The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings (Bantam Classics)

good

I decided to be the FIRST to review this one here. Haha, go me.Picture of Dorian Gray is a great work of fiction. Its interplay of Hellenic thought and Judaeo-Christian ethics was light years ahead of its time, even though it might come across muddled to the casual reader. Perhaps, this novel was too far ahead of its time, as it was eventually used as evidence against Wilde in two court cases for 'gross indecency' in 1895.It is a simple story; really, Basil Hallward paints a lovely portrait of Dorian Gray, a veritable Adonis. As the Painter puts the finishing touches upon this portrait, Gray is involved with a conversation regarding the nature of beauty with Lord Henry (Harry) Wotton. This culminates in Dorian wishing and praying that his beauty may never diminish; that he'd have eternal youth. Ultimately, the painting would bear all of the marks of sin, decadence, and decay that cause our physical bodies to age, while Dorian kept his stunning good looks. Wilde brings about a rather wonderful conclusion, and it is a very enjoyable story.The Picture of Dorian Gray has its dull parts. It doesn't remain current, and I'd suggest getting a copy with notes, so that you may be able to keep up with all of the references. Let's be honest, in 2004 who really cares about what was fashionable in 19th century France? These are questions the notes can clarify, and make some of the references more amiable. Still there are parts where Wilde just lists things, and these you should skip.When reading this novel, I think it becomes clear that the three main personalities are a reflection of society at that time. While Basil Hallward seemed to personify Christian conservatism, and a mundane attachment to the status quo, Lord Henry is the questioning romantic, a character that seems to argue everything yet prove nothing, and believe in even less. This makes him no less interesting, and I believe Wilde may have included him as a farce of some of his contemporaries, yet some of the best insights and quotes actually come from Lord Henry.Dorian is the romantic ideal of perfection. Though a horrible character that fears no consequences for his actions, he still remains perfection. I think that aristocratic England valued physical appearance, social wit, and worldliness more than an ethical life.Dorian Gray also typifies Wilde's affections for Hellenic culture. Dorian is the stereotypical Greek Tragic Hero. He has a flaw; his vanity; this flaw leads to his downfall; a life of sin; he realizes his flaw in the end, and tries to make amends, but it is too little too late. If you enjoy Shakespeare Allusions, you will enjoy this.I really liked The Picture of Dorian Gray, but I will not advise one way or the other whether you should read it or not. If you want something stimulating that will have an enormity of good quotes that will make your dominating intellect seem even more so to the untrained eye, then check it out. If you're looking for pulp go check out Tom Clancey or Danielle Steele.

I had often thought "Dorian Gray" was the name of an old sailing ship until I read this book. It was an easy read with an interesting plot. I am now aware that "Dorian Gray" is not a ship.

Dorian Gray was quite the read.Dorian Gray is a young man who has exquisite, wonderful features. He is good-looking. He is a model for Basil, a painter. Basil paints a portrait of Dorian Gray. Lord Henry, one of Basil's friends, meets Dorian and remarks how sad it is that Dorian will not always retain his youth and beauty. Dorian grows sad about this - and thinks, if only this picture would grow old and I can always stay young! He envies his own picture, because he thinks that the picture will forever retain its youth - while he will bear the wrinkles of life.Then things start becoming strange. After an unpleasant experience with his fiancée, an actress, he looks at his picture and notices a cruel twist of the mouth. This is only the beginning. As Dorian makes his descent into debauchery and sinfulness, the picture bears the weight of his actions. Everytime he commits a transgression, the picture grows uglier and uglier. The picture becomes his sort of "conscience."This book is one worth reading. I had heard of Dorian Gray and was curious. Wilde's writing was descriptive, yet easy to read. It is one of the easier classics, in my opinion.The only flaw to this novel was, at one point, there is a stage where Dorian collects a lot of things - like embroidery, etc. It describes the things he collects and makes lots of references and allusions to seemingly random people (perhaps famous people in history?). This seemed to me like a non sequitur, and just lots of rambling. Furthermore, it was confusing because I didn't know who the people being mentioned were. It was tedious, although I endured it. I'm glad I did, because the story progressed wonderfully.The ending is... quite morbid, but didn't come across as a complete surprise.The Picture of Dorian Gray is worth your while. It will make you think - is eternal youth worth it? It will trigger lots of probing questions in your brain. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a good classic read.

In books, magazines, television, etc. in the English-speaking world, we often come across references made to Oscar Wilde, as many people quote his witty sayings and lines. Having come across so many of these references and quotations myself, I was hesitant to pick up any of his works, assuming that to understand and appreciate Wilde I would have to be some kind of a literary scholar. Let me set the record straight: this is definitely not the case at all, as Oscar Wilde is very down to earth and easy to understand.He is a gifted writer and I understand now why people quote him so much. He's a master at putting thoughts to pen and paper so ingeniously. After I found out for myself what he was all about, I regret that I never read his books earlier. I picked up this book that included various works and I was truly amazed at his genius. He interlaces humor with the heavy so cleverly.In all of his works you can easily identify a so-called "dandy", a male character whose one role is to make flippant but ironically true remarks to the dismay of stuffy characters. The quotes we so often see or hear are usually remarks uttered by one of Wilde's dandies. Offering tongue-in-cheek humor with wholehearted honesty, Wilde called a spade, a spade but could so with such brilliant wit. Oh if only I could be even half as gifted with the pen!I am not going to write about any plots of the stories and plays, as other readers have done that already. I simply wanted to say that if you have never read anything by Wilde, I highly recommend you do. I am confidant you will enjoy. You could end up like me, frantically longing to get your hands on as much of his writing as you can.

Il libro, appena aperto il pacco, aveva gli spigoli rovinati, la copertina rovinata. Le scritte sono molto piccole.

The book came in perfect condition. I am enjoying reading this

Dans ce que j'ai apprécié dans ce livre est le style d'Oscar Wilde que je trouve absolument beau avec un anglais très accessible et un génie de l'auteur à décrire si bien des situations complexes. Les dialogues sont superbes...

Totally worth the price! Has all the important works of Oscar Wilde.