November 11, 2008

Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde


I had such high hopes for this book that I'm not sure that it met them. It was good, and had plenty of the wit that I so love from Oscar Wilde's plays.

Dorian Gray is a young, beautiful, vain man who has his portrait painted. Upon seeing the beauty of the painting, he wishes that he would never age but that the painting would instead.

And that is exactly what happens. After reading a book recommended by a friend, he determines to do just as he please despite the moral customs of the day, and he continues to look as youthful and innocent as the day the picture was painted.

As far as classics go, this is an easy one to read. It's realitively short (I think my copy was 240 pages) and the plot isn't complicated. I'm not sure I recommend it whole-heartedly, but it most certainly brings up some interesting topics (the one that most interested me was the idea of conscience) as classics are prone to do.

4 comments:

  1. i read this awhile back and it struck me as very edgar allen poe-esque.

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  2. I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't too crazy about it when I read it last year. Just didn't hit me, though I did finish it.

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  3. I have always wanted to read this. Thanks for the review. :)

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  4. I recently read this book and loved it. I really liked how it showed that beauty and age isn't everything.

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