The Picture of Dorian Gray question

The question to me is, would it make the work any better of a read?

I'm going to echo some of the other people here, and say I don't need to read the "uncensored" version. I actually really like that the current version leaves a lot up to the imagination. Plus, you'd have to be pretty dense to not see the homosexual undertones in this novel. I mean, Lord Henry hits on Dorian nearly every time they share a scene, and Basil acts like a jilted lover once Dorian leaves him for Lord Henry's company.

I don't see how you could read this and have no idea that there were homosexual themes. As soon as I finished it I googled "Dorian Gray Gay" and read all about the censorship.

Thanks OP!
Although, if it's just a rough draft it might be a little aggravating to read it. Plus like other people have said here already, it was kind of clear what the relationship between Dorian, Henry and Basil was. Dorian being the bi-curious stud, Henry the seducer and Basil the insecure bottom. LOL!!! It's funny because I thought I was slightly perverted reading into it that way, but knowing this now makes me feel like less of a deviant. =)

I find it a bit odd that a LGBTQ bookstore would be selling a book like this. Unless they changed the ending. Wasn't the whole idea that everything Dorian was doing (now depicted in graphic detail)was, in reality, destroying his soul?

Steph wrote: "Hey!

Well, I was at a conference today and the table next to mine was an LGBTQ bookstore. They had an edition of this book that I had never seen before and never knew existed! Apparently the boo..."

That's really interesting but I might skip reading it.
My imagination was on overdrive as to what Dorian got up to. Wilde was excellent at throwing subtle hints that debauchery, prurient going-ons, drugs and other excesses that to me made the actions sound a lot worse than it was. I think if I knew what he got up to (orgies etc) I'd be thinking "meh" and dismiss it.

The "Uncensored version" of this book is actually shorter than the finished product. It's more like a rough draft. The homoerotic themes were heavily censored by society of course, but Wilde himself wasn't happy with the story. So he decided to extend the story and flesh out the characters. Which is the version we commonly read today.
I don't need an "uncensored" copy to tell me that the three main characters were in a relationship which had more than friendship. Although, it would be an interesting look at Wilde's progress as an author on this particular project and how it evolved.

I wish I had known about this before I read this book. I felt like something was missing whilst reading and that too much was left up to the readers imagination. Now i'm unsure as to whether to read the uncensored version or not!

I just brought the Kindle version of "The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray" on Amazon for around three bucks.


Steph wrote: "Hey!

Well, I was at a conference today and the table next to mine was an LGBTQ bookstore. They had an edition of this book that I had never seen before and never knew existed! Apparently the boo..."

Well, Wilde was bisexual... Keep in mind that the era that he was writing is was very puritan.

Interesting. I wondered why it created such an uproar when it was first published, because it didn't seem to go into much detail concerning Dorian's sins.

On another note, I was wondering what the general interpretation of the use of the painting and of the color purple in the novel meant. Why purple?

Also, is it just me or is Wilde's Preface to the novel almost more interesting than the novel itself

Steph wrote: "Hey!

Well, I was at a conference today and the table next to mine was an LGBTQ bookstore. They had an edition of this book that I had never seen before and never knew existed! Apparently the boo..."

Thats Really interesting, thanks!

I had read about this on Wiki. From my understanding, there were a bunch of overt and covert references to homosexuality removed from the story, but no hardcore sex or anything like that(even Oscar Wilde, it seems, was somewhat held back by the constraints of the Victorian period). Just having read that as I started the book helped inform my view of the characters' relationships with each other, and added a bit more depth to the story. But, alas, I haven't read the uncensored version myself(I always prefer to read unabridged versions if I can get my hands on them).

I'm very interested in reading this version.

I loved the book but I do remember thinking that I found it difficult to understand the tension/connections between the three main characters.

I hope the original version adds some depth to the Dorian/Henry/Basil triangle.

I had no Keary....I will to pullnthis one off the shelf Andre read it....then lookfor the originaalversion.....love agooddetective story.

I'm very happy to read about this!! I felt like something was missing, like Dorian's evil deeds were too glossed over and therefore didn't manage to push the plot forward in a satisfying way (sort of the "show, don't tell" thing). Now I feel validated :-) If I ever get a copy of the uncensored version I will definitely be giving this story another chance!

I read the article in the Guardian and I'm wondering how much text has been put back in/changed. They listed several examples in the article, is that more or less it? Maybe someone who has a copy can quantify the changes.

Thanks for posting.

Wow, this is news to me! Thanks, I just ordered from Amazon;D

Doesn't suprise me. This is book was published in country known for it's censorship, especially of homosexual conent. It took until the 1980's for E.M Forester's Maurice to be published.

When I was reading a book called How to Write a Dirty Story: Reading, Writing, and Publishing Erotica I found out about a concept called Bowdlerizing where erotic content was removed from works by authors like Shakespeare, Upton Sinclair and Mark Twain. I think Wilde's work was censored in the same way, considering what he went to prison for. I think the version of Dorian Grey that most of us are familiar with now is the Bowdlerized version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowdlerized

Have fun.
Gamal

Never knew that the version I read was a shortened one. Thanks for the information, I'll try to get a full version of the book now.

Truly? I had no idea

Here's an article about it...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/...
You can also buy a copy from one of links on that web-page, but you'll easily be able to find a cheaper buy somewhere else.

Here it is:

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.ph...

Hi, I'm not familiar with the Harvard Press edition, but I know that the New York City Public Library had a copy of the original version, (they made photocopies for anyone that would pay for the copying/postage about 10 years ago)

Would love to read it. The idea of censored content of the published work makes some sense now. The plot of the revised edition somehow does not account for the story end. Been held responsible for the death of Sibyl Vane and other hideous deeds committed could not be the sole reason for what came upon the picture and Dorian himself.
Is there any ebook available for the same?

Zounds! Did you notice any Zombies, Sea Monsters or Higgs Bo'suns between the covers?