Flamboyant and controversial, Oscar Wilde was a dazzling personality, a master of wit, and a dramatic genius whose sparkling comedies contain some ...
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Jan 31, 2012
Donna
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I once knew a woman who was the modern day equivalence of Dorian Gray. When I met her, she was nearing her 53rd birthday but didn't look a day older than 35. She was the splitting image of a brunette Grace Kelly. Beautiful was, if even possible, the only word I can use to describe her. From afar or in passing, she looked as if she is the nicest person to ever walk the earth. She looked regal, striking, and sympathetic. But to my surprise, she was nothing like the princess. Her angelic fac
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Jan 31, 2012
Terry
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I bought this book three or four years ago for a graduate course I was taking on Wilde and Joyce. For that class, we read mostly Wilde's criticism (the dialogues "The Decay of Lying" and "The Critic as Artist I & II"). Studying these and seeing Wilde's influence on Joyce helped shake me from the opinion that Wilde was clever but shallow and to see him as a canny and restless subversive. Still, as I read his major plays this winter (trying to pick one for the Brit Lit course)
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Jan 31, 2012
Julia
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Wow Oscar Wilde!! I always vaguely knew of this classic, but not the fine details of the story. Completely intricately written. I admit, I got a little bored reading it, especially the nine chapters or whatever about jewels and stuff. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and was satisfied upon completing the novel.
Anyway I felt obligated to read this, because when my English class did it, I was not in the country. Maybe I missed a big point by not having literary discussion on More...
Anyway I felt obligated to read this, because when my English class did it, I was not in the country. Maybe I missed a big point by not having literary discussion on More...
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Jan 31, 2012
barbie
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The literary content of the book was awesome. very introspective. the whole book is about dorian gray finding out how horrible of a person he is. the reason i give this book a three is because I found it quite boring. there really was never a story. My husband loves this book and thinks it is genius. I on the other hand am glad I read it but, it just had too many chapters where it just talks about how dorian gray like jewelry or music. It was just all over the place and didn't keep me intirgued
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Jan 31, 2012
Martha
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Read this version last summer. It's a great book, but a bit long-winded in places. I would have thought more of this book except for the long drawn out sections of "blah, blah, blah". Am sure there are those who would disagree with me, but a paragraph that is longer than a page is too long!!
A lot of Gray's behaviors (both spelled out and alluded to) reminded me quite a bit of the Jekyll & Hyde story.
A lot of Gray's behaviors (both spelled out and alluded to) reminded me quite a bit of the Jekyll & Hyde story.
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Jan 31, 2012
Klbsaylor
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This is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't know how many times I've read it but I get lost in the language each time. The copy I have is a tiny little black hardcover that my high school English teacher gave to me. It's an old library copy with those slippery thin pages that just feels good to hold. Just talking about this makes me want to read it again!
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Jan 31, 2012
Katherine
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I've never read anything by Oscar Wilde that I didn't love. This novel is one of his best. It's darker than many of his works, but it is still imbued with Wilde's dynamic, cynical humor. This book is suspenseful, eerie, and intriguing, with an entirely original premise, even by contemporary standards. I always recommend Dorian Gray as a good "first read" for someone wanting to read the classics, but not knowing where to start. It's not long, easy to follow, and a real page-turner.
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Jan 31, 2012
Ruth
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This book is creepy. Not the plays in the back- they're funny- but the Dorian Gray story, I was not prepared for its utter creepiness. I loved it.
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Jan 31, 2012
Emily
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This books tells the story of Dorian Grey a handsome and rich young man who at the beginning of the book has his portrait painted by Basil Hallward, a local artist. After meeting Lord Henry and consequently becoming considerably more vain, Dorian pronounces a wish that the portrait would be the one to age while he himself stayed always young and handsome. The rest of the story relates the slow and total corruption of his character through terrible acts. And as he wished it, Dorian Grey finishes
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Jan 31, 2012
Mary
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Found the play on words to be delightfully fun and admire Oscar Wilde for his talent! Using an online anagram generator, the twenty-two letters in the book title becomes: Example#1 I, a cad, to preferring youth! Example#2 A cad referring, "Youth… I opt..." Example#3 A Cad Referring Pith to You. This last one may be an example of a paradoxical epigram. Or, is the title to be read as "the picture of" meaning the embodiment of a specified state or emotion and the name Doria
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Jan 31, 2012
Benjamin
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A great gothic tale with a fantastical twist. Even though it took me 50 pages to actually get engrossed, the story kept me quite interested. I have only ever read poetry and maxims attributed to Oscar Wilde, so this reading was a first for me. I was pleasantly surprised at how readable it was. Of course the macabre theme certainly helped, Wilde's obvious hedonism theme was written well into the story. It's hard for me to imagine a world where this book would cause such a controversy over its "
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Jan 31, 2012
Mari
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It's interesting when you read a book again with fresh eyes. It must have been years and years that I'd read The Picture of Dorian Gray (probably when I was a first or second year in high school), and when I opened the book again, half of a set of notes fell out. So I took those random page numbers and comments in mind, and I read the story again.
Of course I already knew the story and the plot (from the recent movie with a fantabulous Colin Firth as Lord Henry Wotton and from mild re More...
Of course I already knew the story and the plot (from the recent movie with a fantabulous Colin Firth as Lord Henry Wotton and from mild re More...
Jan 31, 2012
Diane
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I'm really not sure why a lot of people have not read this. It truly is a work that can only be appreciated when read and reread. This is my second time reading through the pages that Wilde weaves with this epigrams and curious cascading delight for words. Each sentence is as interesting and beautiful as the last as he speaks of sin conveyed in the most interesting of manners.
Truly, Dorian is a fall from grace. A Lucifer that could have looked upon what he would become if he had the More...
Truly, Dorian is a fall from grace. A Lucifer that could have looked upon what he would become if he had the More...
Jan 31, 2012
Heather
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I'd only seen Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest; his other works are really very different, but I enjoyed them. They all have at least one character with very witty dialogue. I'm not entirely sure what to think of The Picture of Dorian Gray; there was a lot of symbolism, and some of the book made me uncomfortable (one of the characters is very good at expounding a "do what feels good" philosophy), but I think the message was a moral one. I'd love to hear if anyone else has r
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Jan 31, 2012
Anita
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Ok, so I have to put a disclaimer on this book. I reccommended this book for our church book club, after reading it as a very naive 15 year old. I remember liking the idea of a picture that got ugly with sin and time rather than the person, and thought it would be a good pick for an October (Halloween) book club. Obviously at 15 I missed a lot of the more mature themes of the novel. Having said that, I would reccommend that if you want to read this book, read the novel first then go through
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Jan 31, 2012
Mariam
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Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray (and Other Writings)
New York: Bantam Books, 1982
487 pgs. $4.95
0-553-21096-3
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, a delightfully fascinating novel, has immediately enrooted and heavily stressed themes such as the dangers of vanity and pride. The protagonist of the novel is Dorian Gray, a youthful, passionate, beautiful, and terribly vain aristocrat who lives in the nineteenth century. Dorian is an attractive character More...
The Picture of Dorian Gray (and Other Writings)
New York: Bantam Books, 1982
487 pgs. $4.95
0-553-21096-3
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, a delightfully fascinating novel, has immediately enrooted and heavily stressed themes such as the dangers of vanity and pride. The protagonist of the novel is Dorian Gray, a youthful, passionate, beautiful, and terribly vain aristocrat who lives in the nineteenth century. Dorian is an attractive character More...
Jan 31, 2012
Davis
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So you want to remain eternally young? This book will tell you an engrossing moralistic tale that paints the picture of where the deadly sin of vanity can take you. It will take you into a descent into a hell full of shadows where the light will never touch you.
This is a classic dark tale of intrigue. It is filled with the depths to which the human condition can sink. It is a page turner, but it may leave you feeling empty at the end. That is what it did for me. Nevertheless, it is a More...
This is a classic dark tale of intrigue. It is filled with the depths to which the human condition can sink. It is a page turner, but it may leave you feeling empty at the end. That is what it did for me. Nevertheless, it is a More...
Jan 31, 2012
Peter
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Oscar Wilde is easy to read and quite entertaining. This collection starts with The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is a fairly short novel. It's quite good, although rambling at times. I've only ever read Wilde's plays before, so it was strange to read his signature silly dialogue in a mostly serious novel. It was good, and worth the short read. This collection also included several of Wilde's plays: Landy Windermere's Fan, which was okay; An Ideal Husband, which is decent</i>, and The Impo
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Jan 31, 2012
Leslie
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The Picture of Dorian Gray actually caught my eye when I was searching Goodreads looking for an outside reading book. It had generally high ratings and good reviews, so it seemed attractive. The only thing that gave me doubts was the genre of the book, which I researched, gothic horror fiction, but I’m open to new things.
The Picture of Dorian Gray starts off with an artist, by the name of Basil Hallward, painting a picture of an incredibly wealthy and handsome man, Dorian Gray. Lor More...
The Picture of Dorian Gray starts off with an artist, by the name of Basil Hallward, painting a picture of an incredibly wealthy and handsome man, Dorian Gray. Lor More...
Jan 31, 2012
Fatimah
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ليس بالضرورة ان كل مانراه صحيحاً, اوسكار وايلد يعالج ثيم يعتبر قديماً نوعاأ ما وهو ان جمال الروح اهم وابقى من جمال المظهر الخارجي ويعالج ايضاً فكرة هل الفن انعكاس للحياة ام ان العكس هو الصحيح من خلال شخصيتين وهي المممثلة المسرحية التي انتحرت لتؤكد ان الفن مجرد انعكاس للحياة واللورد هنري الذي يؤكد ان الحياة هي انعكاس للفن
الفكرة الجميلة في الروايةهي ان اللوحة التي رسمها الرسام لتخليد جمال مظهر صديقة دوريان اصبحت هي التي تتشوه بفعل افعاله اللااخلاقية مما جعله يرى مدى التشوه الذي More...
الفكرة الجميلة في الروايةهي ان اللوحة التي رسمها الرسام لتخليد جمال مظهر صديقة دوريان اصبحت هي التي تتشوه بفعل افعاله اللااخلاقية مما جعله يرى مدى التشوه الذي More...
Jan 31, 2012
Scott
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The best attack against this book is that I had not read this when I was younger. Perhaps, if I had a painting, I might have had more time in my youth to reflect upon such works. Now, there is no time, and merely calm reflection upon it. I hope to review this work again, if not actually read it again in my future years to come. A truly appreciable pondering. Do I like it? Was it worth all that? Did it change me? Could it have changed me if I had read it earlier? Am I vain? Am I talked about?
Jan 31, 2012
Felicity
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I never thought I would read a book that I enjoyed more than the 'Great Gatsby'. And then I decided to start reading more classics, and this is the first I chose. I have to say, I have finally found a novel I think I love just as much as Gatsby. 'Dorian Gray' is an incredible analogy for society's fascination with youth and beauty, and I couldn't help thinking what Oscar Wilde would think if he were around in today's day and age-where beauty and youth are revered above so many other traits.
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Jan 31, 2012
Jen
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Several years ago, while watching the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I remarked to my Mom that I didn't know who Dorian Gray was... Fast forward to last week, when I was going through the spines of my parents' bookcase to find a few "new to me" titles to check out. There it was, The Picture of Dorian Gray!
Overall, I liked it -- especially the parts where the characters were interacting and there is dialogue. But there are several places where Wilde rambles on about a topi More...
Overall, I liked it -- especially the parts where the characters were interacting and there is dialogue. But there are several places where Wilde rambles on about a topi More...
Jan 31, 2012
Andrew
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Before I read these stories, I was not entirely sure people in the 1890s had a sense of humor. This was my first time reading anything by Oscar Wilde, and although I didn't LOL or anything, this guy was downright clever with his words. The incessant aphorisms and maxims range from confusing to life-affirming, and trying to figure out if it's Wilde expressing the views or just the character got pretty frustrating after a while.
The title story didn't really live up to expectations, but More...
The title story didn't really live up to expectations, but More...
Jan 31, 2012
Mitch
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Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! What a nice surprise, I can't believe I am 23 and I hadn't read this until now! I gobbled this book up, and in devouring it absorbed all the beautiful phrasing, the scandals, the homoerotic relationships, and the morbid twists. I didn't expect this book to be so entertaining, so flowing, so splendid! It inspired me to want to read more classics that I may have overlooked! Dorian's character is facsinating...at times I envied him, other times I felt pity for him, and others I loat
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Jan 31, 2012
Rinny
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Jan 31, 2012
MacK
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Maybe my favorite book of all time.
This is a remarkable feat from Wilde, whose other works, though incredibly enjoyable dramas tend to remain superficial, with English dorks like me digging deep enough to find the real nuggets of wisdom behind his clever epigrams.
But in this he really lets loose, the epigrams are still there, engendering chuckles and amusements but the brooding, sinister and indeed evil side of Dorian shines through with a blistering critique of social st More...
This is a remarkable feat from Wilde, whose other works, though incredibly enjoyable dramas tend to remain superficial, with English dorks like me digging deep enough to find the real nuggets of wisdom behind his clever epigrams.
But in this he really lets loose, the epigrams are still there, engendering chuckles and amusements but the brooding, sinister and indeed evil side of Dorian shines through with a blistering critique of social st More...
Jan 31, 2012
Holly
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I loved the plot behind this book. But, for me, there was too much philosophical interludes during the story. Maybe that was the point of his writing but I prefer when the philosophy is more united with the story and its characters. Even though these sections were part of one of the character's thoughts or dialogue, I didn't think it flowed well with the story. Said character distinguishes between crime and corruption but I just don't see the difference (maybe I'm just living in the wrong er
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Jan 31, 2012
I only read the picture of Dorian Gray... not the other writings. Basil Hallward was an artist who had painted a very real and wonderful picture of a friend of his named Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray was a handsome man with a great life. One day Dorian was introduced to a man by the name of,Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry was a carless evil man who enjoyed gossiping and doing very bad things. He spoke to Dorian about how young and Hansome Dorian was. He told him that beauty was the only valuable thing
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Jan 31, 2012
Helena
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This was the first book I ever read on my Kindle for Blackberry app. It enabled me to read it during class because it’s super discreet. I think it’s an easy read, with a couple of chapters being a little “heavier” than some others. Still it captivated me and I couldn’t put it down.
It’s the kind of book that discusses life and the many different ways to live it, and gets you thinking about them. And it’s a highly quotable book! I refrained from taking notes from it because I’d probably More...
It’s the kind of book that discusses life and the many different ways to live it, and gets you thinking about them. And it’s a highly quotable book! I refrained from taking notes from it because I’d probably More...
