A review by blau_elmo
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The question remains: was Dorian Gray always bound to go down the road of depravity, or was it purely because of Lord Henry's influence? The artist's desire to keep him pristine and untainted - was that realistic or reasonable, or was it just out of his infatuation?

When
Dorian dies after destroying the portrait out of disgust at his twisted character and he just ends up perishing
, I don't know how I was still legitimately surprised at the turn of events, but the ending really caught me off guard. But it is a very deserved ending for our titular character and his sinister debasement.

Is Lord Henry's hedonism a reasonable way to conduct ourselves? Clearly, the answer is no. Thank you Wilde, for this inspection of sin.
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