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A review by ae_oneal
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book has really struck home that there is a significant difference between books I don't like but appreciate, and books that I don't like and can't appreciate. Thankfully, The Picture of Dorian Gray falls into the former category.
I do not enjoy this sort of book: the kind with no redeemable characters, sad outcomes, injustice... The only justice that is served is to the titular character, but the truth is that he is not the character who deserves it the most. Still, the ending gave me a grim (if hollow) satisfaction.
I think the most brilliant bit of writing for me is that though both Basil and Henry (Dorian's closest friends) create and feed into Dorian's ego, is that these two characters act as the angel and devil on his shoulders. Chapter 13 becomes even more poignant when I view the characters in these terms. This book, in my limited view, is about the dichotomy of good and evil that lives within all of us (and I find it interesting that my understanding of evil is that it is rooted in the flesh, Dorian's greatest concern). Wilde obviously understood that certain behaviors, though they may not always effect our outward appearance, can kill our souls - our spirit. The sad thing is that I wonder if Wilde would agree with my thought that Basil is the person we should aspire to be akin to, or if he thought that the Basil in us holds us back, as Dorian is the character he would have liked to be.
It's this final feeling that keeps me from "liking" this book. There is a certain amount of cynicism and coldness toward morality throughout that disgusts me. I did not enjoy this read, but I can say that I do think it is meaningful in that it is a test of worldview , and how we should go about living the kind of life that is the most fulfilling, most lived?
I do not enjoy this sort of book: the kind with no redeemable characters, sad outcomes, injustice...
I think the most brilliant bit of writing for me is that though both Basil and Henry (Dorian's closest friends) create and feed into Dorian's ego, is that these two characters act as the angel and devil on his shoulders. Chapter 13 becomes even more poignant when I view the characters in these terms. This book, in my limited view, is about the dichotomy of good and evil that lives within all of us (and I find it interesting that my understanding of evil is that it is rooted in the flesh, Dorian's greatest concern). Wilde obviously understood that certain behaviors, though they may not always effect our outward appearance, can kill our souls - our spirit. The sad thing is that I wonder if Wilde would agree with my thought that Basil is the person we should aspire to be akin to, or if he thought that the Basil in us holds us back, as Dorian is the character he would have liked to be.
It's this final feeling that keeps me from "liking" this book. There is a certain amount of cynicism and coldness toward morality throughout that disgusts me. I did not enjoy this read, but I can say that I do think it is meaningful in that it is a test of worldview , and how we should go about living the kind of life that is the most fulfilling, most lived?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Antisemitism