The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Picture Of Dorian Gray is one of those books that I felt I ought to have read, but somehow had never quite got around to it. On the whole, I'm glad that I have eventually done so.
Fortunately, I knew nothing of the story so I was able to read it without the bias one inevitably has when reading a book, or watching a film, after having read reviews or summaries. That's not to say I had no bias at all. Oscar Wilde's reputation for "... biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation"[*] lurked in the recesses of my mind as I began to read.
According to Wikipedia, the book is considered a work of classic gothic fiction, with a strong Faustian theme. I wouldn't argue with that, at least not after having looked up the definition of that genre. In my uninformed previous state, I would have said it was a kind of horror fantasy.
I didn't know beforehand, but there were at least two versions of the novel. The first, consisting of thirteen chapters, appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890. The author subsequently made alterations and also added new chapters, increasing the count to twenty, this revised edition being published by Ward, Lock, and Company in 1891. It was this version which I read.
Sadly, the insertion of additional chapters was probably a mistake. In particular, chapter eleven should have filed for bankruptcy long before it was inflicted on readers. It adds nothing of significance to the book, being not much more than a tedious set of descriptions of exquisite artifacts of one sort or another. I almost felt it was a case of Wilde rather vainly showing off his depth of knowledge of such things.
Be that as it may, it's actually not a bad story, providing you are willing to accept the fantasy nature of the plot which allows the main character, Dorian Gray, to indulge his own fantasies without substantial risk to himself or his reputation.
Reputation is a big deal in the society of which he is a part, a society which includes Lords and various other interesting chaps, who, if Wilde is to be believed, never sit down but rather 'fling' or 'throw' themselves into whatever type of seating is to hand. Perhaps if Wilde had had access to a word processor with word frequency analysis, he'd have noticed how often he used those words.
But that's just tittle tattle. For the most part it's an absorbing read which explores the murkier aspects of human nature. Certainly a good deal more shocking at the time of publication than it is today, it nevertheless takes the reader to places we don't normally go. Overall, I give it a thumbs up, but suspect the original, shorter version may well be the one to go for.
A replica of the version which appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine can be downloaded as a PDF here, at the University of Victoria website. Alternatively, Project Gutenberg has both versions, short and long in various formats.
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