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kananineko's review against another edition
challenging
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 loved this! Great classic. Probably one of the most digestible bc of its relatively short length. My only complaint would be that some sections dragged in the middle to me (all the super long descriptions of what Dorian was learning)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
thequeercaseofmarius's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
Dark, bewitching, and so very gay.
‘Why is your friendship so fateful to young men?’
In The Picture of Dorian Gray; Oscar Wilde crafts a narrative of Queer love, desire, vanity, and fear, embodied in a twink who wishes to remain young and beautiful forever. Wilde’s only novel is one that is both frighteningly fantastical, but also harrowingly personal. In Dorian we see the picture of the dark version of ourselves; the Hyde to our Jekyll, and it is his ability to transform with each reader that makes The Picture of Dorian Gray so enduring as a staple of Queer Literature, and one of the bestselling titles in Penguin’s Classics series.
Wilde’s writing and descriptions are breathtakingly beautiful, so much so that I would find myself rereading the same sentences over and over again. Wilde’s genius and intellect is also evident in the text, and his use of Queercoding through historical and art references is very clever.
Our main cast of characters are so very gay, and it’s crazy because it’s almost like Wilde met my gay friends and acquaintances and wrote a book about us (I like to think that I am Basil). But I also see each character as a different side to the Queer experience; Basil being the Queer artist who represents the beauty and tenderness of love between men, Lord Henry as the witty sass Queen that gay men are often viewed as from the outside, and Dorian represents Queer fears and anxieties that most of us have experienced some point in our life. The result is one of the most ingenious Queer horror stories ever written.
Our main cast of characters are so very gay, and it’s crazy because it’s almost like Wilde met my gay friends and acquaintances and wrote a book about us (I like to think that I am Basil). But I also see each character as a different side to the Queer experience; Basil being the Queer artist who represents the beauty and tenderness of love between men, Lord Henry as the witty sass Queen that gay men are often viewed as from the outside, and Dorian represents Queer fears and anxieties that most of us have experienced some point in our life. The result is one of the most ingenious Queer horror stories ever written.
The Picture of Dorian Gray should be a (not-so) straight five-stars, however it does contain some racism and anti-semitism that I can’t ignore. It is a book of it’s time, but I’m also aware of writers and people from Wilde’s time who tried their best at not being racist. I think it’s important to appreciate this novel for everything good about it, but also to recognise it’s faults rather than excuse them, so that we as the readers can grow as people.
‘Each man sees his own sin in Dorian Gray. What Dorian Gray’s sins are no one knows. He who finds them has brought them.’
-Oscar Wilde
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
This novel is VERY dark as it covers a lot of internalised homophobia and fear of your own Queerness.helenlittle's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
A classic. Knowing some tidbits about Oscar Wilde’s life history definitely added to the reading experience. Undeniably a gay icon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Blood
dimlymad's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Suicide
lizziaha's review against another edition
reflective
4.0
I do think this book is mostly Oscar Wilde taking the opportunity to poke fun at anything and everything while trying to be absolutely charming. I did not agree with every little quip or moral that the book had to offer but I suspect that I am not supposed to. I do find Wilde’s treatment of women to be a little sus, as always. But the Faustian bargain—the main crux of the story—is intriguing. I think I might appreciate the book more upon rereading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Animal death
mahamsiddiqui's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
snackattackisback69's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
I love this book and it's exploration of morality. Not many classics I've read have managed to grip me as much as this story did. I would have loved to have seen more of the corrupt and self destructive behaviours exhibited by Dorian but with the censorship of the time it wouldn't have been possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Gaslighting
momogajo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
5.0
It is really good withrich exploration on many different themes. I love the exploration of how much influence another can have on anothers life. Henry influenced Dorian; Dorian influenced others around him; and how much that influence really did make or break anothers life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Racism
reverie_and_books's review against another edition
dark
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oscar Wildes »The Picture of Dorian Gray« caused quite a stir in its uncensored edition in the 1890s: Britain was on a mission of “morale” to expose gay men. Wildes case, some argue, didn’t exactly help, largely because he didn’t back down in time and put others in danger. Wilde had already made a name for himself, so they made an example out of his case. He was sentenced to two years of hard labour. The prosecutors used quotes from this uncensored text, since they were alluding to s*xual inversion (another term of that time).
If you've read the censored novel, you'll notice that this edition is missing some storylines and entire chapters. More importantly, Basils adoration for Dorian is way more tangible:
»I quite admit that I adored you madly, extravagantly, absurdly. […] There was love in every line, and in every touch there was passion.«
Dorian Gray was one of the firsts English classics I’ve read and it still is a favorite. Reading it a second time, albeit in a different edition, I enjoyed it even more. It’s been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. The newly published historical fiction »The New Life« finally made me pick it up - my review will follow soon.
Also, Nicholas Frankel wrote a thorough and interesting introduction. I wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone who enjoyed the better known version or is interested in lgbtq+ history of Britain.
If you've read the censored novel, you'll notice that this edition is missing some storylines and entire chapters. More importantly, Basils adoration for Dorian is way more tangible:
»I quite admit that I adored you madly, extravagantly, absurdly. […] There was love in every line, and in every touch there was passion.«
Dorian Gray was one of the firsts English classics I’ve read and it still is a favorite. Reading it a second time, albeit in a different edition, I enjoyed it even more. It’s been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. The newly published historical fiction »The New Life« finally made me pick it up - my review will follow soon.
Also, Nicholas Frankel wrote a thorough and interesting introduction. I wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone who enjoyed the better known version or is interested in lgbtq+ history of Britain.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse and Antisemitism
drivera's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Xenophobia