coffeejelise 's review for:

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

5.0

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A swift and insightful read. I literally gasped at the ending; this book was very good!

This Gothic novel was about how Dorian allowed himself to be poisoned by a French book and Harry's disturbing views. His naiveté and docile nature were his weaknesses. His obsession with eternal youth and beauty without regard to reputation and good morals became his downfall. He gradually became indifferent to others' feelings and sentiments just to satisfy his desire to live an artistic life, but found himself slowly descending into madness and cruelty. His life was a tragedy.

I love how the portrait was the objectification of his very own soul. Its degradation over the years showed not only the decay of his appearance but also of his character. One thing I learned from the book is that looks matter, but only to an extent. It's one's character and beliefs that define him. Not one person is entirely good or evil, but a concoction of both.

As Dorian once said,

Each of us has heaven and hell in him.

Here are some of my fave quotes:

Art has no influence on action. It annihilates the desire to act. It is superbly sterile. The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.

Ugliness was the one reality. The coarse brawl, the loathsome den, the crude violence of disordered life, the very vileness of thief and outcast, were more vivid, in their intense actuality of impression, than all the gracious shapes of art, the dreamy shadows of song.

Content Warnings