Scan barcode
pizzaisjesus98's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Damn near perfect
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Alcohol, and Classism
entrancedbywords's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Let me lose my 💩 for a moment! I totally forgot I owned a copy of Dorian Grey. I went through a short lived phase of trying to collect as many penguin classics as possible. Unfortunately cause I own so many books, I forget I owned this and almost re-brought recently when I went out shopping.
Anyway...I've heard so much about this. I know it has stage plays and I haven't seen any. But now I can form my own idea of how this book can be interpreted.
When I read books I usually don't care about the author. No offence but your personal life is none of my business. But for some reason I decided to google Oscar Wilde. Bruh, what world have I been living under to find out he was gay and this book was written because he wanted to live openly in a society that excluded gay people.
I aboustely love "old english" books. I love the way English has evolved to what it currently is and how poetic in a sense something used to be.
So, this story is supposed to be how Wilde saw himself or at least a verison he wished he could be. I didn't see the gay subtext that was supposedly littered through but rather I saw a reckless, selfish, curious, imaginative man. A man who acts highly yet somehow easily influenced while feeling so certain of himself. If that's how Oscar Wilde wanted himself to be than that's something else entirely.
Anyway...I've heard so much about this. I know it has stage plays and I haven't seen any. But now I can form my own idea of how this book can be interpreted.
When I read books I usually don't care about the author. No offence but your personal life is none of my business. But for some reason I decided to google Oscar Wilde. Bruh, what world have I been living under to find out he was gay and this book was written because he wanted to live openly in a society that excluded gay people.
I aboustely love "old english" books. I love the way English has evolved to what it currently is and how poetic in a sense something used to be.
So, this story is supposed to be how Wilde saw himself or at least a verison he wished he could be. I didn't see the gay subtext that was supposedly littered through but rather I saw a reckless, selfish, curious, imaginative man. A man who acts highly yet somehow easily influenced while feeling so certain of himself. If that's how Oscar Wilde wanted himself to be than that's something else entirely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Stalking, Murder, and Toxic friendship
bootsmom3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
magimiel's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, and Antisemitism
kubs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Oscar Wilde's writing is so nice to read. Dorian's not as bad as they say but he's been up to some bad stuff.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
tkat211's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
4.0
"I didn't say I liked it Harry. I said it fascinated me. There is a great difference."
Interesting read. Amazingly poetic writing.
(I WILL listen to anything Ben Barnes narrates)
Interesting read. Amazingly poetic writing.
(I WILL listen to anything Ben Barnes narrates)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
mangonana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
hdcamp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So
This freaking book 😬
I'm aware of the irony - I believe I described the last classic I read as "just about how people are terrible," and I hated it for that. This is arguably about the same thing, but I like it far better. I know exactly why, too: where Golding left us mired in the hopeless, animalistic evil of man, Wilde shows us that goodness is an option and we can perhaps find a way out. Basil Hallward implores Dorian to seek forgiveness for what he's done, to repent of his sins and live a virtuous life; he is one of the few Good things in the novel, but his light shines all the brighter for being so isolated. I think it interesting that Dorian never once acknowledges this. He just blames Basil for his initial downfall - Basil, and his own beauty.
I read it almost entirely aloud, because everything that the characters said was so delightfully British and I just couldn't help it. In spite of having never read the book, I knew the gist of it - I'm a school librarian, not to mention a former emo child, I had best know the gist of it. I got to about Chapter 6 and I was starting to get that the bad vibes were coming. Lord Henry kept saying wilder and wilder things, and where before he'd say something vaguely thought provoking or interesting and only a little crazy, in Chapter 6 his random monologues were suddenly deeply nefarious and problematic.
Or were they deeply nefarious the whole time? I started to wonder if I wasn't being played a little like Dorian himself, being drawn in to something I couldn't entirely understand.
And I think that's part of the terrible beauty of this book. Dorian's story could belong to any one of us - and, in fact, it does. We're all going through the same process of sin and shame, each trying to reach for something better, and we all have the wrong voice whispering in our ear, trying to lead us to seek Beauty in the un-beautiful. Near the end of his journey, Dorian is not only turning to vice to seek pleasure, he's using it as the nearest thing to expiation he can get his hands on - and of course, it's a poor substitute for true mercy. Instead of forgiveness, he is confronted with his own sinsin the physical form of James Vane . Even his one attempt to "do good" near the book's end is only a selfish act, which he realizes himself. How often do we have this same battle? We have to choose to act with virtue, and sometimes it is a genuine challenge.
The true horror of this story is in large part due to Lord Henry. He remorselessly leads Dorian astray and then discourages him from reforming his behavior. He tells Dorian that the person he's become is something delightful, something somehow beautiful. I've been thinking a bit about how this still happens in society - the world views certain behavior as "good" that is decidedly unvirtuous: excessive fixation on sexuality, acceptance of our own sin as an authentic expression of ourselves, having a perverted sense of "justice" and "fairness" devoid of true justice or mercy, etc. Our children attend schools where they are encouraged to participate in sin and to acknowledge it as something positive. I don't put the onus on the teachers alone (although they can definitely be a part of it, and often are); in fact, more of it likely comes from social media, and is perpetuated by the students themselves. Dorian doesn't realize his own failings until he has already begun to act on them, and then because of the influences he's allowing himself to be lead by - namely a terrible book he receives from Lord Henry* - he fails to repent of them. Is Lord Henry's soul as damaged as Dorian's? At first I suspected that it was not. All he did was "hold the door open" for Dorian to pass through, encouraging him to act immorally, telling Dorian it gave him value. In some ways that is Lord Henry's worst crime. He struck me as being full of hot air; he talks a big game, but he didn't seem to do much beyond talk of evil and delight in bringing others to corruption. And then I realized that that may be enough to condemn him (Mt. 18.6 and all that).
*Not only is this filling the same role that social media does today, and the role of so many awful books that showcase "reality" but end up negatively influencing innocent minds, I also love the symbolism of this - Lord Henry's "gospel" is one that destroys, but he delights in sharing it no less than one who shares the gospel of Christ.
It strikes me that this is the great sin of our age. Not pornography, murder, or wanton sexuality, but that these things are spoken of with openness, acceptance, and praise. The terrible lie seeded in our hearts is that these things are right, and that God is somehow trying to hold us back. And this is the world in which we raise our families, and so many families participate in it. We're in the garden all over again, except now we play the part of the serpent. If we could all be Dorian Gray, helpless innocents led astray by Lord Henry and his perverting influence, we could in equal measure be Lord Henry. <i>That's</i> the most frightening part of the story. It's time to choose which gospel we're going to share.
**If you read all the words I wrote, you deserve at least two potatoes 🥔🥔
24 Classics in 2024: 2/24
This freaking book 😬
I'm aware of the irony - I believe I described the last classic I read as "just about how people are terrible," and I hated it for that. This is arguably about the same thing, but I like it far better. I know exactly why, too: where Golding left us mired in the hopeless, animalistic evil of man, Wilde shows us that goodness is an option and we can perhaps find a way out. Basil Hallward implores Dorian to seek forgiveness for what he's done, to repent of his sins and live a virtuous life; he is one of the few Good things in the novel, but his light shines all the brighter for being so isolated. I think it interesting that Dorian never once acknowledges this. He just blames Basil for his initial downfall - Basil, and his own beauty.
I read it almost entirely aloud, because everything that the characters said was so delightfully British and I just couldn't help it. In spite of having never read the book, I knew the gist of it - I'm a school librarian, not to mention a former emo child, I had best know the gist of it. I got to about Chapter 6 and I was starting to get that the bad vibes were coming. Lord Henry kept saying wilder and wilder things, and where before he'd say something vaguely thought provoking or interesting and only a little crazy, in Chapter 6 his random monologues were suddenly deeply nefarious and problematic.
Or were they deeply nefarious the whole time? I started to wonder if I wasn't being played a little like Dorian himself, being drawn in to something I couldn't entirely understand.
And I think that's part of the terrible beauty of this book. Dorian's story could belong to any one of us - and, in fact, it does. We're all going through the same process of sin and shame, each trying to reach for something better, and we all have the wrong voice whispering in our ear, trying to lead us to seek Beauty in the un-beautiful. Near the end of his journey, Dorian is not only turning to vice to seek pleasure, he's using it as the nearest thing to expiation he can get his hands on - and of course, it's a poor substitute for true mercy. Instead of forgiveness, he is confronted with his own sins
The true horror of this story is in large part due to Lord Henry. He remorselessly leads Dorian astray and then discourages him from reforming his behavior. He tells Dorian that the person he's become is something delightful, something somehow beautiful. I've been thinking a bit about how this still happens in society - the world views certain behavior as "good" that is decidedly unvirtuous: excessive fixation on sexuality, acceptance of our own sin as an authentic expression of ourselves, having a perverted sense of "justice" and "fairness" devoid of true justice or mercy, etc. Our children attend schools where they are encouraged to participate in sin and to acknowledge it as something positive. I don't put the onus on the teachers alone (although they can definitely be a part of it, and often are); in fact, more of it likely comes from social media, and is perpetuated by the students themselves. Dorian doesn't realize his own failings until he has already begun to act on them, and then because of the influences he's allowing himself to be lead by - namely a terrible book he receives from Lord Henry* - he fails to repent of them. Is Lord Henry's soul as damaged as Dorian's? At first I suspected that it was not. All he did was "hold the door open" for Dorian to pass through, encouraging him to act immorally, telling Dorian it gave him value. In some ways that is Lord Henry's worst crime. He struck me as being full of hot air; he talks a big game, but he didn't seem to do much beyond talk of evil and delight in bringing others to corruption. And then I realized that that may be enough to condemn him (Mt. 18.6 and all that).
*Not only is this filling the same role that social media does today, and the role of so many awful books that showcase "reality" but end up negatively influencing innocent minds, I also love the symbolism of this - Lord Henry's "gospel" is one that destroys, but he delights in sharing it no less than one who shares the gospel of Christ.
It strikes me that this is the great sin of our age. Not pornography, murder, or wanton sexuality, but that these things are spoken of with openness, acceptance, and praise. The terrible lie seeded in our hearts is that these things are right, and that God is somehow trying to hold us back. And this is the world in which we raise our families, and so many families participate in it. We're in the garden all over again, except now we play the part of the serpent. If we could all be Dorian Gray, helpless innocents led astray by Lord Henry and his perverting influence, we could in equal measure be Lord Henry. <i>That's</i> the most frightening part of the story. It's time to choose which gospel we're going to share.
**If you read all the words I wrote, you deserve at least two potatoes 🥔🥔
24 Classics in 2024: 2/24
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Murder
seforaflorian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail