The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that - for that - I would give everything!"
- Dorian Gray
Expectations: I had already read the first two chapters before choosing this book for the month of February. I liked what I had read a lot and my girlfriend Allie gives this book praises for days so I expected to really like this book. Needless to say, I absolutely adored "The Picture of Dorian Gray". It fully lived up to my expectations of it, and has become a book that after more pondering could easily end up a 6/6 for me. If you want to go into this book without any knowledge (something I do recommend) then hopefully that is enough of a blurb to convince you to check this novel out, but if you need more convincing let me attempt to do so below.
Review/Critique: To summarize a book like "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not an easy task I am finding. It's an incredibly dense book and I believe any one of you who reads it will take ultimately be influenced by it in a different way. Let me start off with some basics though. This book is really funny, it's really creepy, and it has a very engaging, rather iconic plot as it pertains to pop culture. The main draw of the novel for me though was in how it tackled the impact of aesthetics through vanity.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I value aesthetics very heavily in art of all forms, and I'm honest in saying that I have received a lot of flack for how "shallow" this value is. This value is at the forefront of this entire book though. It hits you the second you open the book, as the preface for the novel is just a bunch of contradictory quotes about the meaning of art as a whole. This Includes one of Wilde's most famous quotes "All art is Quite useless.", a rather ironic quote for a novel whose catalyst is an artists depiction of Dorian.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I value aesthetics very heavily in art of all forms, and I'm honest in saying that I have received a lot of flack for how "shallow" this value is. This value is at the forefront of this entire book though. It hits you the second you open the book, as the preface for the novel is just a bunch of contradictory quotes about the meaning of art as a whole. This Includes one of Wilde's most famous quotes "All art is Quite useless.", a rather ironic quote for a novel whose catalyst is an artists depiction of Dorian.
I guess what I mean to say is, I love how much the value of aesthetics is analyzed in this book. I found it particularly interesting, and perhaps many who find me shallow for thinking aesthetics are incredibly important will find this book interesting as well as it either confirms your pre-existing beliefs or helps you see this question from a different angle.
I've written a lot about this one theme as it is rather integral to my enjoyment of this novel; however, it is far from the main theme of the novel, one I also found rather pertinent to my current state in life. How much of your life is determined by who you choose as influences? It's a simple question, but the ramifications behind it are really tackled to the fullest in this novel. It's a thought I hadn't explored before, but after reading this book it's something I'm constantly thinking about. This book poses a lot of interesting questions that have kept me in thought far after finishing it; however, I don't think you would be thrown off if you don't enjoy engaging them. At that point it just becomes a really funny, surprisingly creepy book about a man who sells his soul to a painting for eternal youth.You wouldn't think the book is that creepy if I gave a spoiler ridden synopsis of it, but Oscar Wilde is such a fantastic author that he manages to take something rather tame and make it haunting. I honestly recommend this book to most anyone (especially since it is only around 200 pages); however, I feel as though it's my job to be a bit more specific.
Recommendation: I recommend "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to anyone who is looking for a creepy, funny book that can make you think if you so desire, but has a story engaging enough that you don't have to if you aren't into that kind of stuff. I really loved this book a whole lot, and hope that I've inspired some of you to give it a try. It's only 200 pages so, you don't really have much of an excuse!
...
And that's it for Dorian Gray! I will be releasing the review I've been most excited to do for Catherine by the end of this weekend, so stay tuned!
Until Next Time!
- Malachi Allen
I've written a lot about this one theme as it is rather integral to my enjoyment of this novel; however, it is far from the main theme of the novel, one I also found rather pertinent to my current state in life. How much of your life is determined by who you choose as influences? It's a simple question, but the ramifications behind it are really tackled to the fullest in this novel. It's a thought I hadn't explored before, but after reading this book it's something I'm constantly thinking about. This book poses a lot of interesting questions that have kept me in thought far after finishing it; however, I don't think you would be thrown off if you don't enjoy engaging them. At that point it just becomes a really funny, surprisingly creepy book about a man who sells his soul to a painting for eternal youth.You wouldn't think the book is that creepy if I gave a spoiler ridden synopsis of it, but Oscar Wilde is such a fantastic author that he manages to take something rather tame and make it haunting. I honestly recommend this book to most anyone (especially since it is only around 200 pages); however, I feel as though it's my job to be a bit more specific.
Recommendation: I recommend "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to anyone who is looking for a creepy, funny book that can make you think if you so desire, but has a story engaging enough that you don't have to if you aren't into that kind of stuff. I really loved this book a whole lot, and hope that I've inspired some of you to give it a try. It's only 200 pages so, you don't really have much of an excuse!
...
And that's it for Dorian Gray! I will be releasing the review I've been most excited to do for Catherine by the end of this weekend, so stay tuned!
Until Next Time!
- Malachi Allen
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