The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Review for The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

First and foremost I absolutely hated the themes of this book, but I did enjoy the gothic tones used in the plot. I loved the imformative parts about flowers, and rubies, and even the huge reading list this book leaves you with. There was a lot about art, and to it seemed very pretentious in the tone used when Dorian and Henry would conversate.

The story of Dorian Gray, is where the expression 'secrets in the attic' came from. To figure that out you will just have to read for yourselves, but I will give you a basic rundown of the story. Dorian himself was a very innocent type of school boy. He then meets a painter by the name of Basil Hallward. He agrees to do a sitting for the painter and along comes Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry is a typical 1800's rake, and he lives life by a set of loose morals. Dorian in turn adopts this way of living after Basil creates his masterpiece. Much more happens between Dorian, Basil, and Lord Henry which turns into a scandal involving another man's wife; this in turn makes Dorian leave for many years. When he comes back he is still just as young as he was the day he left. There is also the mystery of where the painter, Basil, disappeared to.

Granted that Oscar Wilde had many beautiful prose about art, culture, and music. I was put off, and I was also very reminded of Narcissus from Hercules.


We deal with imperfection and vanity. You see in society today that young women/men have turned to bulimia, anorexia or even the possibility of turning to amphetamine drugs. Just for that one complement; for someone to say, 'you look fantastic what have you been doing?' Any and all of this ranting and raving, I do believe that vanity isn't worth the trouble or the time that it takes for primping. That there are more important issues out there. That people should let go of that bit of egotism because they have been given what the gods gave them: their faces, their hair, and their body structure. With that I close this review.

Cheers and Happy reading!

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“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.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray