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honeycomb_system's review
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, narrated by Stephen Fry
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Genre: Literature & Fiction
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Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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This was a bit of a tough one to rate. While we can see why it was terrifying and scandalous in the late Victorian era, it isn’t a thriller or suspense novel any more. It remains very topical, delving into how malignant narcissism and refusal to take responsibility affect society. It’s probably because modern society is awash in these problems that the tale has lost its horror; modern readers are desensitized to it. We are still glad we finally read it because it deserves its place in the Western canon. It’s a novel you can nerd out over, so you’ll enjoy if you’re always analyzing the shit out of texts. It also hit home for us as a lesson in clearly seeing people. If we were a character in the story, we’d be Basil, the good-hearted artist who paints Dorian Gray’s portrait. He views everyone in the best light possible and stays loyal, even after Dorian is cruel to him multiple times. At the beginning of the book Basil says Dorian is like a spoilt little boy who never grew up. Basil thinks this means Dorian is pure and untouched. He thinks it’s charming. But he’s blinded by his love (we totally get ace demiromantic vibes from Basil). Over the course of the novel we see that his throwaway comment was quite incisive and if Basil had been able to set aside love’s rose-colored glasses, he’d have seen Dorian’s flaws clearly, before the portrait ever comes into the picture. Time and again Dorian’s victims see only his beautiful surface because it is what they want to see. Only when it is too late do they clearly see his callous, depraved, and prideful nature. 😔
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Rating the narration was easy, though. We are glad we went with Stephen Fry’s narration. His wry wit added layers to the story and his voice is always a pleasure to listen to. We deducted one star because in a few places we couldn’t tell who was talking, but these were minor blips in the performance.
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Content warnings:
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Major: toxic relationships, manipulation, misogyny
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Moderate: drugs, blood, violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Violence, and Blood
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