Rating: 
Summary: A timeless treasure
Review: To my mind, this is one of the best works in all of English literature. Oscar Wilde is a artist who uses the page as his canvas and the written word as his paint. His wit cuts at the human condition like a scalpel with depth and precision. Dorian Gray is his finest work.This is a Faustian tale of a man who utters an oath offering his soul for the youth portrayed in a painting of him, if only it would age instead of he. He discovers that the wish has been granted, only he gets more than he requested, as the painting shows not only the marks of age, but also the marks upon his soul as he slips into a hedonistic and odious life. I have read a lot of criticism of this book by modern and especially young readers as being slow and boring. This is much like the criticism of a beer guzzler describing a fine wine. "Forget the bouquet and refined taste, just give me my buzz." This story, and the subtle philosophies contained within, need to be sipped deliberately and relished. There is page after page of astute insight into the paradoxes and ironies of society and the mysteries of being human. To be bored with this is to be insensate to life's depth and meaning. Many have also criticized the book as espousing hedonism and attacking Victorian society especially at the time it was written. Such critics wrongly assume that Lord Henry is Wilde's mouthpiece for a fatalistic and cynical philosophy. Actually, the exact opposite is true. The cynic is the one being satirized, not society. Lord Henry uses paradoxical aphorisms to bolster his sardonic view. However, they are specious and self validating arguments that look at the small truths about the world and draw the wrong conclusion. Rather than assume that these eccentricities and foibles are things that we can and should rise above, he draws the conclusion that we should embrace and accept our instinctive weaknesses. He ignores the higher truths and points out instead how the capitulation to our own desires sets us free. Wilde's refutation of this philosophical connivance comes in the person of Dorian Gray. Dorian was Lord Henry's protégé. He was living the life that Harry espoused (but ironically didn't live himself). And what was the result of Dorian's decadence? He lived a life of torment and self loathing. He agonized over the hideous marks on his soul as catalogued by the portrait with each dastardly deed. Wilde is telling us that this is what such self indulgence and cynicism about life and society brings. His message is that a civilized society, with all its inconsistencies, paradoxes and ironies, is preferable and superior to living like an animal. By smiting Dorian, he is really smiting Lord Henry and everything he advocates. He is making a case for the soul over the body; intellect over instinct. This is an exquisite and thought provoking treasure that is every bit as relevant now as it was almost a century ago when it was written. I have read it a number of times through the years and I never tire of it. As I have gotten older and more experienced, its truths have become more vivid and resonant. If you've never read it, pick it up and savor it. Don't rush through it for the plot. Ponder it as you read. If you have already read it, put it away and try it again in five or ten years. You may discover new meaning, and much that you missed. That's the beauty of a timeless novel. Its wisdom will wait patiently until you've had time to catch up.
Rating:
Summary: A haunting tale!
Review: The picture of Dorian Gray is a very macabre tale, about a man whom sells his soul, so that he will stay young and the picture of himself grow old. Wilde's character development is astounding and his writing style is brilliant. Definitely, a classic work, that ought to be read by anyone remotely interested in good literature.
Rating:
Summary: DORIAN GRAY
Review: I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT OSCAR WILDE. HIS PLAYS, HIS QUOTES, STORIES, AND POEMS. BUT I JUST LOVE HIS ONLY NOVEL....THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. WHEN I FIRST READ THIS BOOK, I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT OSCAR WILDE. I'VE BEEN HOOKED ON HIM EVER SINCE. WHEN I FOUND OUT THIS WAS HIS ONLY NOVEL, I WAS SHOCKED! A MAN WITH SUCH WRITING TALENTS AND ABILITY ONLY WROTE ONE NOVEL? I WAS RELIEVED TO FIND OUT THAT HE WROTE OTHER KINDS OF LITERATURE TOO. BUT THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF HIS WORKS. IT HAS EVERYTHING: VANITY, LOVE, BETRAYAL, HATE, AND A MORAL OF HUMAN NATURE. ONCE YOU READ THIS BOOK YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THE PASSION THAT PEOPLE FEEL AS THEY DESCRIBE THIS BOOK. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYBODY. IT'S ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I'd heard a lot about Wilde when I started this book, but this was the first of his works that I'd ever read. I was half-way expecting long, incomprehensible philosophical discussions, impossible to decipher passages...my stereotype of 19th century literature. But when I was through the first chapter, I had a wake-up call. "Wow," I thought, "this is really GOOD!" I became addicted, and sped through the rest of the book. It is engrossing, absorbing, entertaining, and not the least bit boring. Brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, makes you think
Review: This is an absorbing book, that brings you into a different world from ours but still brings up important issues to us. It can be funny, but also criticizes wanting to be young forever. Dorian's change from being normal to being without feeling is interesting but creepy, since it could happen to us as well. This is an important book to read, and is also entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: good
Review: I thought it was good, I don't know why people are saying it was boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much anti-victorian philosophy, not enough story.
Review: This novel is a philosophy book about the author's narcissistic anti-Victorian views and clever witticisms. Oh yeah, somewhere in there is a story about a man who makes a wish that his portrait would show his physical age and experiences, while he remains forever young and handsome. The wish comes true. There was incredible potential for this story that wasn't lived up too. I think this novel really needed a heavy-handed editor to make it great.
Rating:
Summary: How to write beautiful English
Review: Appropriately, I read this book while travelling the dark, sombre tube system in London. I already knew the story, but what struck me most was the perfection of the writing. Wilde uses such beautiful, concise and clear language to convey his own version of the Faustian legend. The subject matter is troubling to some but one cannot deny the quality of the art.
Rating: 
Summary: Distrubing, yes; but this book isn't too bad.
Review: There is too much monotonous content in this book, but when it all comes through it isn't all that bad. This book's intention was clear, but it took to long to develop. This idea should have been made into a short story and not a two-hundred page story.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Story Filled with Philosophy
Review: This novel provides a fascinating story on a young man's desire to keep his appearance while having his age expressed and progressed in a portrait of himself. The story not only has a good plot, it has a strong philosophical foundation which is characterized through numerous epigrams. Among the characters, Dorian Gray and Lord Henry present various explanations throughout life. I have read this book as an assignment for preparation toward the AP [Advance Placement] test in English Literature and enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to anyone who, not only would like to prepare for an AP test in English, but to those who appreciate philosophy.
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