is quite useless."

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olive_lol's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-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

3.5

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seanml's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

4.0

I don't know if I completely bought the idea of Dorian's trajectory during the novel. However, I did enjoy much of it, and the ghost story-like ending especially. The novel's best product is Wilde's many many philosophical quotes and musings that pepper the pages - most of them said by the character Lord Henry, as much as I dislike him. 8/10.

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tadah's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-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

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saintmare's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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simonekessell's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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fooliette's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I get why the book is popular but for me it was a very heavy read. It was a lot of description and made it hard to get through for me. The book was written beautifully, but it was pretty forgetful to me.

When Dorian kills Basil, it left me shocked but that’s the only thing from the book that made me remember it and leave a lasting imprint on me.

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