The young, beautiful gentleman, Dorian Gray, is drawn into a double life of decadence by the seductive and fabulously witty Lord Henry Wotton. A Faustian bargain is made by Dorian in which his soul seems to be untouched by his indulgence of "wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories." It isn't until he comes face-to-face with his portrait that he sees the true condition of his soul. Elegantly perverse, The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde's only novel. The gothic story was first published as a series in ...
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The young, beautiful gentleman, Dorian Gray, is drawn into a double life of decadence by the seductive and fabulously witty Lord Henry Wotton. A Faustian bargain is made by Dorian in which his soul seems to be untouched by his indulgence of "wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories." It isn't until he comes face-to-face with his portrait that he sees the true condition of his soul. Elegantly perverse, The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde's only novel. The gothic story was first published as a series in the United States in 1890 by Lippincott's Monthly. Criticized by British reviewers as mawkish and unclean, revisions were demanded of the celebrated Irish playwright and writer prior to publication in Great Britain. Wilde's response to his critics are found in the book's Preface: "Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all." "[The Picture of Dorian Gray] ranks alongside Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) as a representation of how fin-de-si�cle literature explored the darkest recesses of Victorian society and the often disturbing private desires that lurked behind acceptable public faces." - Greg Buzwell, British Library
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This book may have somewhat of a slow start; however, it is worth reading. There lies within a deeper "moral story" for each of us, who dare to finish this one! An interesting story line, which I have never seen duplicated.
reloking
Jul 24, 2009
fair
slow start. difficult reading due to British turn of century phrasing. 2nd half is better.
KLSummers
Jun 2, 2008
'The Picture of Dorian Gray'
this book is a fascinating insight into sin and beauty, crafted from a master of words. Wilde is brilliant and this kind of thing is certainly what he is famed for. it is a book which i have gladly re-read and would read again at any time. i like the way that Dorian is developed over the course of book, how the issues of revenge and love wind their way into the history of the title character. Dorian, as charming and lovely as he is, harbours his wonderful secrets, which serve to thicken the plot and entice the readers. from the first moment of Dorain's fascination, the reader likes him just as the other characters do, yet only we (the readers) are privy to his innermost sins. the writing is more suited to the era it was written in, yet many of Wilde's greatest quotes can - and have - been extracted from it, and it remains today a great novel which anyone who wishes to absorb a little culture should read in their lifetime.
Maggy
Mar 30, 2008
If you like Oscar Wilde, you will love this work...it is a tragedy of the time in which he lived, but, as with all of his works, there is a definite edge of biting humor to it.
dondiego
Nov 1, 2007
What Wonderful Wit
What's not to like about Oscar Wilde? As usual Wilde uses the vehicle of a novel (or a play or a short story) to absolutely skewer "drawing room morality" and social intercourse. His biting observations are still relevant and have not been rendered passe by the passage of time. This novel, and really all of Wilde's work, is a target rich environment for aphorisms, as for example when Dorian Gray's friend Lord Henry observes "The only things one never regrets are one's mistakes". This novel tells the story of Dorian Gray who is introduced to us as a naive and beautiful young man. He his sitting for a portrait by his friend Basil Hallward who is nothing less than inspired by Gray and produces one his finest portraits. Basil's friend, Lord Henry Wooten is equally intrigued by Gray but with entirely different motives; Wooten craves the pleasure of corrupting the purity of youth. Upon viewing the completed portrait Dorian makes a wish that he may always look as he does in the portrait and whatever coarseness he would acquire from the vicissitudes of life would appear in the portrait and not in his visage. Through the rest of the book you may follow Dorian's descent into depravity accompanied by the richest satire this side of J. Swift. Read it, quote it at cocktail parties and tell your illiterate friends about it.
