Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Picture of Dorian Gray

From the Preface
"All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath it do so at their own peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their own peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors."

From Chapter 2
"Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old, I shall kill myself."

From Chapter 20
"As it had killed the painter, so it would kill the painter's work, and all that that meant. It would kill the past, and when that was dead he would be free. It would kill this monstrous soul-life, and without its hideous warnings, he would be at peace. He seized the thing, and stabbed the picture with it."

Final Scene
"Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was."

Review
Oscar Wilde shows his artistic mastery through the preface, where he explores how we view art and warns against the danger of searching too deeply for hidden meanings. The Book follows Dorian's tragic journey after encountering someone(shall not be named) who views youth and beauty as life's most powerful attributes. This encounter leads to his obsession with maintaining his youth an obsession so profound that he declares he would rather die than grow old.

Ironically, this declaration becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In his final moments, Dorian believes that destroying the painting will solve everything, failing to realize that he himself is the artist's true masterpiece. He is both the art and the subject, the unchanging past incarnate, the monstrous soul he seeks to destroy. In attempting to find peace through the painting's destruction, he ultimately fulfills his earlier vow—he kills himself upon facing his own aging visage.

Dorian's fatal error lies in forgetting the books essential truth "Life itself was the first, the greatest, of the arts, and for it all the other arts seemed to be but a preparation." We must embrace life itself, not merely the temporary beauty of youth.

Content Warnings

fepope's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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rkivewonderland's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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mousmoulo's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bless my useless workplace i've become literate again 🤩

anyway yeah idrk about this one. i annotated the shit out of my copy and yet by page 180 i was more than ready for it to end. i think the fact that the ending was very clearly foreshadowed since like page 3 didn't help keep my interest, but watching dorian gray's moral and psychological decline, as well as his descent into madness (and especially the (in)direct consequences of

sybil vane's death

) was incredibly interesting.

i think my biggest grievance with this book was henry's entire character. every time he started monologuing i had to sigh and brace myself for a lot of eye-rolling. obviously he's not meant to be a loveable character but jesus fucking christ dude. SHUT UP. i'm not even sure what bothered me i just needed him to stop ❤️

yeah i wouldn't say this was for me but i'm still glad i finally got around to reading it on my own time. i can still appreciate this classic for what it is and what wilde meant for it to be, and as far as certain themes go he did a splendid job given his contemporary circumstances, but i still believe he was easily at his best when he was being satirical.

Content Warnings

katelyn_stark's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-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

Content Warnings

caelfind's review against another edition

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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

5.0

“I worshipped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped yourself too much. We are both punished.”

Ultimately, what can be said of a literary classic of this renown that has not been said before? This is, without doubt, a masterpiece of literature. It is a gorgeously lyrical, decadent, and terrifying exploration of art, soul, life, and influence.

The prose is beautifully crafted, wrapping within its layers both the superficiality and self-awareness of the 19th century England Wilde portrays. His characters are brilliantly realised and complex, with Dorian himself driving the story forward with a dual nature that is both tragic and horrifying.

The reader cannot help but hang upon Dorian’s every word and action, just as captivated as the characters within the novel, as he descends deeper into darkness towards the inevitable. Over it all looms the fatal portrait, in many ways both the root and result of all the evil. Although it only appears a few times throughout, its presence is always felt, a shadow in every corner as Dorian’s obsession grows.

It is truly a dark and enthralling tale which, for all its discussion of human and societal shallowness, speaks to the heart of conscience and emotion.

Content Warnings

joshkiba13's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-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

3.5

I read this for ENGL 202 at UW. I loved all the passages in Dorian's mind as he grappled with conflicting desires of youth and beauty versus his darker interior. Lord Henry was well characterized---a constant annoyance to me with his incessant philosophies on life. The different evil developments throughout the story interested me, and as Dorian's mind was truly corrupted there were some great descriptions.

What brought it down for me was my inability to relate to 19th century rich men; countless references to plays, poems, art, and just the overall vibe of richness made some passages unbearable---especially Chapter 11 when Dorian is seeking every worldly pleasure in order to distract himself.

That said, it was a good slow-burn story with surprising developments, and a very open-ended and intriguing ending.

Also RIP Basil; he was the only character in the whole book I could stand

Content Warnings

echood's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring reflective slow-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

5.0

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