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Summary: Unusual for British Literature
Review: Much of British literature is taken up in story, characterization, and physical setting. Continental literature, as with Germany and France and Russia, is on the other hand mostly ideas. Their books are philosophy books in the guise of literature. Now, in the case of "The Picture of Dorian Gray," we are shown a philosophy book. Wilde, who was British, is not very good at telling a story. In the manner of Dostoyevksi, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is mostly dialogue. The plot is thin and gradual. But, above all else, Wilde is making criticisms of art.Meet Dorian Gray. He is a wonderfully good-looking man. His beauty is shocking to any who behold it (here, we can see Wilde's homosexuality running through). Dorian concentrates on the good life of lustrous sex, booze, and jewelry. The devilish Lord Henry Watton has taken Dorian under his wing, convincing him that religion is fraud, that men are superior to women, that being a 'nice guy' is wrong, and so on. Although the talks of Lord Henry are elaborate and fanciful, an intelligent reader is able to see that Lord Henry is intended as manipulative, evil, and full of false ideas. I had an unfortunate friend who agreed with Lord Henry, not aware that Henry was a 'bad guy.' At any rate, Dorian has an artist-friend, Basil, who paints Dorian on paper. Basil worries that Dorian is lost in a corrupt Lord Henry, who by the way can only be a symbol of Samhain Incarnate. Basil tells Dorian that, one day, age will replace youth. Good-looks will go to hell. Dorian, seeing the portrait, says to himself that the portrait shall instead age, whereas he himself shall remain, as ever, a youthful Dorian. Little does he know, the curse comes true.... As things press on, the picture has a life of its own. It may not talk, but it becomes scarred every time Dorian lies, or cheats, or does bad. Dorian realizes this, and keeps it all a secret, or tries to. Forgive me for my above ramblings, but I think I shown enough of the story. All along, we see Wilde's gift for wit. Believe you me, Wilde has the wit of Voltaire, or G.B. Shaw. It is all cleverally written. In fact, I dare say: "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is among the most unique books in Anglo-Saxon literature. Surely, the theme of wanting to be young is nothing new, but Widle's representation of it is convincing and brilliant. My only complaint is that parts of the 'story' are dry and without momentum. But then, this was more of a thinking man's book, like Sarte's "La Nausea," rather than a well-to-do story, like "Catcher in the Rye." I hope I have helped.
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Summary: Summary Of Dorian Gray..
Review: In London, the well-known artist Basil Hallward meets up with a wealthy young gentleman, Dorian Gray. He paints Dorian's portrait and introduces him to Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry Wotton is a clever nobleman who enjoys manipulating the feelings of his friends by supporting selfishness, admiring youth and beauty, and celebrating the pursuit of pleasure. Dorian thinks a lot about what Lord Henry Wotton¡¯s ideas and looks at his beautiful portrait that Basil had drawn for him and wishes that he would stay forever young¡¦ If there ever was a way. Lord Henry Wotton figures out a way and makes a deal with Dorian. The portraits image would grow old, while he remains forever young. Lord Henry's influence over Dorian grows; meanwhile, Dorian has fallen in love with Sibyl Vane, a young actress who performs in a theater in London's slums. He adores her acting and in turn, she refers to him as "Prince Charming." Despite the fears of her brother, James Vane, she still turns to Dorian, not knowing that he will end up breaking her heart. Sibyl is so caught up in her love for Dorian, she loses her ability to act well and perform as she did before and his love for her vanishes. He rejects her maliciously and that night, he looks at his portrait and notices that a faint sneer has appeared. Frightened, he resolves to make amends with Sibyl the next day, but the following afternoon Lord Henry Wotton brings the news that she has killed herself. Having been under Lord Henry's influence, Dorian decides to put the matter behind him. Dorian decides to hide the painting in a spare room, which he keeps locked. Since he started to get a clue of what is happening around him, he locks up the painting making sure that no one will ever see it. Lord Henry Wotton gives Dorian a book that contained details of the wicked exploits of a 19th century Frenchman, which later on becomes Dorian's bible as he sinks ever deeper into a life of sin and corruption. Eighteen years has passed and the painting grows ever more hideous. While Dorian remains young and handsome, his portrait show¡¯s his true inner self. Finally, he commits his greatest crime: he murders Basil Hallward, and blackmails one of his friends into helping him dispose of the body. The night after the murder, Dorian makes his way to an opium den. He encounters James Vane, who tries to avenge his sister's death by trying to kill him. Dorian escapes and goes to his country estate to host a party. Through his imagination he sees James Vane's face at a window and is brought on by fear and guilt. A hunting party accidentally shoots and kills Vane. Dorian feels safe again. He tries to resolve and amend his life, but cannot get the courage to confess his crimes and the painting reveals what he really is and what he has been hiding form everyone this whole time. Resolving to get rid of the demon in the portrait, Dorian hurried upstairs and seized the same knife he had used on Basil. He stabbed the picture. A horrible cry brought the house servants creeping up to the barred room. Finally, after gaining entrance, they found upon the wall, the splendid portrait of their master. As fresh and beautiful as the day it was painted. On the floor lied a dead man with a knife in his heart. Only the rings on his fingers revealed his identify. It was Dorian Gray, who, in a miscarried struggle to kill his conscience, had killed himself.
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Summary: A sub-Faustian tale of self-love and self-obssession
Review: Though it's rather slow to get going in the initial chapters, Oscar Wilde's "Picture of Dorian Gray" builds up into a splendidly effective piece, written in highly polished prose. Dorian Gray, who is suggestively described as "charming" and "beautiful" ... is painted by his friend and admirer, Basil Hallward. Dorian, a self-centered social luminary whose character is reminiscent of Narcissus, makes a bizarre sub-Faustian wish which tragically comes true: that his beautiful portrait may age, while he retains his youthful looks. The conclusion is disastrous, the culmination of a narrative containing elements of murder, suicide, blackmail, a confrontation in a grimy alley and an episode in an opium den. The characters are very well sketched out, particularly the triad of Dorian, Basil and the intellectual cynic, Lord Henry, Dorian's mentor and the mouthpiece of some of Wilde's most cutting amoral opinions. The style is, typically, marvellous, characterised by brilliant exchanges and aphoristic gaiety. Wilde lacerates English bourgeois culture, the conceptions of sin and virtue and the attitudes towards art of his time with tremendous aplomb. Some of his quips are patently snide, sometimes mysogynistic, as in: "Woman represents the triumph of matter over mind, while man represents the triumph of mind over morals." Oh, isn't that just despicable?! I love it!
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Summary: this book
Review: this book was really really twisted, our sophmore class had to read it for school, and almost everyone hated it
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Summary: Review for Dorian Gray
Review: Dorian Gray is somewhat shy, but fairly talkative. In certain parts of the book he starts to show a nervous side of himself. He does this because he is witnessing that a certain picture of someone is changing before his very eyes. Whose picture you're asking, what do think that I'm going to tell you! Stop asking, and read the book already. Anyway, the setting of this book is taking place around the Victorian Times in England. In England there is an art studio in which Basil Hallward, the artist that paints a certain picture, works and spends most of his time. The problem in the story all started when Dorian spoke a "request." He "requested" that, "Why can't this picture age instead of myself?" Dorian will be scared of what happens after the next few months. One person enjoyed reading the book, and thought that it was great reading. This person loved how the author used vivid details in all his characters, especially Dorian Gray. They also saw the movie starring George Sanders and Hurd Hatfield, which they thought was also very good !
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Summary: One of the cleverest books ever written
Review: This book is sooo good, I think no jaded reader can deserve that title without having read this book. Dorian Gray, an astonishingly beautiful young aristocrat, receives the gift of eternal youth in the form of a painting one of his friends has made of him. Later, prompted by another friend, the divine dissolute Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian gradually falls into a dissipate lifestyle and the eerie painting shows both the ravages of age and the advance of Dorian's moral decay, while he retains his breathtaking looks. As Dorian becomes more and more obsessed with the painting's worsening appearance, the changes in his once sweet and naive personality are explained in the story, and Dorian lives in fear of the painting being exposed to the world, therefore showing him beyond any doubt as the sleazy creep he is, until it comes to a point when the gift he prized so much ends up turning against him. Dorian Gray is one of the least likable characters I have seen on print, but I really liked his wicked friend Lord Wotton, who in the story is the one in charge of leading Dorian astray and dishing criticism after witty criticism of nineteenth century English society. I later learned this particular character was a sort of mockery of Oscar Wilde himself. A mellower version of this character can be found in another of Wilde's works, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, my second favorite story by this author.
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Summary: Compelling
Review: I enjoyed reading the book, and thought that it was a great allegory. I loved how Wilde used vivid details in all his characters, especially in the life of Dorian Gray! I also saw the movie starring George Sanders and Hurd Hatfield, which I thought was really good also!
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Summary: Disgraceful
Review: Please refer to page 212 of the Baronet Books version of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The editing error "Did you saw a sailor?"There is another editing error that occurs when the character Alan Campbell comes to see Dorian. A letter is presented to Alan and the reader has no idea what this is about. I am going to try to find another version of this classic. This book was terrible.
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Summary: a tale of moral decadence
Review: It is a tale of moral decadence and debauchery. Dorian seems consumed in his self portarit, his love for himself is so big that he cannot see beyond his image and when his true image dawns on him he dies. However i did not give him five stars because of the way the plot moves. It is a little bit slow and only at the end you feel it taking full force. --This text refers to the Paperback edition. LUIS MENDEZ crazzyteacher@hotmail.com
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Summary: Oscar was wild with imagination when he wrote this.
Review: Wow! This book knocked me out of my seat. It's relentless from beginning to end. All throughout you want to rush through the pages to see how the story concludes. What will happen to Dorian? What will become of the hideous painting? The book's three main characters are Basil Hallward, the painter; Dorian Gray, the paintee; and Lord Henry, the intellectual mind behind Dorian Gray. It seems as if all of Dorian Gray's evils are inspired by his sidekick, Lord Henry. So, throughout the story, the reader is left asking: "Is this guy a villain?" As to the answer to that question, it still remains uncertain to me. And the ending - oh! - flawless, impeccable, divine! I dare not give it away, for you must venture into those pages to find out where all the events lead to. The last page of the book is truly the climax. You'll be left shivering with sweat trickling down your forehead just to see what happens. "Of all people in the world the English have the least sense of the beauty of literature," Lord Henry claims in one part of the story. Nay, they don't, I must say - for it was an Englishman that produced this book!
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