the picture of delorean gray

3.5/5

this is a book i might have to come back to in order to figure out how i feel about it. i don't hate it, i like it—but it's not particularly the kind of outstanding that people have talked about that i expected to experience.

the story's great. the writing is surprisingly easy to read. the pacing is weird, but i don't hate it. i love the commentary on narcissism, beauty, and art and how they're all connected. i love how wilde manifested this in the portrait. the passages are witty, the dialogue is funny, thought-provoking, and quote-worthy though it drags at times. the three main characters are very interesting and the relationships between them and how they influence each other deserves a different conversation on its own that might lead one to believe i think of this book as a five-star-read but, no.

despite the usual justification of it being a classic, it's weirdly anti-semitic at times, and the misogyny is a really interesting thing to read about, knowing the homoerotic subtext of this book and the widely known fact that oscar wilde was part of the community. we all know how men think about women, but it's interesting to see what a gay man has to say. it's not tasteful but it lends a better understanding into the lives of these characters, especially dorian's and henry's, all hedonistic and lavish.

this is one of those books that i don't love, but that i liked enough, that i have many thoughts about, and thus, can talk about for hours.

An author's own comments on his fiction are interesting, maybe even useful for understanding his intentions, but not some kind of divine revelation.

In his preface to Dorian, Wilde wrote about how it's gauche to attempt to pinpoint the meaning of a work of art. This is pretty adolescent stuff, especially when Wilde put so much effort into the wording of the preface. We all know he fancied himself an aesthete, but when you go and read the story itself, you inevitably conclude that underneath all of the fussy fixation on beauty, Dorian was actually a scared baby who was being gradually suffocated by internal guilt.

That is the moral of the story, that you can't cover over truth with beautiful words.

This is my first time reading this since high school and it's definitely more misogynist and anti-Semitic than I recall...
But, you know, still funny and insightful. Would watch Dorian Gray's reality television show.

truly captivating, i did not want to put the book down. i feel that dorian's character was kind of easy to empathize with because he was the most real, i could somewhat understand why he was the way he was at times. i found it interesting how much he aged/changed mentally throughout the story despite not changing physically. i think there's a lot to be learned from this book. ( I also found Lord Henry's philosophies and points of views really thought provoking)

I’ve tried to appreciate Oscar Wilde and finally have to admit I just don’t enjoy his writing. There is too little plot and description that goes on forever. A paragraph can go on for longer than a page. But it’s good to read a classic every so often, and this was on my list. I thought I knew the premise- a painting that ages instead of its subject. To a point that is true, but the idea goes much deeper. The painting takes on the visage of the subject’s soul, and Dorian Gray’s soul becomes dark and ugly. Such an interesting idea, but the book itself was a chore to get through.

I’m not technically finished with this book. I finished The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I’m going to hit pause for now—at least until after book club.

I’m going to say I liked it. There were parts that I hated (any time Henry/Harry was talking and chapter 11) but there were other parts that were really excellent. Once you get past chapter 11 things really start moving and Wilde plays up the gothic elements (also we get a break from Henry/Harry). That’s when I feel like the novel really hit its stride. Then Henry/Harry pops back up and it’s annoying for a bit. I think he’s supposed to serve as comic relief in this latter part, but it just didn’t land for me. He’s one of those men who thinks he’s charming everyone around him, and is unaware that everyone sees through it and hates him. Anyway, we get back on track after that and finish strong. The one time I didn’t hate Henry/Harry is during their final conversation when you can really see who was naïve all along. I’m noticing now that Henry/Harry really became the villain for me, and am feeling impressed at how Wilde maintained the humanity of and sympathy for Dorian despite the character’s depravity. I think this will be a good one for book club. There will be lots to talk about. Clubbers beware; it seems like I’ll be ranting about Henry/Harry.

Look, I appreciate the literary brilliance, but by the end, I felt like my brain had been put in a blender on high speed. The writing? Beautiful. The story? Intriguing. My comprehension level? Somewhere between ‘Huh?’ and ‘Excuse me??’

The first half had me hooked, and I was vibing with the dark, eerie atmosphere. But then the psychological weirdness cranked up to 100, and I found myself questioning reality, the meaning of life, and whether I accidentally skipped a chapter (I didn’t). Wilde, my guy, I respect the vision, but did you really have to make me feel this intellectually inferior?

Three stars for the vibes, the drama, and the existential crisis. Would I recommend it? Yes, but only if you’re ready to sacrifice a few brain cells in the process.

I already know this is one that I will re-read again and again!

Lord Henry may be one of the most intriguing characters I've ever read - I'll need to go back and highlight all the quotable lines from him!

Dorian Gray starts off a lovely, beautiful young man who, through the years - and under the strong influence of Lord Henry Wotton, turns into a self-indulgent, morally corrupt, vain man. He is easily influenced by society and the company he keeps, and he becomes obsessed about remaining young and beautiful.

This was so well written, and I'm not sure why I put this off for so long!

5 star read! I’m reading this for the first time at 23 years old and it feels like the perfect time. Despite the novel being more than a century old, so much of it is still relevant today & so much of it made it a very compelling read.

First of all, Oscar Wilde’s writing is beyond gorgeous. I was craving a classic with beautiful sentences and deep meaning and I got exactly that. This truly felt like one of the prettiest works of fiction I’ve ever read. I loved the dialogue between characters and felt completely transported into 1800’s England. Descriptions of Dorian Gray’s spiral throughout the novel had me at the edge of my seat!

The novel is the ultimate melodramatic masterpiece. There is so much emotion to be found within this book & the stakes get higher and higher as Dorian Gray becomes more and more morally corrupt.

I think it’s very interesting how Basil Hallward and Lord Henry both tainted Dorian Gray and yet one suffered so much more because of it. Basil taught Dorian the importance of his beauty which led Dorian Gray to make his fatal wish during a mental breakdown. Lord Henry corrupted Dorian into experiencing everything he could while he was beautiful while molding him into a sinister person who no longer cared about anyone but himself.

Ultimately, it is the most naive people that suffer the most in this novel. Sibyl Vain believed in an impenetrable love that had only just began, Basil Hallward believed in the goodness of beauty above all else, and Dorian Gray went from a blank canvas to a sinister being.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an eye opening novel with eerie, melodramatic themes as everyone’s infatuation with art and all things beautiful become their ultimate demise.

(5/5)

The older of my sister’s two daughters seems, at last, to have discovered the value of classics by reading this novel. I am pleased I recorded the dates I finished reading it (2003 and 2012) using the GoodReads tool! I marked it years ago on my Ultimate Favorites 5-star bookshelf.

What makes a lasting work of art? Simply that it reflects human nature, and, with excellence and beauty, it portrays universal truth. God can reveal such things to us by many means, including through the novel of our fellow sinner. Mr. Gray “gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul” (Matthew 16:26, Jesus).

The edition I have in my book collection also includes the author’s fairy tales, which I re-read around age 11 (when I discovered classics and attended school that required reading them, unlike my nieces’ 21st-century public elementary schools): The Happy Prince and The Selfish Giant. As an adult, I once viewed two live dramatic monologues of these two stories accompanied by an originally choreographed ballerina, a Christian father-daughter performance art team.

Despite the author’s regrettable (according to his own opinion of himself) lifestyle choice, his tales ring true about human nature and moral strength of character. I have also enjoyed filmed productions of his other works: The Importance of Being Earnest, The Canterville Ghost, and The Ideal Husband.

These are prime examples of the meaning of “classic” in the arts!

ok i lied with i finished this book since i didn’t read the introduction OR all of the three stories but you know what it’s okay, the picture of dorian gray was marvellous and i found myself underlining so many quotes with a scratchy cheap lead pencil because the writing is so?? beautiful?? so complex yet simple to understand??? extremely visionary as well!!! my reading sessions were so long because i kept on just wanting to read more.