Rating: 
Summary: Dorian Gray
Review: This book, which I read quite some time ago but will never cease to love, is a beautiful horror story. The language, the surroundings, even the characters, are gorgeous, but at the same time, everything about them is frightening, and even a little grotesque. Lord Henry is utterly cynical, continually saying things one can never be quite sure he means or is only saying. Dorian is corrupted and horrible, and yet at the same time, one almost thinks he may suddenly stop and try to turn back. Basil is one of the only pure characters in the book, and his devotion to Dorian is sweet, but at the same time, one just /knows/ it will will cause something bad to happen to him--as, ultimately, it does.This book is a very satisfying read, although some people might be disturbed by the content, which is rather mature. Besides that, the homosexual subtext runs rampant waving a Dorian's picture. This may bother some people, although not yours truly. :) Personally, I think it's excellent. If you liked Victor Hugo's style, but would rather not hear historic digressions; if you liked Crime and Punishment's moral conflicts, but were highly irritated by the happy ending; if you enjoyed The Invisible Man's supernatural circumstances but would have been satisfied without the scientific explanations, then go forth ye and read Picture of Dorian Gray. (...)
Rating:
Summary: APOLOGIA
Review: This is an APOLOGIA (I suppose) to Oscar Wilde on behalf of all those who rated his wonderful book lowly. It just so happens to be my favorate book, and I looked so see if there was anyone who didn't like it. Quite horrified, and rather losing my faith in Humanity (or HUMANITAD) I thought: I must write an essay myself!
To be honest, I am sure that dear old Oscar would not have been terribly upset some people didn't like his book, for his works are, let's be honest, only truly understood by those who share something of his divine temprement (like me!).
Let me now say why I like it.
I first read the picture when I was at school (vague memories of having written a review for this book before, have I?) - and, quite honestly, it is the most beautiful and cleverset thing in the world (bookwise).
Heaens above, if you can't enjoy a book that is so obviously about pleasure (in a very Epicurean, spiritual way, ye moral detractors, mark you!), what are you doing engaging in the Epicurean pleasure of reading at all? Give up! You do not have a soul to be corrupted!
Rating: 
Summary: Picture of a Soul
Review: This story about a man whose wish for eternal youth comes true through a portrait of himself delves into numerous philosophical nether regions. Set in upscale 19th century London, The Picture of Dorian Gray deals with such topics as truth, death, and most especially beauty. Dorian Gray's portrait ages while he remains his youthful self. Gray uses this to his advantage (let's be honest, who wouldn't?). Gray breaks hearts, corrupts others, and avails himself of numerous vices...most notably opium. Gray also takes advantage of his youth by learning new things...music and gemology come to mind. But Gray's self-enhancement does not make up for the copious sins he commits, both large and small...and even though his face does not bely his crimes, the portrait's face does. Wilde's play on eternal youth was almost certainly novel for the time. These days the concept has been played out time again. But I do not begrudge Wilde for this...in his time, he was an innovator. Four major things irked me about this book: First, the prose is overly flowery. I don't read many books written in the 19th century...maybe most of the books were written like this. Second, Wilde seems to use this book as a platform to give us his take on philosophical issues large and small. True, most good works of fiction are a reflection of the society in which the author lives, but Wilde is NOT subtle about giving us numerous opinions on art, love, life, beauty, etc. I think he could have been a bit more subtle doing this. Third most of characters seemed overly naive. Granted, this story is supposed to be set in a time and place where the rich did not concern themselves with trivial matters. Nonetheless...so much was going on under the characters' noses! Even, Henry Wotton -- Gray's longtime friend -- seems to come down with a bout of extreme naivete toward the end of the book. Somehow, this made the characters seem shallower than they otherwise might have been. And my final gripe kind of ties in with the characters' overall naivete. From the time that Dorian Gray is granted eternal youth by whatever powers that be, to the end of the book, nearly two decades elapse. There is only one, very minor, mention of Gray's youthful looks toward the end of the book. Didn't anyone notice that this guy has, supposedly, aged nearly twenty years and yet still appears as youthful as ever? Come on, even these days with plastic surgery and $100+ cosmetic cream, a 40 year old doesn't look half his age. Why did only Gray's closest friend only offhandedly mention this toward the end of the book? Surely someone else must have noticed? Wilde's concept had a lot of potential, and it certainly does make one ponder life's intangible mysteries, but Wilde spent to much time proselytizing his 19th century philosophy for this book to really stand out. This book is only recommended to those who enjoy Wilde's other works.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece that was written ahead of its time
Review: When Oscar Wilde published his only novel back in 1890 he caused much excitement among the literary critics and the society as a whole. And I'm a little bit puzzled because there is no evidence that the book deserves some negative feedback. It seems to me that someone who criticizes the ideas in the novel and summarizes it as an `immoral' demonstrates high level of hypocrisy. This is art and art is about freedom of imagination and expressing. If we expect from art to represent only moral emotions we experience in our daily life then art wouldn't worth so much.
The story of the book is somehow very simple. A young and innocent man named Dorian Gray fascinates an artist so much that the artist finds inspiration even in his only presence. Basil Hallward confides his secret obsession to a friend of his named Lord Henry Wotton and at that very moment Henry decides to meet Dorian. From their meeting on, their relationship is the main point around which the story evolves. Henry is a cynic person who has very provocative and fascinating way of declaring his position for most of the aspects of life. His attitude is uncommon for 19th century London high society and could be characterized as immoral. Dorian gradually adopts the lifestyle Henry proclaims and indulges in taking maximum from the life no matter the cost and no matter who will have to pay for it. On the other hand a rash desire expressed by Doran that the portrait Basil has painted of him ages and Dorian himself stays forever young becomes true. With always innocent look on his beautiful face Dorian is in a very good position to take maximum of his life and he does it. By breaking norms, recognized by high society he ruins lives of most persons attracted and charmed by his beauty and charisma. Lord Henry stays always beside him as a `spiritual' mentor while Basil goes to the background of Dorian's world. The picture Dorian hides in an abandoned room in his house shows not only marks of aging but also is a mirror of Dorian's soul - everything he does reflects on the picture's face expression which turns to an evil grimace that disgusts Dorian. Finally he comes to a moment that feels sorry for the life he had chosen and decides to make everything possible so that to restore his portrait's humane look as much as possible.
The end of the story proved quite an intriguing to me and I feel somehow confident that such an end seems to be the most logical for the story although being drastic and direct in his representation.
The writing style of Wilde is of a person who knows very well what he has to say and in the same time you don't get feeling that someone is trying to teach you something. On the contrary - this novel looks like a very good related story. On some moments too much attention is paid to the details, something that represents more successfully the atmosphere of the story but the movement suffers a little bit.
I personally am in deep sympathies for Lord Henry's character. His directly stated position on the topic is very often shocking but the interesting part is that you could stay and think a while and take from it what you appreciate. Nothing in this world is completely wrong I think. Just be careful not to fall into blind deviation and become second Dorian Gray.
Rating:
Summary: Hopelessly Ambiguous or Unambiguously Hopeful?
Review: Who knows? But right-wing orthodox Catholic monarchist readers will be required to steel themselves through the first two chapters which consist of a drawn-out slap fight between Elton John, Graham Norton and Ian McKellan. Now I like a cat-fight as much as the next guy, but a tussle among effete Brit cats with man parts is just icky. So the narcissistic homo-erotic banter opening the book was significantly under-appreciated by this reader. But after you get through those chapters the book gets much, much better. It is difficult to maintain that the book represents a defense of amoral Aestheticism, since the embodiment of the aesthetic ideal, Dorian Gray, is shown to be a damned man. That is not to say that Wilde embraces Catholicism in the novel, as the narrator often posits confusing opinions on issues of conscience and sin. At times Wilde seems to suggest that only immoderate (quantitatively speaking) behavior is immoral; and yet, at other times, it appears some actions themselves ought to be avoided. Is Wilde acknowledging that there are exceptionless moral norms? And what is the reader to make of rotten Wotton, whose epigrammatic phrases seem so akin to Wilde's? Hallward points out that Wotton's cynicism is a pose. He never says a moral thing, but he never does a wrong thing. So are we to take his Wilde-isms seriously? Are we to take Wilde seriously? Wilde says art is neither moral nor immoral, yet Gray is poisoned by A Rebors, a book by another decadent author who, oddly enough, also converted to Catholicism. And then there's the picture itself, the fruit of Hallward's homosexual obsession, which is clearly cursed, in spite of its initial apparent beauty. Wilde's protests notwithstanding, it is a book with a moral informing the reader that he cannot escape his conscience, that he cannot reject nature and nature's God, and that the wages of sin are death. But therein lies hope, for if God is to be believed regarding the wages of sin, then why should we doubt Him regarding our Redemption? Unfortunately, this message is made ambiguous by an author who, rather than unintentionally creating a distorted image of an idea that cannot be fully represented, intentionally peppers the novel with paradox for the sake of cuteness. But the Truth is not cute. He's terrifying, and Wilde knows better. Therefore the book is best left to the orthodox or the decadent. The lukewarm will simply be confused.
Rating:
Summary: Hopelessly Ambiguous or Unambiguously Hopeful?
Review: Who knows? But right-wing orthodox Catholic monarchist readers will be required to steel themselves through the first two chapters which consist of a drawn-out slap fight between Elton John, Graham Norton and Ian McKellan. Now I like a cat-fight as much as the next guy, but a tussle among effete Brit cats with man parts is just icky. So the narcissistic homo-erotic banter opening the book was significantly under-appreciated by this reader. But after you get through those chapters the book gets much, much better. It is difficult to maintain that the book represents a defense of amoral Aestheticism, since the embodiment of the aesthetic ideal, Dorian Gray, is shown to be a damned man. That is not to say that Wilde embraces Catholicism in the novel, as the narrator often posits confusing opinions on issues of conscience and sin. At times Wilde seems to suggest that only immoderate (quantitatively speaking) behavior is immoral; and yet, at other times, it appears some actions themselves ought to be avoided. Is Wilde acknowledging that there are exceptionless moral norms? And what is the reader to make of rotten Wotton, whose epigrammatic phrases seem so akin to Wilde's? Hallward points out that Wotton's cynicism is a pose. He never says a moral thing, but he never does a wrong thing. So are we to take his Wilde-isms seriously? Are we to take Wilde seriously? Wilde says art is neither moral nor immoral, yet Gray is poisoned by A Rebors, a book by another decadent author who, oddly enough, also converted to Catholicism. And then there's the picture itself, the fruit of Hallward's homosexual obsession, which is clearly cursed, in spite of its initial apparent beauty. Wilde's protests notwithstanding, it is a book with a moral informing the reader that he cannot escape his conscience, that he cannot reject nature and nature's God, and that the wages of sin are death. But therein lies hope, for if God is to be believed regarding the wages of sin, then why should we doubt Him regarding our Redemption? Unfortunately, this message is made ambiguous by an author who, rather than unintentionally creating a distorted image of an idea that cannot be fully represented, intentionally peppers the novel with paradox for the sake of cuteness. But the Truth is not cute. He's terrifying, and Wilde knows better. Therefore the book is best left to the orthodox or the decadent. The lukewarm will simply be confused.
Rating:
Summary: Overflowing with insights and quotations
Review: Wilde's only novel contains some of the greatest dialogue of any literature written in the english language. There are few books that could be considered more quotable, and even fewer that could be considered more insightful. The novel is enjoyable even upon a cursory reading, but its splendor is revealed only when it is studied. Wilde reveals so much of himself in his art, and through reading of Wilde's biographies, plays, and the literature that inspired him, the reader becomes intimate with Oscar, and is able to understand him more throughly than most authors would allow from a study of their work. This is a piece I have truly enjoyed, and continues to be one of the premier pieces of English literature.
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