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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Possibly overly flowerly and purple prose-y, but I think it fits the story. Definitely one of the more enjoyable gothic novels I've read, with vibrant characters and a very satisfying conclusion, although this can't unseat my favorites of the genre (Frankenstein and Dracula) when it comes to drama.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
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
I set a goal to read one #classicliterature book per month, and I got a head start on 2024 with this The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It was first published in 1890 episodically in a magazine, and was released as a novela in 1891. It’s the story of a beautiful young man, Dorian, who has his portrait painted by a skilled artist, Basil, who is infatuated with him. He introduces Dorian to Sir Harry, who is a rich, want-to-be philosopher, who provides comic relief. The portrait of Dorian is masterful, and Dorian becomes vane and self-centered by obsessing over it. This vanity leads him to make poor decisions that result in many innocent people being hurt, both physically and emotionally. Even as time passes, Dorian’s perfect beauty and charm never change. However, the portrait does change. It haunts Dorian, and acts as his conscience throughout his life. In my opinion… there are many wasted words in parts. I understand that it’s classic literature, but Sir Harry’s verbose views were tiresome at times. Other than that, the plot was well thought out and unique for its time, though a bit slow at times. This is a character driven story with the best parts being Dorian’s internal struggle with his conscience and/or lack of one. While it’s not the most exciting novela by today’s standards, I’m sure it caused a stir when it was written. It is a morality play told in an entertaining way, and it’s well worth reading. I give it four out of five stars, but it would probably be a three if it were a modern book (points for originality and classical-ness). #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #book #books #booklover #booknerdforlife #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookrec #bookreview #bookaddict #read #readmorebooks #readmore #reading #readingtime
dark
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
dark
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
dark
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism