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

dark reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

okay i've been sitting for two days straight trying to figure out how to properly review this book, so here goes:

1. the premise is super interesting and is carried out in an exciting way. i wish wilde had focused on the plot more, but i know i have a personal preference for plot-based books.

2. idk if i haven't read any classics in a while or if it's just this one, but it felt very Platonic (in the Plato way) with a lot of talk (especially by
Sir Henry
) about Beauty and its relationship to Art, Genius, etc. i like this kinda stuff so i enjoyed it but if you don't you're not into a lot of abstract philosophical talk you're probably not gonna like it.

3. as with many classics, there's some... offensive portrayals of certain characters... in this case antisemitism and misogyny so i would recommend looking at content tags before reading!

overall though i thought it was super interesting and one of the easier classics to read and understand
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