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A review by elenorpillips
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
4.0
4.5 stars
After reading the Metamorphosis and now this book, I believe this sort of horror-esque genre is one of my favorites. This book was great, it wasn't too slow yet took it's time, and it felt very natural. It wasn't what I expected but it did made even more sense to be the way it is rather than what I initially thought. Dorian Gray's character progression was amazing and he felt so real.
The concept was excellently done and played out so well. I found myself very drawn to each character, but Lord Henry in particular and the way his presence influenced Dorian. It was very clear that Dorian Gray relished in being known from the start and how far he would go to maintain that image (no pun intended). The themes explored were all very clearly stated but still felt like a natural progression of where the story was leading.
It didn't outright tell you what to think or Dorian or any other characters, but what others thought of them and them of themselves. That created an atmosphere of complexity for each character. How we could live in their head for a few moments but it always came back to Dorian Gray and his thoughts. It all revolved around Dorian yet didn't fault in forgetting about other characters which I feel many books tend to do. It praised Dorian yet resented him, and by establishing Dorians relationship with the portrait, or another version of himself, it showed a mirror between the two ways people perceived him.
The title really encapsulates the entire story. My favorite detail being the use of 'picture' rather than how the characters frequently mention it: 'the portrait'. A picture is not just a painting, it is a representation. It shows Dorian but represents his soul and who he truly is.
The main thing that halted me from giving it 5 stars was just how descriptive it was. I was glad to have experienced it in audiobook form as it made the agonizing descriptions and details of items and, in my personal opinion, situations we didn't really need much depth on, much more bearable. I wish Oscar Wilde would've killed his darlings, but I can empathize as that it a huge struggle as an author.
All this to say: the ending was easily the best part. Not to compare it to my review of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but to contrast it. It tied everything up, made perfect sense, and wasn't rushed. It ushered a sense of severity yet suddenness that forces you to pay attention. A perfect climax that falls into an ironic subversion of expectation. Though I had theorized that would be how it played out, I did not expect it to be true, just a mere fantasy as I do when reading books; always wishing that was how it played out. But it was perfect: the only ending the book should've had.
It is fabulous, a great starting point in classics and in gothic horror. Yes it is complicated and unnecessary at times, but it makes up for it.
After reading the Metamorphosis and now this book, I believe this sort of horror-esque genre is one of my favorites. This book was great, it wasn't too slow yet took it's time, and it felt very natural. It wasn't what I expected but it did made even more sense to be the way it is rather than what I initially thought. Dorian Gray's character progression was amazing and he felt so real.
The concept was excellently done and played out so well. I found myself very drawn to each character, but Lord Henry in particular and the way his presence influenced Dorian. It was very clear that Dorian Gray relished in being known from the start and how far he would go to maintain that image (no pun intended). The themes explored were all very clearly stated but still felt like a natural progression of where the story was leading.
It didn't outright tell you what to think or Dorian or any other characters, but what others thought of them and them of themselves. That created an atmosphere of complexity for each character. How we could live in their head for a few moments but it always came back to Dorian Gray and his thoughts. It all revolved around Dorian yet didn't fault in forgetting about other characters which I feel many books tend to do. It praised Dorian yet resented him, and by establishing Dorians relationship with the portrait, or another version of himself, it showed a mirror between the two ways people perceived him.
The title really encapsulates the entire story. My favorite detail being the use of 'picture' rather than how the characters frequently mention it: 'the portrait'. A picture is not just a painting, it is a representation. It shows Dorian but represents his soul and who he truly is.
The main thing that halted me from giving it 5 stars was just how descriptive it was. I was glad to have experienced it in audiobook form as it made the agonizing descriptions and details of items and, in my personal opinion, situations we didn't really need much depth on, much more bearable. I wish Oscar Wilde would've killed his darlings, but I can empathize as that it a huge struggle as an author.
All this to say: the ending was easily the best part. Not to compare it to my review of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but to contrast it. It tied everything up, made perfect sense, and wasn't rushed. It ushered a sense of severity yet suddenness that forces you to pay attention. A perfect climax that falls into an ironic subversion of expectation. Though I had theorized that would be how it played out, I did not expect it to be true, just a mere fantasy as I do when reading books; always wishing that was how it played out. But it was perfect: the only ending the book should've had.
It is fabulous, a great starting point in classics and in gothic horror. Yes it is complicated and unnecessary at times, but it makes up for it.