A marginally entertaining novel at best

books:


	• The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Barnes & Noble Classics) Oscar Wilde Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 256 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A marginally entertaining novel at best

For all the talk I had heard in relation to Oscar Wilde's novel, I found I was quite honestly not impressed. The novel has moments of brilliance, but some of the allusions to other peices of literature feels forced. Wilde's writing also becomes a bit verbose, and I cannot escape the feeling that he is just rambling at points. Yet another point that I found midly distracting was the homoerotic undertones of the novel.

I enjoyed the initial introductions of the characters, unfortunatly the rest of the novel was not so intriguing. Dorian Gray is an utterly uninteresting character. He devoid of his own thoughts or opinions, and is carefully molded by Lord Henry. I can't help but feel that Wilde just began to "lose steam" so to speak as he wrote this novel. The novel begins well but ends in mediocrity.

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Great rainy day read

If Fitzgerald is the best voice for the Jazz age, Morrison for African-Americans, Dostoyevsky for criminal psychology, and Tim O'Brien for Vietnam, then Oscar Wilde is the champion voice of the snobs. That's not a disparagement. He is the best at it. It makes him unique. Although Wilde tries to hit far too many home-runs with quotable-quotes, sometimes hitting flush and sometimes missing altogether, he proves his greatness in this novel without question. This is a strong, bold story of a man who accidentally sells his soul for eternal youth. On that premise, the story unfolds in the hands of an excellent storyteller comparing the struggle of interior beauty against exterior beauty. Don't, however, assume there isn't action. Greed, homicide and pacts with the devil are among the devices Wilde employs. For those who think of Wilde, or his writing, as coming from one who is pompous and elitist, you're correct. But different moods call for different authors perspectives, and when the mood strikes you to hear the greatest snob ever to tell a story, this is the novel to reach for.

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AP Langauge Review

Dorian Gray, a young man of high English society, possesses a beauty that any man or women would long for. However, the reader soon realizes that even the purest beauty can not save us from the horrors and intrigue of sin. After seeing his portrait, Dorian curses the fact that soon his beauty will fade and declares "if it were I who was to be always young, and the picture to grow old! For that - I would give everything". Dorian soon finds that his ill-fated wish has come true, and his portrait now carries the burden of age. As the years pass, Dorian becomes obsessed with sins and evils, for they do not afflict his personal appearance, but rather aid in the deterioration of his portrait, his soul. But, although Dorian continues to sin and think nothing of the consequences of his actions, he is consumed with an overwhelming fear that his portrait and sins will be revealed to the world. Through the actions and sins of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde shows human's weakness to the evils of the world. Wilde urges all readers to renounce sinning for it leads to the deterioration of one's moral principles, but more importantly, creates an everlasting fear that can destroy one's soul and eventually destroy one's desire to live. This story should be read by teenagers everywhere for it shows that the true nature of our character is judged by the beauty of one's soul, rather than the beauty of one's face.

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Recommended

Wilde creates a Faustian plot where Dorian Gray wishes to never grow old, and gives up his soul to do so. Basil Hallward paints a portrait of Gray - the portrait ages while Gray retains his youth. Standard fare from Wilde full of quotable lines and quips. Flows well with interesting turns in the plot. Recommended.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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