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A review by starryknightace
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.5
Such an interesting concept but didn't age well into the 21st century. With controversial anti-Semitism and misogyny dotted throughout the story it made it easy to dislike the characters and made for an interesting read. I personally struggle with the classic English writing style and found at times struggling to understand what I was reading, Wilde uses a lot of flowery descriptive paragraphs, which were quite honestly, boring. I found myself 70 pages in and gritting my teeth to get through the rest. Admittedly the action did somewhat pick up and I found myself enthralled to see the confliction in Dorian Gray's moral come to blows. A bit of a lackluster climax but definitely can see the appeal and why the novel is still considered a classic.
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, and Drug use
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Antisemitism