Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

36 reviews

hamarhemmo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Stalking, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Grief, and Dysphoria

Minor: Outing and Alcohol

thevampiremars's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I knew of Oscar Wilde, of course, but this was my first time actually reading his work. I found it difficult not to use the book as a means of analysing its writer. He was known for his wit but was he genuinely clever or just good at appearing clever? Maybe there’s no distinction. Maybe it’s foolish of me to try to judge the character of a man by the work he creates. Wilde himself rebuked the idea that art should be taken as autobiography, that works of fiction reveal something about the writer. Then again, he also wrote in a letter “[The Picture of Dorian Gray] contains much of me in it — Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry, what the world thinks of me; Dorian is what I would like to be — in other ages, perhaps.” It’s hard not to read the story as a reflection of its author to some extent.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is so much gayer than I expected. Like, it’s difficult to even describe it as subtext. It’s right there, unmistakable despite careful censorship, from chapter one onwards. I have to admit, this kind of pining, withholding, and hinting at queerness appeals to me far more than the uncomplicated “representation” we tend to see nowadays. I acknowledge literature like this comes from a society in which homosexuality was criminalised and deeply stigmatised – the ambiguity I adore wasn’t just a stylistic choice, it was a necessity – but it resonates with me in a way modern queer media just doesn’t.

The story is dominated by the theme of influence (and its inverse, impressionability). It’s handled well for the most part but I don’t really understand the significance of

the book Lord Henry recommends to Dorian. I know that some scholars identify it as an ode to either The Yellow Book or Huysmans’s Against Nature, and that the idea of a “poisonous book” was accentuated in later editions in response to the controversy surrounding this very novel upon its publication. In other words, I know that Wilde was playing with the idea of an immoral piece of literature corrupting (read: queering) young minds. That said, Dorian is already affected by the picture painted by Basil Hallward and the mirror given to him by Lord Henry, not to mention Lord Henry’s words; the addition of the corrupting book seemed to overcomplicate what was otherwise quite an elegant concept.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is good. I wasn’t blown away by it, but the premise is solid and I was pleasantly surprised by how audaciously queer it is. I can see why it’s considered a classic. Definitely worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

ale15sousa's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really wanted to like it but I didn't. I almost hate read it (with the help of an audiobook) in hopes of liking it or reaching the good part. I'll probably give it another chance in a few years. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

hannahlouise_'s review

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i absolutely adore the way that oscar wilde writes. one of the best novels i’ve read 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

madinhoa's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

rory_john14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Racism, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

century's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Classism

ambdocksey22's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.5

The only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is because of the racially insensitive language throughout the book. I understand the time that it was written but I hated reading through every passage that contained a slur or some kind of racial hatred. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

its_van_vulpen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicide and Antisemitism

seawarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

While some passages in this book were terribly dull to me, Wilde's dazzling language and audacious characters kept drawing my interest back in. I'm fortunate to have just read the works of a few of the philosophers referenced in this book for college, though I'm sure there were several references to other works of literature and ethics systems that went over my head. The edition of the book I had access to did not provide citations of other works Wilde referenced, but I imagine one that did would have only made my reading experience richer. 

I'm sure that most of what I can say about this book in regards to its philosophy and history has already been said by someone more knowledgeable that me, so I won't go into my thoughts on those matters. As a horror story I think it still holds up well in the modern day. Dorian's descent into soullessness grows more chilling by the chapter, as his sins culminate and lead to his ultimate end. Wilde's wit and descriptive language made the scenery and characters come alive, and as the book went on I felt it less challenging to make sense of his dense paragraphs and philosophies. I would recommend this book to other readers. It remains a classic not only for Wilde's adept writing, but the controversy it caused at the time of publication. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, and Grief