By Oscar Wilde
SPOILERS
‘I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me … Why did you paint it? It will mock me some day – mock me horribly!’
A story of evil, debauchery and scandal, Oscar Wilde’s only novel tells of Dorian Gray, a beautiful yet corrupt man. When he wishes that a perfect portrait of himself would bear the signs of ageing in his place, the picture becomes his hideous secret, as it follows Dorian’s own downward spiral into cruelty and depravity. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a masterpiece of the evil in men’s hearts, and is as controversial and alluring as Wilde himself.
REVIEW
THEMES: DARK, REFLECTIVE, HORROR, LITERARY, FAST-PACED.
A plot description was surprisingly hard to come by, but as in the overview, The Picture Of Dorian Gray is about a man who becomes obsessed with his appearance and will do anything to stop himself from aging.
What I enjoy about this book is the plot, the characters and Wilde’s expression.
The plot is captivating and well thought out. The best way to describe it is that you are experiencing someone else’s mania – but not in a jarring way that confuses you. Personally, I have yet to read anything like it, which is surprising considering the number of unavoidable repeats on the market nowadays, where the same idea gets re written in ten different ways.
The characters feel appropriate to the time. Now, this is coming from someone who has no idea what they’re talking about, but if asked to show an accurate depiction of nineteenth-century Victorian elites, I would show an excerpt from this book. The characters are eccentric yet predictable — Gray being the exception. He has a raw, unapologetic nature, which leads me to believe he may have been Wilde’s alter ego.
‘Wilde’s expression’ means that I could feel him through his writing. Whilst I do not think this book is ‘LGBTQIA+’ – as there is no explicit homosexuality – Wilde’s writing conveys his preference for men, as there is an intensity within the male friendships (Gray and Wotton), that exceeds anything platonic. Then again, knowing Wilde’s sexual orientation may have swayed my judgement.
Wilde’s writing style is generally consistent, though halfway through, there’s about ten pages of drivel. I understand the purpose: to encapsulate mania and/or portray the bottomless time Gray has on his hands — yet it falls flat and reads like word vomit. It feels as though Wilde is trying to show off his expansive knowledge of different subjects in a covert way.
I’m not a fan of Lord Wotton’s character. The way he is written is so pretentious. His constant witty remarks and over-the-top language feel affected. And I have to blame Wilde’s writing, not just my dislike for the character.
I also found the ending a little cliché — although, to be fair, this might be the story that started it all.
All in all, it’s a decent classic. I banged it out in one day — though I’d avoid that. It’s bleak and gave me a headache.
I would recommend this to lovers of classics (though it has probably already been ticked off the list), those looking to get into classic literature, and horror readers.
Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.
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