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julietpirouet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.0
actualgrandma's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
violetlyblue's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
3.5
pennyleigh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
3.0
spidergirl502's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
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
3.5
tatteredpharey1's review against another edition
2.0
The side characters prattle on about anything and everything. Nothing that adds to the story. Half of this could've been cut out and it would have made a good Gothic horror.
rianneth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
awildshey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
ashley_eliza's review against another edition
5.0
“The artist can express everything.”
In the case of Dorian Gray, the artist was able to express the very soul of his subject. Thus, in the final moments of this book, Dorian destroyed himself upon trying to destroy the painting.
Never have I annotated a book SO. MUCH. There were SO many tabs in this badboy by the time I was finished.
This book was RIFE with great quotes and deep discussion starters.
As an artist myself in aspects of music, writing, and performing I appreciated Basil’s quote about his work in the beginning of the book: “My heart shall never be put under their microscope. There is too much of myself in the thing, Harry- too much of myself.”
Henry’s comment in the same conversation speaks truth as well (in one of the rare moments where I found myself agreeing with Lord Henry): “In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures…”
Some of my other favorite quotes were as follows:
“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.”
“You must admit it, Harry, that women give to men the very gold of their lives.”
“There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves, we feel that no one else has the right to blame us.”
“What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty and eat away its grace.”
“Gradually the events of the preceding night (Dorian murdering Basil) crept with silent, blood-stained feet into his brain and reconstructed themselves there with terrible distinctness.”
“Actual life was chaos, but there was something terribly logical in the imagination.”
“In the common world of fact, the wicked were not punished, nor the good rewarded.”
“Oh! Anything becomes a pleasure if one does it too often.”
Also, Wilde’s imagery and personification is spot-on. Calling bobbing parasols monstrous butterflies? Great imaginative writing right there.
Final conclusions: If I knew Lord Harry in person, we’d have MAJOR beef (misogynist much?); poor Basil didn’t deserve what he got, and neither did Sybil Vane; Dorian Gray had a shocking ability to narcissistically rationalize his own actions, and he orchestrated a fitting ending for himself.
In the case of Dorian Gray, the artist was able to express the very soul of his subject. Thus, in the final moments of this book, Dorian destroyed himself upon trying to destroy the painting.
Never have I annotated a book SO. MUCH. There were SO many tabs in this badboy by the time I was finished.
This book was RIFE with great quotes and deep discussion starters.
As an artist myself in aspects of music, writing, and performing I appreciated Basil’s quote about his work in the beginning of the book: “My heart shall never be put under their microscope. There is too much of myself in the thing, Harry- too much of myself.”
Henry’s comment in the same conversation speaks truth as well (in one of the rare moments where I found myself agreeing with Lord Henry): “In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures…”
Some of my other favorite quotes were as follows:
“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.”
“You must admit it, Harry, that women give to men the very gold of their lives.”
“There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves, we feel that no one else has the right to blame us.”
“What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty and eat away its grace.”
“Gradually the events of the preceding night (Dorian murdering Basil) crept with silent, blood-stained feet into his brain and reconstructed themselves there with terrible distinctness.”
“Actual life was chaos, but there was something terribly logical in the imagination.”
“In the common world of fact, the wicked were not punished, nor the good rewarded.”
“Oh! Anything becomes a pleasure if one does it too often.”
Also, Wilde’s imagery and personification is spot-on. Calling bobbing parasols monstrous butterflies? Great imaginative writing right there.
Final conclusions: If I knew Lord Harry in person, we’d have MAJOR beef (misogynist much?); poor Basil didn’t deserve what he got, and neither did Sybil Vane; Dorian Gray had a shocking ability to narcissistically rationalize his own actions, and he orchestrated a fitting ending for himself.
andersonstovall's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.75