The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

[brenbell]

The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
e-book
Tribeca Books 2010

Summary (amazon.com) After Basil Hallward paints a beautiful young man's portrait, his subject's frivolous wish that the picture change and he remains the same comes true.

Okay first, I'm glad I didn't have to pay for this book.  Secondly, I like Oscar Wilde.  I think his short stories are

Comments

[brenbell]

Fair questions. If you are paying attention to the book then the ending comes as no surprise (or at least it didn't for. Was the idea original? Yes it was but the problem comes with what is done to that idea. Wilde could have given his story something that would have made it special but instead he weighs it down with philosophy that's hard to grasp and two dimensional characters that you don't care for. A lot of people have original ideas, some turn into something great and some turn into crap. Unfortunately this novel was crap as far as I'm concern.
I think in order for it to be a well written portrayal of evil you need two things. Well drawn characters and the feeling that you are seeing evil. I think Dorian acted in a horrendous manner but I think it was out of guilt and narcissistic tendencies. And as I have said before the characters were too two dimensional for me to care about. So, no I didn't find it a well written portrayal of evil. I found it a disappointing waste of my time.

[edenic]

Can you give me a bit more? How did it read like an essay? What's the novel's philosophy? To a certain extent, this 1001 books challenge requires us to act as surrogate readers for others, but this review doesn't really give me a sense of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Can such a famous and well-respected book be so easily written off in three sentences?

I'm curious -- what are your favorite books?

[brenbell]

It read like Oscar Wilde was writing an essay on beauty and art, promoting a certain shallowness. Or at least that what's I got out of since I found it very convoluted and boring.
I understand that we act as surrogates but all my reviews are short and to the point. And as far as can a "Classic" be described in 3 sentences, I think it can. If I had more to say I would. This was a bad book from my point of view although I did make it clear that I like Oscar Wilde's other writings.

[brenbell]

Sorry I for got about your question about what my favorite books are. I really don't have favorites although there are books I would recommend to anyone (like Peter Straub's Shadowland). Hope this answered your question.

[edenic]

I guess I'm just wondering why you're participating in this challenge, as it doesn't seem from your reviews that you're interested in really engaging with the books or the commenters.

But whatever. If that's what you got out of the book, then I suppose I can't ask for more.

Out of curiosity, what's missing from PoDG but present in Wilde's other writings that makes you like them?

[evrythgcnhapn]

i found Dorian Grey pretty bad too. (I think i read an abridged version when i was young, coz i *did* like it) i thought the first half was really dull, not much happened, and i just don't like most of the characters. The second half picked up for sure, and is what i consider the actual story, but i still found DG a deplorable person, which kept me from really enjoying it....

also, i too really like Oscar Wilde, just not DG:P

[brenbell]

Thanks.

[pink_bambi13]

I can't believe you didn't enjoy the book! I found it lyrical, philosophical and grotesquely interesting. I found the importance of the book (as used in evidence for Wilde's case of homosexuality) to be such a draw and the entire book to be short and sweet. I understand that often people don't like philosophy (Which tends to babble sometimes) but I'm still finding it hard to believe that this was a horrible book. I would put this book within my top 50 of books to read.

[brenbell]

I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I have had others tell me thet enjoyed it too. I just didn't.