The Picture of Dorian Grey

Woah. After a profound book funk, I am having some good luck with the last few books I've read.

This is my Ireland book around the world.

The prose is so beautiful, so engaging, and so wonderful to read that I thoroughly enjoyed this book just for that. The plot kept me interested and I really enjoyed this book. The end had me re-reading it because my jaw dropped at how it ended. SO. PERFECT.

I cannot wait to dive into Oscar Wilde some more!

A classic tale in how too much vanity can be bad for you. Dorian Gray offers wit, sexual encounters and is clearly a classic to last the ages. What would you do if you could stay young forever? If you were given virtually infinite amounts of wealth? If you became completely self-indulged never thinking about the world and people around you? If living to seek out your desires and pleasures was your sole aim? Oscar Wilde explores these thoughts in this classic book, where a man never ages and a painting reflects all of his sins.

Overall I liked it but it wasn't extraordinary 3.75/5. The ornate prose is not overdone like Dicken's third person pov but IMO It isn't the most exclusive feature of this book, also judging it only by its prose is kind of shallow which our man Wilde doesn't approve of. Chapter 11 was a bit like a summary of some years of Dorian's life. I would've liked more elaboration on his hedonism tbh :hmmmmmmm: Victorians were too fussy about many normal things. I liked the philosophical exploration or art, aesthetic along with morality but it wasn't that spellbinding, the main theme was confined to that issue only and at this point in modern times, after reading so much about Faustian bargains or the horrible limits people can go on to preserve their outer appearance. It didn't seem like some great discovery. Btw Wilde's occasional incorporation of witty dialogues was great!!
Now some life lessons self-proclaimed intellectual, Andy has learned from this book- people really need to wake up from the notion of associating only aesthetics and beauty with a scale of morality and how pursuing it only limits not only their intellectual growth but restricts them from opening up their true selves with others around them, creating a paradox of lies and deception.
Considering all of these I would say it was pretty nice but I just wasn't particularly impressed by it, it is on my mid-level radar

Filled with hedonism and with a wonderful supernatural twist, The Picture Of Dorian Gray is one of the reasons Oscar Wilde has such a legendary reputation.
Despite the supernatural twist and hedonist perspective, there is just as much wit in this book as in the less Gothic stories and plays.
There are elements of Wilde present in the key characters, and Wilde himself said: “Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry, what the world thinks me; Dorian is what I would like to be — in other ages, perhaps”.

Wilde's writing is beautiful and turns an offhand "if-only" into a story on the meaning of life and morality. The exposition is quite long as it takes half the book for the focus on the portrait to begin, and then chapter 11 definitely felt too long. If you're not fond of sociophilosophical conversation and introspective dialogue you might find the first half dry (maybe read the uncensored version instead since it's shorter? I am saying this prior to reading it though) but aside from that the second half suddenly becomes a page-turner. I recommend skipping Chapter 11 because it's far longer and more detailed than it needs to be. Overall though I enjoyed The Picture of Dorian Gray and have now ordered the uncensored version! It's definitely an insightful read into late nineteenth century England and - because this was my question prior to reading it - it's super gay as far as the 1800s go. Yay for historical gays :))

Book Review: this is free right now on Audiobook from Audible if you want to pick up a good version. But I am left a little flat. It is a good Faustian bargain story (make a deal at the cost of your soul). But it just did not feel complete. The motivation and reasons for the actions seemed incomplete. It is not a bad story, and I can see why it is a classic. But I would have enjoyed an abridged version just as much.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/dorian-gray/

Update: 07/31/2015

If you'd like to read this review on my blog.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

The Picture of Dorian Grey is the story of the man's own soul, portrayed by his portrait, and that soul's own destruction. It's a story about passions, about madness, about knowledge and, most noticeably, a classic worth reading.

When I was around eleven, our English teacher (literal English class, as in a language), made us read this book for reading. Of course, it was a shorter version and with a much simpler talk at times, but the essence of the novel was there. We read and, at the same time, heard a narrator, who is clearly the best narrator in history. He would do every single voice in this book and voice it completely different each time, and the makers even had some background music running at the best and most intense scenes. And as a kid, I completely loved it.

Now, older me finds herself in front of the book once again, the real version this time, and was not disappointed.

The book moves through this wonderful conversations about morality and life, and different unimportant but jet very when looked upon issues life, with a complete different voice as to what one is used to, and temps you to drive with it. More than once I questioned if the characters were really right about their opinions.

All the same, the story itself was very unique and dark, very rogue and wonderful to read. The characters were all complex people, and an unreliable MC is always a catch when done right. Specially for such a darling as Dorian was.

We were made to read this book for our Language & Literature class, teaching the life and work of Mr. Oscar Wilde himself, along side it. Learning about the life of Wilde and everything he went through while writing and delivering this book made me like the intention of the book even better. Every blunt opinion and harsh remark about a strong topic made complete sense once you know that it had a purpose. I personally think that it most definitely improved my experience while reading, but fear not, the book is just as great on itself.

The only things I did not like was chapter eleven. It was full of historically incorrect and completely jambled up information, and of the most random things. I know I was to understand how Dorian grew in knowledge and tried so many different things. But really, it was extremely long, and incorrect and just felt like he had dumped everything he knew at once. The book would have been ok without. (and just so you know, I only read half that chapter until I realized that it wasn't going to be important and just skimmed the rest.)

Excellent book, great story, dark thoughts, what else is there to be? Go read this wonderful classic if you haven't, it's completely worth it.

(And if you want to know, the version I read was the McMillan one, with a pretty blue-eyed pal on the cover and red for the title.)

Not a bad book. I heard a lot of good reviews about this book and maybe I had high expectations, but I expected more. The characters and philosophy are interesting, but their motivation and the pace of the story do not stand up to criticism. As for me, this is a pretty average book, positive emotions from which you will get if you do not have high expectations.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of the most discussed books I've come across on the internet. What's interesting is that it appeals to a wide range of readers. Personally, I was drawn to it because of its gothic elements. 

Dorian Gray wishes to sell his soul in an attempt to maintain perpetual youth. The catch: His painting bears the marks of time and the scars of an immoral life. He keeps the portrait hidden away as he continues living a life solely for his own pleasure. 

I find myself enjoying summaries and the general idea of this book more than the book itself. I also enjoyed a discussion of it that I found on YouTube. As for the actual reading experience? I was bored. There was so much that I could skim and stop whenever the story was being pushed forward.

Definire è limitare.

Partendo da questa citazione, tratta direttamente dal libro, anticipo che per me sarà un po' complesso farne una recensione, come accade sempre quando si cerca di scrivere le proprie impressioni sui classici intramontabili della letteratura, anche perché oltretutto, benché pieno di aforismi meravigliosi e con un finale splendido, alcune parti non le ho propriamente “digerite”.

Il ritratto di Dorian Gray, in originale “The Picture of Dorian Gray” è un romanzo di Oscar Wilde che uscì originariamente nel luglio del 1890 sul Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. Nell'aprile 1891 Wilde fece stampare in volume il romanzo, unendovi la propria prefazione. Per esigenze puramente commerciali, legate al gusto dell'epoca fine ottocentesca, l'autore revisionò il proprio romanzo e vi aggiunse molti capitoli per rendere più “voluminosa” l'opera. Secondo alcuni critici, però, quest'operazione arrecò danno al romanzo originale, facendogli perdere spontaneità e una certa dose di mistero: per questo in alcune edizioni si può trovare ancora la versione originale. Numerosissime le trasposizioni nel cinema, nella televisione, nel teatro e perfino nei fumetti.

Il romanzo è considerato il manifesto dell'Estetismo, per cui l'espressione artistica è libera e indipendente dai principi della morale. Il “ritratto di Dorian Gray” ha molti influssi culturali e letterari: il primo è sicuramente il Faust di Goethe, fino al romanzo di Joris-Karl Huysmans “Controcorrente”, passando per “Mademoiselle de Maupin” di Théophile Gautier e per i romanzi di Balzac.

Il romanzo è ambientato nella Londra vittoriana del XIX secolo, che all'epoca era pervasa da una mentalità tipicamente borghese. Narra di un giovane, Dorian Gray, che arriverà a fare della sua bellezza un rito insano. Egli inizia a rendersi conto del privilegio del suo fascino quando Basil Hallward, pittore suo amico, gli regala un ritratto che lo riproduce nel pieno della gioventù. Lord Henry Wotton avrà un ruolo decisivo nella vita di Dorian, infatti, con i suoi discorsi, cattura l'attenzione del ragazzo, rendendolo, quasi l'incarnazione del suo modo di pensare. Infatti Dorian, dopo un lungo discorso con Lord Wotton, comincia a guardare la giovinezza come qualcosa di veramente importante, tanto da provare invidia verso il suo stesso ritratto, eternamente bello e giovane. Ciò lo porterà a stipulare quella sorta di “patto col demonio”, grazie al quale rimarrà eternamente giovane e bello, mentre il quadro mostrerà i segni della decadenza fisica e della corruzione morale del personaggio.

Il ritratto di Dorian Gray si configura come un capolavoro della letteratura inglese e come una vera e propria celebrazione del culto della bellezza. Una fede letteraria che Wilde tende a fare propria anche nella vita reale per mezzo della sua condotta decisamente anti-conformista nel pieno della Londra puritana dell'epoca vittoriana, sprezzante del buonsenso e dei canoni della morale borghese. La vita per l'autore è infatti come un'opera d'arte ben riuscita. Dunque opta per il rovesciamento del principio secondo cui è l'arte che imita la vita, ma è la vita che deve imitare l'arte. Di qui l'importanza attribuita all'apparenza e al dominio dei sensi.

Un'esperienza, quella estetica, che non sempre si rivela giusta e retta come vediamo anche attraverso le vicissitudini di Dorian, che lo porterà fino a commettere un crimine efferato. La visione della vita come arte implica da un lato la ricerca dell'edonismo, dall'altro uno stile di vita dissoluto che porta allo sfacelo morale.

Come dicevo in apertura questo libro è un classico e deve essere letto da tutti almeno una volta.
Personalmente, il libro non mi è piaciuto tantissimo, soprattutto perché alcuni capitoli, inseriti successivamente dall'autore perché il gusto ottocentesco lo richiedeva, hanno appesantito la storia che se fosse stata più scarna avrebbe riscontrato sicuramente il mio gusto personale. Nonostante questo, il libro sembra un compendio di aforismi e belle citazioni, che lo rende a tratti piacevole.

Insomma un arricchimento culturale sicuramente di grande peso, ma ho letto decisamente di meglio.

An excellent classic book with many movie adaptions. It goes over the state of the soul, vanity, corruption, and beauty. The main character, Dorian Gray, keeps putting the blame of his actions and state onto the picture of himself that has been cursed. He believes that if you have beauty, you have everything no matter how decadent, vile, or corrupt you are. He keeps forgetting that he placed the curse and he is doing the actions that are being placed on the picture. He values his beauty more than his soul.