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cdiamante 's review for:
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
challenging
dark
tense
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
A grotesque characterization that highlights the corruption of a man’s character and vanity, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a story of how a beautiful young man falls from grace after sitting for his painter friend.
This book is more of a collection of philosophical musings (mostly coming from the character of Lord Harry) with a backdrop of a plot. All the charm (and there is lots of it) comes from the witty lines and anecdotes brought up by the various characters. The long dialogues and back-and-forth exchanges were just as compelling as the action, thanks to the characters’ strong voices. This is not to say that the plot itself was not interesting; it had much higher stakes than I expected, and it kept developing in ways that subverted expectations. The progression of Dorian Gray, the character, is deviously subtle and incredible to see escalate.
A product of its time, there are some shocking sentiments about women and other minorities found within the book. The description of the Jewish characters in the story is incredibly outdated, and the inclusion of female characters often felt caricatured and overly exaggerated.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is picturesque, gritty, and twisted, yet still remarkably light-hearted at times. It was the perfect amount of reflective and entertaining, and one of the best classics I’ve read to date.
This book is more of a collection of philosophical musings (mostly coming from the character of Lord Harry) with a backdrop of a plot. All the charm (and there is lots of it) comes from the witty lines and anecdotes brought up by the various characters. The long dialogues and back-and-forth exchanges were just as compelling as the action, thanks to the characters’ strong voices. This is not to say that the plot itself was not interesting; it had much higher stakes than I expected, and it kept developing in ways that subverted expectations. The progression of Dorian Gray, the character, is deviously subtle and incredible to see escalate.
A product of its time, there are some shocking sentiments about women and other minorities found within the book. The description of the Jewish characters in the story is incredibly outdated, and the inclusion of female characters often felt caricatured and overly exaggerated.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is picturesque, gritty, and twisted, yet still remarkably light-hearted at times. It was the perfect amount of reflective and entertaining, and one of the best classics I’ve read to date.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Antisemitism