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The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde

3.95 · rating details · 108,214 ratings · 5,432 reviews

Oscar Wilde's story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is one of his most popular works. Written in Wilde's characteristically dazzling manner, full of stinging epigrams and shrewd observations, the tale of Dorian Gray's moral disintegration caused something of a scandal when it first appeared in 1890. Wilde was attacked for his deca...more

Paperback, Modern Library Classics, 254 pages

Published June 1st 1998 by Random House: Modern Library (first published 1890)

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Feb 10, 2008

Paula rated it

This book reminded me why I hate classics.

Like Frankenstein, it starts out with a great premise: what if a portrait bore the brunt of age and sin, while the person remained in the flush of youth? How would that person feel as they watched a constant reminder of their true nature develop? And like Frankenstein, it gets completely bogged down in uninteresting details and takes forever to get to the interesting bits. Seriously, in a 230-page novel, the portrait doesn't even start to ch...more

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Jul 20, 2011

Stephen rated it

Shelves: easton-press, audiobook, horror-classic, classics, literature, horror, love-those-words, rogues-and-scoundrels, classics-european

Arguably literature's greatest study of shallowness, vanity, casual cruelty and hedonistic selfishness, Wilde lays it down here with ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!! This was my first experience in reading Oscar Wilde and the man’s gift for prose and dialogue is magical. This story read somewhat like a dark, corrupted Jane Austen in that the writing was snappy and pleasant on the ear, but the feeling it left you with was one of hopelessness and despair.

The level of cynicism and societal disregard that Wilde’s characters display towards humanity is simply staggering. Despite the dark (or more likely because of it) this is one of the most engaging, compelling and lyrical pieces of literature I have read. The quality of the prose is nothing short masterful.

I assume most people know the basic outline of the plot, but I will give you a few sentences on it. The three main characters are Basil Hallward, Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray. Basil Hallward is an artist who after painting a picture of Dorian Gray becomes obsessed with him because of his beauty (the homosexual vs. art object love Basil feels towards Dorian are left vague, likely because of the time it was written). Dorian then meets a friend Basil’s, Lord Henry, and becomes enthralled with Lord Henry’s world view, which is a form of extreme hedonism that posits the only worthwhile life is one spent pursuing beauty and satisfaction for the senses.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.

Well at one point, Dorian utters the famous words quoted at the beginning of my review and the “Faustian” bargain is struck.

While this story is often mentioned among the classics of the Horror genre (which I do have a problem with) this is much more a study of the human monster than it is some boogeyman. My favorite parts of the story were the extensive dialogues between the characters, usually Dorian and Lord Henry. They were wonderfully perverse and display a level of casual cruelty and vileness towards humanity that make it hard to breathe while reading. Oh, and Lord Henry reserves particular offense for the female of the species, to wit:

My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals.

YES folks...he absolutely did.

One of the most intriguing quotes I have seen from Oscar Wilde regarding this book is his comparison of himself to the three main characters. He said that he wrote the three main characters as reflections of himself. Wilde said, “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry is what the world thinks me: Dorian is what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”

I was somewhat floored by this as I found Dorian to be a truly stark representation of evil and could not see how Wilde could find an idealized form within the character. When I say evil, I don't mean just misguided or weak-minded, someone bamboozled by the clever lectures of Lord Henry. I found Gray to be selfish, vain, inhumanly callous and sadistically cruel. I intend to try and learn more about Wilde’s outlook on this character as it truly escapes me.

Regardless, this is a towering piece of literature. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters and a deeply moving story. A novel deserving of its status as a classic of English Literature. 5.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!!

P.S. For of audiobooks. I listened to the audio version of this read by Michael Page who has become one of my favorite narrators. His performance here was amazing.
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Jul 21, 2008

Scoobs rated it

Oh Dorian. Oh Dorian.

When I first read this book in the fruitless years of my youth I was excited, overwhelmed and a blank slate (as Dorian is, upon his first encounter with Lord Henry) easily molded, persuaded, influenced, etc.

Certain Wildisms (Wildeisms?) would take my breath away. Would become my mottos to believe in. To follow. To live.

Lines like:

"It is silly of you, for there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, a...more

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Mar 23, 2008

Trevor rated it

Shelves: literature

This is another of those books I’ve been meaning to read for ages and kept putting off. Although I’ve a particularly good reason for putting this one off, as a very good friend of mine, who died a couple of years ago, spoke to me about this book and I was worried that might make it hard to read for quite other reasons.

He said that when he read this book as a young man it made him certain that he was not homosexual. Now, that in itself was enough to make me curious about the book. ...moreThis is another of those books I’ve been meaning to read for ages and kept putting off. Although I’ve a particularly good reason for putting this one off, as a very good friend of mine, who died a couple of years ago, spoke to me about this book and I was worried that might make it hard to read for quite other reasons.

He said that when he read this book as a young man it made him certain that he was not homosexual. Now, that in itself was enough to make me curious about the book. This is a book that could only have been written by a homosexual male and it is a book about homosexuality in very many ways. The obsession with youth and beauty is almost a cliché of homosexual obsessions – though the ‘dandy’, the vanity of men, is much more common now, I think. We are increasingly a culture obsessed with appearance. I wonder if reading the book and seeing this obsession was the thing that convinced my friend he was not homosexual, if that was the thing that made him say, ‘no, that’s not me’. Or rather if it was the expression of desire very early in the book for Dorian Gray by Basil, his painter and ardent admirer, that convinced him.

Lord Harry is one of those talking desk calendars, in fact, other than Hamlet, I think it would be hard to find a book with more quotable quotes per page. Some of them are deliciously funny and others are just the sort of illumination that a match struck in a dark room makes.

There were moments in this book, as there are in other works by Wilde, when one gets a feeling of premonition of his fate – it is hard to think of a sadder story than that of the last years of his life, or one that makes more plain how incredibly stupid are societies that punish people for their sexuality. There would be very little I could not forgive Wilde for, particularly after he wrote The Importance of Being Earnest – this book, his only novel, is nearly as good.

Our sins are not quite displayed as clearly on our faces as is assumed here, but our lives do mark us – it is a pity that in our obsession with youth that we forget how beautiful our scars can be and that love, real love, the love that touches us most deeply, is when another accepts our scars and loves us for them, rather than in spite of them.

One of the most quotable quotes in this book is an attack on realism in fiction – “That is the reason I hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.” I understand this is hardly a ‘realistic’ story – I mean, it is really a myth and takes liberties with ‘reality’ so as to comment on the world through the form of a myth – but like all such stories centred on something that is clearly ‘over-the-top’ it is contained in a shell that struck me as remarkably realistic. There was no time when I felt Wilde was calling a spade an implement for cultivation or some such silly phrase. His writing is always clear and to the point. The most ‘flowery’ language is perhaps when he is describing the perfumes Gray becomes fascinated in and seeks to understand ‘what there was in frankincense that made one mystical, and in ambergris that stirred one’s passions’, but even this is hardly as romantic or less real than TS Eliot’s (that most ‘modern’ of writers) “In vails of ivory and coloured glass / Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,” Even at his most flowery, Wilde is hardly ‘unrealistic’.

I came to this book expecting it to be much ‘sillier’ than it turned out to be. I’ve no idea why I thought this – perhaps because I knew that the central idea of the book was that a man has an odd relationship with a painting in that he stays young while the painting gets old. But the book wasn’t nearly as silly as I thought it would be. I really did enjoy it.
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Oct 06, 2010

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

Recommends it for: Readers who enjoy well-crafted, psychologically-chilling stories

Shelves: classic-horror, owned-copy, oct-scare-fest-2010, moral-decadence, unsympathetic-main-characters, victorian, psychological-horror, faustian-bargain, immortality, gothic-fiction

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a hard book to review. After reading such eloquent, beautiful, and rich writing, I am at a loss for how to command my comparatively paltry ability to use words to express how I felt about this book.

Forgive me as I go back to AP English for a few moments. I asked myself what were the themes of this novel. Here is my list:

Identity
Experience
Beauty
The triumph on senses over reason
Accountability

I will attempt...more

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Aug 05, 2007

Nurkastelia A. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: eveyone!!

Shelves: must-read

What more can be said about The Picture of Dorian Gray than the fact it is a marvelous book? Although this is the only novel Oscar Wilde had ever written, I think by far this is one of the finest and most enchanting classic novels there are. I was completely in awe after reading it the first time and still too in awe to even start a review now.

The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with an unusual look of a man –from another man’s eyes (Basil Hallward). I’ve never thought homosexual issue...moreWhat more can be said about The Picture of Dorian Gray than the fact it is a marvelous book? Although this is the only novel Oscar Wilde had ever written, I think by far this is one of the finest and most enchanting classic novels there are. I was completely in awe after reading it the first time and still too in awe to even start a review now.

The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with an unusual look of a man –from another man’s eyes (Basil Hallward). I’ve never thought homosexual issues could be let out so openly into the world like how Oscar Wilde let it out. The fighting over Dorian between Basil and Lord Henry, Basil’s marks about Gray, and even the words of the story which are edited and put into the endnotes. All were shockingly wonderful. Also related to the endnotes, we can see that Wilde was a man of much knowledge. He retracted and inserted other people’s intellectual works in the book. What’s more is that I think the ingenious mind of Oscar Wilde is really reflected on the character of Lord Henry though he pictured Lord Henry as someone as empty as a barrel.

If a song once said, “if a picture paints a thousand words then why can’t I paint you? The words could never show the you I’ve come to know,” this really does not count the book along. Why? Because as we can read, Dorian Gray’s picture, literally, gives out millions and millions of words about him. The first day Basil paints it, the first day Gray brings it home, the first day people take their glances at it; it speaks to them as if it has a mouth telling them how great of a creature Dorian Gray is. At that time, there is no single person that would not call him ‘Prince charming’ since his self-portrait was so beautifully enchanting.

As time goes by, the first-innocent mind of Gray is inflected by Lord Henry’s views towards life –towards beauty. He said that beauty is the only thing that matters, and Gray eventually agrees with it and realizes that the portrait will live forever, and retain its beauty while he himself is left to age. This is the turning point of the story, the part when we realize that wishes are stronger than life. So Dorian Gray wishes to trade his soul for everlasting youth, and to always retain his beauty, just like the portrait. Of course, when there’s an action, there will always be a reaction. Every time Dorian Gray commits a sin, the picture miraculously adjusts itself with the evil side of Dorian Gray.

As much as other things in the story are intriguing, the most fascinating part is how Wilde used ‘beauty’ as something harmful. Something so corrupting that a person would kill another, another, and yet another human being, before finally Dorian Gray tries to kill his picture, his guilt –his conscience, resulting in killing himself. Astonishingly enough, when Dorian dies, the painting, as if released from all the sins it bears, returns back to the old self just like when it was first shown to Dorian; painfully beautiful.
One thing that captures my mind is that Oscar Wilde had thoughts ahead of his time, and not afraid to show it either. In real life, he was charged with gross indecency as early as 1895. His works make fun of the hypocrisy of the society, damn the moralities. In short, he was leading quite a controversial life.

Nevertheless, however controversial he is, he obviously concerned deeply about life itself. That is why this particular novel offers some kind of a wake-up call to the readers…narcissist readers, that is. So if you are one, and want to be saved not by lectures…take a walk on the Wilde side, let this fantasy story take your breath away, and may morality save you from constant debauchery.
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Aug 03, 2011

Lora rated it

Shelves: classics, g-horror, lib-audiobooks, lib-read

Originally I wasn't going to review this (if you're observant then you've probably noticed that I read this back in early April), but I recently decided to watch the latest movie adaptation despite the fact that the book was rather meh for me. What can I say, ~~Ben Barnes naked~~ the movie inspired me.

At the start of the novel Dorian Gray is young and just as gullible as you can imagine. But he's got his whole life ahead of him and the good looks and charm to insure him at least some mes...moreOriginally I wasn't going to review this (if you're observant then you've probably noticed that I read this back in early April), but I recently decided to watch the latest movie adaptation despite the fact that the book was rather meh for me. What can I say, ~~Ben Barnes naked~~ the movie inspired me.

At the start of the novel Dorian Gray is young and just as gullible as you can imagine. But he's got his whole life ahead of him and the good looks and charm to insure him at least some messure of happiness.
But soon, thanks to Lord Henry Wotton, a portrait, and a wish that should never have been made, his life is turned upside down. All of a sudden his life — and his soul — are in a downwards spiral.

I think that, for me, this book's downfall was Lord Henry Wotton. He's so philosophical and opinionated and corrupting that I found him downright dreadful.
Lord Henry is kind of like life personified. Just as life can take us from an innocent baby and turn us into something vile and sinful, Lord Henry has much the same affect on Dorian Gray. Even though it is Basil's portrait that initiates everything, it is Lord Henry that sets the terrible events into motion with his corruption and his horribly depressing and pessimistic theories. While many may see Dorian Gray as the villain in this, I see Lord Henry as such.

But if Dorian would've just grown a spine and made his own decisions, not listened to Lord Henry . . . things wouldn't have ended up so terrible for him.
That's one of the few things I hate about historical novels. It seems that there are two types of people: role models and protégés. Why? Why couldn't everyone have done their own thing? It's like in Emma when Emma steers Harriet in the entirely wrong direction. If Harriet would've just been her own person, made her own choices, things wouldn't have gotten so out of sorts for her.

I must say that if I hadn't listened to the audio I probably wouldn't have been able to finish this. But the ending Wilde writes is this book's saving grace IMO. It is stunning and unexpected and gave it just enough for me to make this three stars.

All in all this book isn't bad — it is written well, naturally — but if you're interested I'd have to suggest skipping the book and watching the most recent film adaptation. Although I must warn you: it is vastly different from the book — especially when it comes to Dorian's lecherous adventures, and it is rated R for a reason. Delicate people shouldn't hasten to watch it.(less)

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Mar 23, 2009

Laurel rated it

Shelves: classics, fiction

Be careful what you wish for.

Dorian Gray is an irresistibly handsome (and utterly selfish) socialite concerned with superficialities of the ego: appearance, beauty, passion, youth and image. Upon getting his portrait painted by a friend, Gray expresses his desire that he remain as young and handsome as he is in the picture, while the portrait instead be the one to age. As it turns out, his wish is realized. As Gray enters deeper into a life of sin and crime, he remains young and phys...more

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May 28, 2011

Abdullah Suliman rated it

· review of another edition

قراءتي الثانية:
التقييم 5/5
9/3/2010

بعد أن قرأتها للمرة الأولى قبل سنتين, اشتقت لقراءتها مرة أخرى خصوصا بعد صدور الفيلم الشهير بنفس اسم الرواية ومشاهدتي له. سأتحدث عن الرواية نفسها وعن الفيلم.

تدور أحداث الرواية حول 3 شخصيات رئيسية.. وهي عن الرسام "بازيل" واللورد "هنري" والشاب "دوريان غراي". يقوم الرسام برسم الشاب وتصويره بشكل فاتن, فيُذهل الشاب بصورته وتبدأ أحداث الرواية.

(لن أتطرق لأي أحداث أو مفسدات للرواية.. فقط رأيي ا...more

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Jul 03, 2011

K.D. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010); Filipinos Group Read for July 2011

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, classics

My third time to read an Oscar Wilde’s work and I still like it. However, I prefer the first two: De Profundis (Out of the Dephts) and The Happy Prince and Other Stories. I liked his poignant and brilliant lamentations in the first and his adept and crisp storytelling in the 12 short stories in the second. Those two reasons, in my opinion, are not here in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

This tells the story of a strikingly handsome young man, Dorian Gray that is badly infl...more

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Jul 24, 2008

Brendan rated it

Moral degradation follows moisturiser use.

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Mar 02, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: horror, classic-horror

I have been meaning to read this book for...maybe 40 or 50 years, closer to 40 I suppose. It's one of those classics that you always mean to get to. I just never had.

Like many people (I suppose) my knowledge of Oscar Wilde is fairly sketchy and mostly surface. It's the kind of thing you get from quotes and literary sketches. This book made me a little more curious about the famous rebel.

Most people, even those who haven't read the novel will be aware of the background sto...more

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Mar 05, 2010

Alex rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, coralie-bickford-smith-covers, ireland, victorian, reading-through-history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 06, 2007

Clare rated it

Recommends it for: dedicated readers

Oscar Wilde's only novel! I thoroughly enjoyed Wilde's ability to play with words, to toss them about and see where they land. There is a particular joy in finding a word used slightly out of sync to it's meaning, a stretching if you will. Wilde's thick, image driven, morally questionable (to most, not me) string of words delight the eye and impassion the mind. His dialogues demonstrate his future word play in plays. His ability to create synthesis between character types is magnificient, he all...more

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May 29, 2007

Linda rated it

Shelves: favorites, classic

“Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.”

“We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us. The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things. It has for...more

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Sep 14, 2011

Carlo rated it

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Carlo by: A Friend

Shelves: english-literature, to-be-read-again, favorites, literary-fiction

The Picture Of Dorian Gray raises very original and interesting questions about life, and shows how it is impossible to formulate a precise answer to them. This, in itself, makes the book great.

I consider Wilde one of the wittiest authors I've ever read. His intense sensitivity is remarkable, along with his expertise in portraying both emotions and circumstances. His paradoxical views about themes such as love, beauty, hedonism, evil, sin and passion, made me literally spellbound thr...more

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Aug 02, 2008

Ayu Palar rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone!

Recommended to Ayu by: Peter Doherty

Shelves: favorites-ever, classics

I want to say it out loud: The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favourite book ever. Thanks to Mr. Doherty for introducing me to this book. Oscar Wilde is famous for his wit, and in this book he successfully showed that talent of him through Lord Henry character who keeps on questioning the essence of beauty. The beauty in The Picture of Dorian Gray is, of course, Dorian Gray himself, one of the best fictional characters ever created. With his beauty, the super good-looking Dorian captured the hear...more

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Aug 03, 2007

Jason rated it

Recommends it for: the well-read and those who claim to be

Shelves: favorites

I am not sure whether this novel is so perfect I should wish Wilde had written more, or whether this novel is so perfect I should be grateful it stands alone.

Wilde was an aesthete? This is a work of aestheticism? Hardly. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a gripping and sincere morality tale, told with beauty, and about beauty, but ultimately driven by the quasi-Gothic nightmare that rests beneath all that is beautiful in the book and all that is said about the pursuit of beauty by its pr...moreI am not sure whether this novel is so perfect I should wish Wilde had written more, or whether this novel is so perfect I should be grateful it stands alone.

Wilde was an aesthete? This is a work of aestheticism? Hardly. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a gripping and sincere morality tale, told with beauty, and about beauty, but ultimately driven by the quasi-Gothic nightmare that rests beneath all that is beautiful in the book and all that is said about the pursuit of beauty by its primary characters.

Wilde's writing is beautiful. Anything of beauty within the mise en scène is captured by Wilde and depicted with beauty. Dorian Gray is beauty in human form. His friend Basil Hallward, a painter, sees Dorian's beauty and is driven to portray it on canvas. Per Dorian's wish, he will remain beautiful, and Basil's portrait will bear the ravages of his soul. Basil's homoerotic fascination with Dorian, and its expression in his portrait of Dorian, will unwittingly lead to tragedy. Through Basil, Dorian befriends Lord Henry Wotton, who impresses upon Dorian the ideal of beauty. And, beyond that, the joy of beauty. Of seeking out that which pleases the senses. Of hedonism. A means of existence Dorian takes at its purest. Hedonism regardless the price. Personal pleasure above all else. Eventually the cost of such a life, and the sins Dorian commits in the name of it, come grossly to light, in what is in many ways the simplest of tales of right and wrong.

Why is the novel so good if it's, arguably, so simple? Several reasons. Dorian's wish is not a foreign concept to men of any age. Lord Wotton's philosophy is captivating and, in many ways, persuasive. Beauty pleases man. All man has by way of understanding the world is his senses. All that triggers them and satisfies them (or more) is the best man can take from the world. Wilde knows. When (and when not) feeding the reader a compelling philosophy of beauty, he feeds the reader via the beauty of his prose. Quite literally, Wilde's writing pleases the senses. Multiple senses, in fact. The eye in its words. But more than the eye, as Wilde's eye, and his treatment of the world within the novel, reaches beyond it.

That the beauty of the writing is on par with the views on aesthetics put forth in the novel as a counterbalance to its moral substance makes this a novel only Wilde could have written. There may be better prose in Anglo-American fiction (or not). No such prose, however, is as striking and of such calculated elegance and allure as Wilde's. The novel's abounding beauty provides the force that animates its theme of false beauty. That abounding beauty is Wilde's particular gift, and the heart of one of the best novels in the Anglo-American canon.(less)

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Oct 05, 2008

Charity rated it

Recommends it for: those who think 19th-century lit is "unreadable"

Shelves: 1001books, brit-lit, ireland, faves

"If it were I who were to be always young and the picture to grow old...I would give my soul for that," says the radiantly handsome Dorian Gray. So runs the premise of Wilde's famous (er...infamous), unsettling novella that scandalized Victorian England. This book was used against Wilde at his trials for "gross indecency," ultimately leading to his imprisonment and exile. However, the messages relayed in the book are as timeless as Dorian's looks, begging the question: Did Os...more

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May 08, 2008

Yulia added it

Shelves: depressing

I can't rate this as I was too young when I read it and remember little of the experience, besides skimming his catalogue of fineries. What I can say is that I told my mother she was my Dorian Gray: she unloads her troubles on me; I experience the effects through my health problems; she never gets sick, rebounds from her concerns, and remains amazingly buoyant despite her age. I am her portrait. Don't let my photo fool you.

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Jan 04, 2011

Mon rated it

Shelves: hardcore-literature

19th century people do funny things. For example, the males characters are constantly picking out flowers for their 'buttonholes'. And not just any flower, but colour and specie specific orchid. Heavy floor length curtain was popular (think about it, they didn't have that many windows back then, so the interior would be pretty gloomy most of the time). Hot chocolate is consumed before coffee as breakfast (and not just for children). They also faint easily (maybe it's the chocolate feast). I'm al...more

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Aug 19, 2011

Erik rated it

Shelves: classics, bepretentious, has-good-review

Plot summary: Dorian Gray is a beautiful, wholesome young man. He begins with two friends, one of whom paints the titular picture, while the other is a modern, cosmopolitan lord, who puts the fear of losing his youth into Dorian. When it turns out that the painting grants Dorian an eternal youth (which one should differentiate from eternal life - Dorian's physical appearance is never burdened by the deeds which he commits nor the simple passage of time), then Dorian struggles against losing al...morePlot summary: Dorian Gray is a beautiful, wholesome young man. He begins with two friends, one of whom paints the titular picture, while the other is a modern, cosmopolitan lord, who puts the fear of losing his youth into Dorian. When it turns out that the painting grants Dorian an eternal youth (which one should differentiate from eternal life - Dorian's physical appearance is never burdened by the deeds which he commits nor the simple passage of time), then Dorian struggles against losing all sense of morality. Stuff happens. The end.

It's difficult to know what to write about The Picture of Dorian Gray. This book is Oscar Wilde's only novel, with good reason. The Picture of Dorian Gray is like a play written in novel form - no one (I hope) would seriously contest that Oscar Wilde was an important and influential playwright with a penchant for witty, sharp dialogue. That is, his plays are a rare example of century old writing that's still enjoyable to read today. This skill of his is in full force in Dorian Gray - dialogue is by far the primary mover of characterization, plot, and conflict. And it is quite amusing. On the other hand, his descriptions, when he bothers to describe at all, tend to be overly flowery (the first sentence of the book is like ten lines long) or pretentious.

I say pretentious because, by far, the most annoying part of this book is the 10+ pages of needlessly detailed description of all the various arts, skills, and knowledge in which Dorian dabbles once he realizes his immortality / immorality. Some may argue that this huge list was needed in order to accurately develop and depict Dorian's corruption. Hogwash. I've seen a fall from grace portrayed in a single line - Oscar Wilde's prose here is entirely indulgent and comes across as someone saying, "see here, see here, look at how clever and learned I am!"

My second complaint is that much of Dorian's corruption happens off the pages. I recall a recent review for the HP7, pt. 1, movie which stated, "Much of the action happens disturbingly off screen." This trait was cited as a positive, and I wanted to be like, Why? Why is it a good thing that the most compelling elements of a story are summarized or hinted at, rather than shown? Likewise, there are a great number of allusions to the many evil deeds of Dorian. But they are rarely shown. The result is that when at last Dorian was actually shown committing an evil deed, I was not convinced. This was not a visceral experience.

Perhaps these complaints can be ignored because The Picture of Dorian Gray is invariably an intellectual's book. It's not a story in the sense that I define stories - it's a philosophical journey. It's a hypothetical... what if: Is the dark side inevitable? Is a human innocent at birth and corrupt at death? It is the planting of a seed of doubt in your own mind; as you read through it, you can't help but wonder... how would I behave, if I could get away with everything? It is in this role, I would suggest, that The Picture of Dorian Gray is historically considered a must-read.

I do not concur. Is this a book you should read? Undoubtedly. Is it one you must read? Sorry, no.(less)

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Aug 21, 2010

Knowledge Lost rated it

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Shelves: classics, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, gothic

I feel perplexed about The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. On one hand, the story is well written about a young man being moulded and shaped. On the other hand, this book was incredibly flowery and doesn’t really start for 100 pages. Dorian doesn’t really know about life and meets an artist and an aristocrat that help him though his journey into manhood. The artist paints his portrait, subsequently making him keep his youth. The aristocrat had the biggest influence on Dorian Gray, though ...more

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May 13, 2008

Johannes rated it

Shelves: literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story begins when young, beautiful Dorian Gray encounters Lord Henry Wotton, who becomes Dorian's friend, mentor and corruptor. Lord Henry teaches Dorian that the purpose of life is simply to experience life, that experience is both the means and the end. Dorian searches for new experiences and soon finds himself engaging in immoral and vulgar acts: he breaks hearts, he breathes opium, he ruins lives and he kills. As Dorian's moral character decays, his outward appearance is unaffected; b...moreThe story begins when young, beautiful Dorian Gray encounters Lord Henry Wotton, who becomes Dorian's friend, mentor and corruptor. Lord Henry teaches Dorian that the purpose of life is simply to experience life, that experience is both the means and the end. Dorian searches for new experiences and soon finds himself engaging in immoral and vulgar acts: he breaks hearts, he breathes opium, he ruins lives and he kills. As Dorian's moral character decays, his outward appearance is unaffected; but while he retains his youth and charm, his portrait grows old and wicked-looking. At the end of the book, Dorian attacks the portrait in a fit of confusion, grief and anger, and in doing so ends his own life.

It would be possible to interpret this novel as almost puritanical: Dorian sins and is punished. Yet I think this would be a gross misinterpretation. First, Dorian's corruptor remains relatively unpunished: Lord Henry not only lives still at the novel's close, but he seems to be as free and content as always. Second, the uncorrupted -- Sybil Vane and Basil Hallward -- fall victim to Dorian's cruelty and are quickly forgotten by a world that continues to make a place for Dorian. Finally, we must remember that Wilde was himself was a proponent of the aesthetic movement: art for art's sake. His own infatuation with beauty is a part of Lord Henry's teachings, so a complete condemnation of those ideas is an unlikely theme for Wilde's only novel.

Rather, I believe the novel endorses Lord Henry's teachings, in part or in full. But we must remember that Lord Henry does not take opium, he does not wander in unsavory parts of town, and he certainly does not commit murder. Rather, he goes to the opera, he reads good literature, he surrounds himself with art, and he amuses himself with witty conversations. In short, Lord Henry lives for his own experiences, but those experiences are of a refined nature. He eschews the vulgar and lives. Dorian fails to discriminate in this way, and so he suffers and dies. Wilde is telling us that while experience is both a means and an end, not every experience is worth having. The story of Dorian Gray is a cautionary tale: live for the sake of living, but live a discerning life of artistry and culture.

In this age, aestheticism is not a common thesis, and this made The Picture of Dorian Gray particularly enjoyable for me. More than anything, I loved reading almost every word uttered by Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian's master seems a projection of Wilde himself: a gentleman who laughs at the world while relishing in its highest pleasures, who lives for those pleasures and who loves beauty more than anything. As such, it is through Lord Henry's speech that Wilde's wit is most evident.

On the whole, this is one of my favorite novels. I can hardly believe it took me so long to read it. I am indebted to Kristen for giving me such an enthusiastic recommendation.(less)

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Mar 06, 2008

JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics, fiction, read_in_2008, reviewed, 4_stars, setting_uk, author_irish

It seems like I run into references to Dorian Gray pretty frequently (Most recently in James Blunt's song "Tears and Rain"). I decided to pick this up because I was tired of not understanding the references.

The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with one of Dorian's friends, a painter named Basil Hallward, just finishing his portrait. Lord Henry is visiting Basil and happens to meet Dorian. Henry sort of becomes the devil on Dorian's shoulder, asking something like, "Isn...moreIt seems like I run into references to Dorian Gray pretty frequently (Most recently in James Blunt's song "Tears and Rain"). I decided to pick this up because I was tired of not understanding the references.

The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with one of Dorian's friends, a painter named Basil Hallward, just finishing his portrait. Lord Henry is visiting Basil and happens to meet Dorian. Henry sort of becomes the devil on Dorian's shoulder, asking something like, "Isn't it a shame that this portrait will be forever beautiful, perfect, innocent, and pure, but you will age, wither and die?" This hits Dorian hard. In a temper tantrum, he prays that the opposite should happen. He wants to live unsullied and have the portrait bear the marks of his living. His prayer is answered. This frees Dorian to live the life of cruelty, debauchery, and addiction that he wants. The portrait is hidden away in the attic and it looks more and more horrifying. But since Dorian is forever a beautiful 20-year-old Adonis, no one ever knows about his secret life.

To me, this book was cautionary tale about not judging by appearances and how you might be able to hide your sins, but you can't hide them forever. I was shocked to read the introduction (after finishing the book) and find out that the critics at the time of publication thought the book was immoral and terrible! The first version included some "homoerotic" scenes which upset readers in the 1890's. Wilde's popularity wasn't helped by the fact that he was jailed for two years, basically for homosexuality. It seemed to me like Oscar Wilde and Dorian Gray became the same person in the minds of readers and no one wanted anything to do with the book or the author. But, obviously, someone saw the value of the book or it wouldn't have become a classic.

I recommend this one. It's very readable and, like I said before, references to Dorian Gray are everywhere. I'll be glad to fully understand them now.

One final thing. I learned a great word from the introduction to this version--logorrhea. As in "Stephen King's books frequently suffer from logorrhea." Great word, right?(less)

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Dec 03, 2009

Keely rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: horror, novel, gothic, humor, reviewed, uk-and-ireland

At a dinner party, Wilde is supposed to have admired some other guest's bon mot, commenting "I wish I had said that" to which host and prominant painter James McNeil Whistler replied: "You will Oscar, you will." Though often quoted as a great wit, Wilde was more imitator than innovator, which explains his praise of critics over artists.

No book better represents Wilde's social and economic reasons for this position than 'Dorian Gray'. While adopting the form of the...more

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Sep 06, 2007

Lisa rated it

I really wanted to love this book. I did love the story and the cautionary tale it tells. I just can't understand why Dorian didn't punch Lord Henry in the face, just to *shut him up*! Someone else described this as a "dialogue lover's dream", but I would make that a "monologue lover's dream". Long stretches of philosophizing about beauty and innocence and ridiculous ideas about the upper classes...I admit that some of it bored me. Why listen to someone expound for pages...more

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May 25, 2007

Jonathan rated it

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This book comprises a believable tragedy of errors. A dialogue lover's dream, Dorian Gray is packed with Uzi-style exchanges between English debutantes of the late 1800s. The Wilde Thing's style is crisp and upbeat, just as fresh 115 years later as it was in the days when he penned it.

This is the ultimate read for studying human self-absorption, depravity and the lengths that one will go to save one's reputation or, perhaps better put, to simply save one's face. Witness what a diffe...more

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Apr 06, 2011

Also, Safety Math rated it

Shelves: favorites

I've been kind of lying to my Goodreads account the past week or so because I've actually been secretly re-reading this book. It's especially interesting to read after having cultivated a profound admiration for A Rebours, and to think about how such a book might have actually affected someone like Dorian Gray back then, and in such a context. I guess this connection is something I want to think more about. I don't consider A Rebours to be capable of inciting someone to "evil", but it ...more

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Apr 29, 2008

Sarah Null rated it

Shelves: classics, page-to-screen, brit-lit, owned

Dorian Gray is a selfish, hedonistic, cruel man who sells his soul for eternal beauty and youth. A painting of him ages and becomes more and more grotesque with each of Dorian's sins, but Dorian appears to always be young and beautiful. Oscar Wilde makes a lot of commentary on aestheticism, social prejudice, and asks the question of whether man can find redemption for his sins. The book was difficult to get into but got better as it progressed, right up until the chilling ending. Skip chapter 11...more

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About Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest. As the result of a wide...more

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