Reviews - Obraz Doriana Graye

40.1k reviews for:

Obraz Doriana Graye

Oscar Wilde

4.08 AVERAGE

kat_stein's review against another edition

4.0

obviously brilliant and unfailingly affecting, but also not my favorite thing to have to reread

theirdarkmaterials's review against another edition

3.5

dark reflective 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

I remember enjoying this more when I first read it years ago - perhaps it works better on the page than in audiobook form. Certainly didn't care much for the narrator, who was serviceable but a little dull, but unfortunately this was the only version available from my library. I suppose it's either Wilde's style or the style of the times, but there were sections where the plot and characters are dropped temporarily in favour of a long essay on the themes of the book, which makes for a strange sort of novel. Don't get me started on the strange Jewish manager character.

Content Warnings

makika's review against another edition

3.75

dark reflective tense slow-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

jmcmains's review against another edition

4.0

even though I wanted to read it, I enjoyed it more than I thought i would. also helped that it was read by phoebe judge

losersfiction's review against another edition

5.0

This book is excellent and intriguing in so many ways. Though it may seem like an old hat idea, it was likely the first of its kind when it was written (I mean a painting that possesses a part of a character somehow). For me, I read it through the eyes of a theologian, due to my education in that field. I saw Basil as God the creator who becomes enamored with the subject of his masterpiece work. There is even a vaguely notable romantic tinge to the narrative here, which I found interesting since some scholars see The Song of Solomon as an allegory between Christ and the Church (I don’t see SoS that way, but it bears noting). Another intriguing consideration is the imago dei - image of God - and how it relates to this story about a portrait. Food for thought. Anyway, Lord Henry then would be the devil or some equivalent. Basil is friends with Lord Henry and tells him not to corrupt the innocent and intriguing Dorian Gray. This also has interesting implications if seen theologically, and reminds me of Milton’s Paradise Lost - where satan laments the role God has for him, or something like that. So then Dorian is corrupted by Lord Henry and convinced he must love himself and his beauty more and is tricked more or less into making the wish that changes the painting. It’s easy to see humanity’s Fall through Adam and Eve here. Then of course the climactic scene of the book has Dorian killing Basil, which easily translates to humanity crucifying Jesus. I also noted how Dorian does not really have guilt over this action, and has the evidence cleaned up and disposed of - analogous to humanity’s ignorance of their actions and continued fall into sin.

I have no clue if any of this was intended by the author, but I saw this foremost and it made it an interesting read. If you don’t view it theologically, it is still and brilliant story about hedonism, selfishness, depravity, and vanity.