Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
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The Portrait of Dorian Gray
2024 Monthly Group Reads
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December Group Read Discussion: The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
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As Lynn said, please use spoilers.When you are finished the book, I have some extra questions for you:
1. Was this a read or re-read for you?
2. Have you read any of Wilde's other work before?
3. Wilde is known for his witty sayings (e.g. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.) Do you have a favourite line from the book?
4. There was debate about the genre of the book. If you ran a book store, what section would you place the book in?
(view spoiler)
I've had this book on audio for years, but I haven't had a chance to get to it. I don't think this month will be my chance, as I've got lots to read and lots to do and reading usually loses in that equation. :/
Ok, I failed to get to last month's group read, but I've been meaning to read this one for years, so I will get to this one! I even put this on my list on 20 books to get to this year. So looking forward to reading this one in the next week or so!
I read this about 10 years ago and really liked it. Hope you all do as well. I wish I had time to read it again right now, but I don't think that will happen. Maybe I should add it to my Kindle and reread it next year since it only costs 99 cents.
I love this book and I'm so excited to reread it! I'll be back next week!
I'm currently reading this for the first time. I'll post back when I finish.
I read it years ago, and thought it was a book that would have made a great short story/novella. The philosophical discussions didn't do much for me - I wish he'd just stuck to the core of the story.
1. Was this a read or re-read for you?First time for me.
2. Have you read any of Wilde's other work before?
I've seen plenty of quotes, but I've never read any of his full works.
3. Wilde is known for his witty sayings (e.g. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.) Do you have a favourite line from the book?
“Man is many things, but he is not rational.”
“She is a peacock in everything but beauty!”
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
4. There was debate about the genre of the book. If you ran a book store, what section would you place the book in?
I'd put it in the Classics section. The world has changed so much, with genres being created and then evolving, at a certain point, older books no longer fit into modern definitions of genres and end up being a genre of their own.
Slowly working through this book- I just have to say, I think Lord Henry would do well in modern times as one of those podcaster/YouTubers who always tells young men that women are the problem and men should be in charge of everything. One conversation with Dorian and he converts him, imagine the damage he could do with access to the internet
Erin wrote: "Slowly working through this book- I just have to say, I think Lord Henry would do well in modern times as one of those podcaster/YouTubers who always tells young men that women are the problem and ..."That's a really interesting take.
Erin wrote: "Slowly working through this book- I just have to say, I think Lord Henry would do well in modern times as one of those podcaster/YouTubers who always tells young men that women are the problem and ..."It just goes to show that that mentality isn't new😡
And in a way, the book is speaking against that - Dorian listens to it (and the rest of the speil about do what makes you happy and only think about yourself) and becomes a monster who ruins every one who gets close to him, finally even ruining himself.
You know the cartoons where the character has a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other telling them what to do? That's what I thought of reading this. Lord Henry is the devil and Basil is the angel. Most of the things Lord Henry says are flowery nonsense.This was a first time read for me, but I enjoyed it. The only other work of Oscar Wilde I've read is The Importance of Being Ernest. I'd put this in the classic section. Other than that I'm not sure. I loved the gothic themes in it though.
Mod
Might I just say, I only chose to read this since it was selected as a Monthly Group Read and I still needed a book to fulfill prompt #36. I was fairly certain this was not going to be in my wheelhouse and I was correct.
Thus far, I have found this book to be incredibly tedious and boring overall. I would never voluntarily reread it. Though at least now this is another "classic" with which I am now familiar...
I have never before read Wilde's work and venture to say I will probably not read any more of his writing...
Great question regarding the genre. My "I did not enjoy reading these classics"! LOL
Maybe I'll finally finish this thing later today!
Mod
I guess I would shelve this in horror.
#5 No. (view spoiler)
Thank you so much, Dubhease, for leading!!
Mod
Ugh. You are so right!
National Mudd Day is December 20! What is National Mudd Day, you may ask? It references a fascinating bit of history I doubt many of us know. Dr. Samuel Mudd was a doctor who helped John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirator David Herold immediately following Lincoln’s assassination on the night of April 14, 1865. Mudd performed surgery on Booth and allowed them to spend the night. He didn’t report the men’s visit for another 24 hours, though it was assumed he would have heard of the assassination well before that time. Mudd was arrested 12 days later and eventually convicted to a life sentence by a military commission for the crime of aiding and conspiring in a murder, missing the death penalty by only one vote!
Dubhease is our "End-of-Year Innovator" who has volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🎇🎉🎊
HERE is a listing of potential discussion questions. These are meant to not only help those who volunteer to facilitate these monthly discussions but also to provide ideas for members participating in discussions!
Every person reads at a different pace, so please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot-related surprises. This allows others to decide whether this information might reveal surprising information they have not yet read. It can also be helpful to other readers if you post the location within the book noting your progress (chapter and/or page number). That way, if someone else has read that far they can go ahead and open the spoiler, but if not, they'll know to skip it for now and return later...
TO ADD SPOILER TAGS:
Use this for spoilers, just remove the spaces:
< spoiler > write your spoiler here and close with < / spoiler >
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