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    The Picture of Dorian Gray
    The Picture of Dorian Gray
    The Picture of Dorian Gray
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Picture of Dorian Gray

    Written by Oscar Wilde

    Narrated by Simon Prebble

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    About this audiobook

    Oscar Wilde brings his enormous gifts for astute social observation and sparkling prose to The Picture of Dorian Gray, his dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. This dandy, who remains forever unchanged-petulant, hedonistic, vain, and amoral-while a painting of him ages and grows increasingly hideous with the years, has been horrifying and enchanting readers for more than 100 years.

    Taking the reader in and out of London drawing rooms, to the heights of aestheticism, and to the depths of decadence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not simply a melodrama about moral corruption. Laced with bon mots and vivid depictions of upper-class refinement, it is also a fascinating look at the milieu of Wilde's fin-de-siegrave;cle world and a manifesto of the creed "Art for Art's Sake."

    The ever-quotable Wilde, who once delighted London with his scintillating plays, scandalized readers with this, his only novel. Upon publication, Dorian was condemned as dangerous, poisonous, stupid, vulgar, and immoral, and Wilde as a "driveling pedant." The novel, in fact, was used against Wilde at his much-publicized trials for "gross indecency," which led to his imprisonment and exile on the European continent. Even so, The Picture of Dorian Gray firmly established Wilde as one of the great voices of the Aesthetic movement and endures as a classic that is as timeless as its hero.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 22, 2008
    ISBN9781400179480
    Author

    Oscar Wilde

    Born in Ireland in 1856, Oscar Wilde was a noted essayist, playwright, fairy tale writer and poet, as well as an early leader of the Aesthetic Movement. His plays include: An Ideal Husband, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, and Lady Windermere's Fan. Among his best known stories are The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost.

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    Reviews for The Picture of Dorian Gray

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    • 5/5
      No one but Prebble could interpret so well the languid tones and phlegm of Lord Henry. In the narrator's voice I could visualise the character's affected smile and slow gestures. Dorian also, from a youthful voice at first, becomes more detached, sophisticated, and Lord Henry-like in tones as the book develops. I cannot think of a more appropriate narrator. This is a priceless interpretation of the The Picture of Dorian Gray.
    • 4/5
      A clever quip every page! Actually very enjoyable except for that horrid Chapter XI.
    • 3/5
      'Dorian Gray' is based on the premise that one's sins show on one's face and the old and ugly must be the most evil. I'm not sure how Wilde felt about the pseudo-science of phrenology, but the idea is not particularly new. There has always been an idea that criminals should look a certain way.

      The book has entered the cultural milieu as being more about some one who keeps from aging - when: when we say 'he must have a portrait in the attic' when speaking about ,say, Morten Harket, it means he looks surprisingly youthful, not he must have a secret life visiting opium dens.

      When a painting takes on the visual representation of Dorian's sins, he is able to fool the world about the true nature of his personality. People like to keep him around for his looks but no one realy listens to him, his crimes escalate and he eventually dies of ennui...

      This book could have been pared down quite a bit. I got a bit tired of conversations and witticisms, most of which are spoken through the character of Dorian's corrupting friend Lord Henry and have subsequenty been taken out of context and printed on coffee mugs and T shirts.
    • 3/5
      How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. . . . If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that—for that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!
      Basil, the painter, puts all his soul into his full-length portrait of Dorian Gray. The painting is the most beautiful work the artist has ever created and after speaking with Lord Henry begins to think beauty is the only thing worth pursuing in life.Upon seeing the finished portrait, Dorian so strongly desires to stay as young as he is depicted instead of growing old that his wish ends up coming true. Throughout his life, the painting is hidden and kept locked away. It shows the wear and tear of Dorian's life and sins while his face remains beautiful. Is a beautiful life the only one worth living, or has Dorian received more than he wished for in the end?


      For this review and more visit Under Literary Construction.

      This book was selected by my book club this month and I was pretty excited to start reading it, which might have been this books downfall. Sometimes, I get so excited to get my hands on a book or movie that when I finally read or watch it, it fails to meet my expectations. Not that I didn't enjoy this, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

      Overall, I am glad I was finally able to read this book. Here are the Pros & Cons:

      PROS:

      • The story was a little bit of horror, a little bit of romance, a lot of dialogue, and a bit of suspense tossed in for good measure. Dorian cursing himself and his painting was both expected (because I knew a little bit about the story already) and unexpected. When it happened, it was still a bit of surprise and the amount of damage that was shown on the painting over the years was shocking. Dorian really did some damage in his lifetime.


      • I felt like it provided a clear image of the time. The dialogue, while it wasn't my favorite part of the novel, was dated and I mean that in a good way. Lord Henry had something to say about everything and everyone and was never a man to not have an opinion, which leads me to my next point.


      • The characters were striking. At one point, I didn't like any of them. I hated Lord Henry, I despised Dorian, and I thought Basil was a bit snooty. As time went on, I still disliked Henry (but he gets a dose of karma in the end), I felt bad for Basil, and I almost sympathized with Dorian, just barely.


      • The preface was one of my favorite aspects. The preface was added after the first publication as a sort of "Here is what I think of your criticism" from Wilde. In it, Wilde defends his novel about criticism, remarks on how his novel should be read and explains the artist's role in society.

        • "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."



      • The length is long enough to provide a detailed story but short enough to not be too difficult to get through. One of my problems with large books is that, usually, I get bored at some point because too much of it seems like filler. With Wilde's novel, it was just the right length to enjoy and take my time with it.


      CONS:

      • I felt myself having to analyze the dialogue for hidden meanings. The banter back and forth was a little boring at times. Don't get me wrong, one of my favorite parts about being an English major is dissecting texts, but I don't like to have to do this all of the time with my personal readings. I want something that is more entertaining than the texts I have to read for school and, at times, this novel was more work to read than fun.


      • The story was slow to get moving. I had trouble getting into it at first and even after I made it to the halfway point, I had trouble diving in once I picked it back up. Some books, 2 sentences in and I'm transported to another world, but with this novel there were some chapters that I was reading just to get through to the next chapter and I wasn't enjoying.


      • The last 1/4 of the book was the best part. I list this as a con because, as a whole, much of the novel has not left a mark on me. There is the part in the beginning where Dorian's painting is revealed and then the series of "Oh my gosh" events in the end, but much of the novel is a bit of a blur. It isn't memorable.



      While I enjoyed reading Wilde's classic novel, it didn't exactly live up to my expectations. I would, however, like to see this movie come to life. I think the plot is fascinating and appeals to a wide array of audiences and should be a book that everyone reads at some point or another. Honestly, I am surprised I haven't been assigned this novel and were instead assigned The Importance of Being Earnest recently, but I am not quite done with school. There is still a chance Dorian Gray will appear in my future and I am fine with that. I do not regret reading it, I just think my expectations were a little high since I have heard so many "That book is amazing" comments.

    • 4/5
      A very good book, and rightfully called a classic. The story is not easy to get through, but worth the effort. Especially since a lot of authors often refer to this book, which helps you understand them too.
    • 4/5
      I knew the central theme of this book so well that I had almost persuaded myself I had read it, but I am glad to have convinced myself otherwise as I would have missed out on a pearl. It works on several levels: first as a superior horror story, with Dorian Gray effectively selling his soul for eternal youth, with all the marks not only age but of debauchery, sin and eventually murder appearing on the portrait which he has locked away in his attic; secondly a morality tale of vice, remorse and retribution; thirdly as a philosophical discourse on hedonism and its consequencs as practised by a section of the upper classes in late Victorian society; finally as a comment on contemporary attitudes to homosexuality, still illegal at this time and for the best part of a century afterwards (the author Oscar Wilde was of course notoriously imprisoned for transgression). The language is deliberately mannered and at times almost overblown, teeming with typical Wildean epigrams and paradoxes which are usually articulated by Gray's mentor, the cynical Lord Henry Wotton, who leads Gray into self-destructive pleasure-seeking. In the background of the narrative nature imagery abounds, setting into relief the stiflingly artificial lives and discourses of high society. The novel might best be described as a blend of gripping story and moral essay or discussion involving the active participants (like Plato's'Republic'). It is the story, however, and the final image of bloody atonement, that remains longest in the memory and for which the book is justly famous.
    • 5/5
      I know this book was a little controversial but I still thought it was a great read. didnt get the whole controversy about it though.
    • 4/5
      “Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.” Not the best advice in the world to a young innocent man. The premise of Oscar Wilde's only novel is well-known. Dorian Grays friend Basil Hallward paints his picture - and Gray thinks it's a shame he will grow older, but the picture will stay the same. He declares that he would sell his soul if the reverse was true. Well, be careful what you wish for……This was a reread - and it's remarkable that I remember so many things from this story - having read it back in the 80's. Down to certain quotes I remember pasting into a scrapbook I once had - the power of stories. I was very fascinated by it back then - I wasn't gripped so much by it this time.The reckless libertine, Lord Henry Wotton admires the young Adonis - and he deliver's much of the wit in the story with his amoral life wisdom spoken out so elegantly. “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”“Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.” Things like that.The second part of the story is not so well crafted I think, but it is slowly building up to the "grand finale" - the novel reminded me of Stevenson's [Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde] although that is a more of a gothic horror story than [Dorian Gray]. But I mostly enjoy it for the conversations in the beginning between, Basil, Lord Henry and Dorian Gray. That's sublime.
    • 4/5
      Grandiose story of a man who remains young while his portrait ages. Enjoyment depends on you tolerance for Victorian verbosity. I found it tedious in stretches.
    • 5/5
      What a truly remarkable book! Henry is a wonderful, funny, deep character and Dorian's hubris is captivating. Best book I've read in a long time.
    • 4/5
      I have heard a lot about this book and, having read a few of Oscar Wilde's plays and enjoyed them, decided to give it a try. Overall is was a good book, if a bit inconsistent in pacing at times. Dorian Grey is a beautiful young man, who is corrupted by a Lord to worry about how his looks might one day fade. While a portrait of him is being painted he wishes to never grow old. Later he realizes that the portrait is changing to reflect any cruelty in his nature, yet he remains the same.Oscar Wilde is a genius at writing. The cleverness of the language he uses and the sharpness of the commentary on society is deftly done and makes the story a joy to read, most of the time. The footnotes in this version of the book help to explain some of the more subtle jokes that I would have missed without them. The book does have some flaws, especially when compared to modern literature. Wilde takes nearly half to book to set up his characters. You can tell Wilde is a playwright at heart because many of the characters wander off into multiple page long dialogues that get to be a bit too much and sometimes a bit boring. Even in the second half of the book there are times where Dorian is reading from the book he is obsessed with and it just goes on and on and on.The second half of the book is by far the strongest. Wilde stimulates the imagination by talking about Dorian's unspeakable acts but never revealing what the majority of the horrible acts are. I was a little disappointed that there isn't a lot more to the plot than what you read on the back of the book. That being said, the end of the book is remarkable and really made the book a wonder to me. Overall this is a very interesting book and worth the read. Some of the lengthy dialogues can get a bit trying to read through, but most of the book has a quick wit to it that is amusing. The ending of the book holds some wonderful surprises. I would recommend reading this, especially if you are a fan of Wilde's writing style.
    • 3/5
      It was based on an interesting premise: A man makes a wish that he will remain as young and beautiful as a painting of himself at age 20. The wish comes true and the painting ages and worse, shows the sins of the man over time. The story is about the effect on Dorian Gray and his soul.The writing was beautiful, poetic at times. I listened to it on CD, and I think the entire disk 4 (or maybe 3) was basically a poetic narrative of Dorian's life from age 20 to 38. I got lost and my mind drifted because there were no scenes. It was way too much summary in my opinion. Of course, the book was written in the late 1800s, so it was probably appropriate for the times. But my biggest issue was the characters. I have a difficult time loving books if I can't identify or at least root for a character. And there was nothing to like about Dorian. He was a rich, vain man who did nothing but take advantage of his looks. Getting into his deluded mind was very creepy, especially when he killed (won't say who) someone with no remorse. At the end, I thought he might redeem himself as his began to realize how terrible his sins were. But even then, he made excuses and continued to act selfishly. And I didn't like his friend, Sir Henry much better.
    • 3/5
      A very interesting tale of man, sin, and soul. Very thought provoking and highly thematic and philosophical. However, I believe it is a bit overdone at times and suffers from boring diatribes and tirades. Nevertheless, a good example of highfalutin and verbose use of the English language.
    • 4/5
      While I understand the allegorical importance of the meticulous brushstrokes with which Wilde paints the details of his portrait of Dorian Gray and his language is certainly elegant, there's making a point, then there's overkill, then there's beating a dead horse, then there's roughly 50 pages of this book driving home the same point. Great central conceit, certainly worth reading for Gray's descent into madness, but a bit much.
    • 5/5
      This was pretty painful to start with since it seemed like Wilde could not resist a zinger. The first chapters with Wotton are like Monty Python's Oscar Wilde sketch. However, once Gray sees the first change in the portrait, the novel becomes a ruthless criticism of everything. Wilde does not even spare himself. The descriptive passages of London at night and the interior decor are quite lush. (Also, it amazes me that people were sufficiently in awe of Huysman's Against Nature that it could be posited as morally poisoning a reader.) This is a variation on Dostoyevsky's if God does not exist, everythng is permitted. If one does not age, then one will act like everything is permitted. Wilde shows, however, that the cult of Art (for which he bore some responsibility) can never be a foundation for a right existence. Everything will pass. What does not? What should remain?
    • 5/5
      There's a lot going on here for such a slender book, but I should expect nothing less from Oscar Wilde. It reads a little clunky at the beginning, it's just wit-wit-wit and since it's almost all coming from one character in large paragraphs, it doesn't move as smoothly as one of Wilde's plays. Those sections set the tone for the rest of the book, though. Without them, you wouldn't understand Lord Henry, and without that knowledge the book would be very hard to parse indeed. Although it's a character study of Dorian Gray, or a character drama or something like that, Lord Henry is the inciting incident, the fulcrum of the action, and the most complex character. People are constantly insisting "Oh, you don't believe that awful thing you just said," and he doesn't, but that makes him all the worse. Dorian tells him late in the book, "You would sacrifice anybody, Harry, for the sake of an epigram," and that's the horrible truth of him. I wish we'd had some insight into his opinion of his artwork, aka Dorian Gray's twisted nature, after it was finished, but I suppose we don't really need it, and that might have explained things away too much.Dorian is interesting too, though. The gradual development of his character is really masterful, done partly in implications and partly with stated facts. His self-delusion -- acting as if he's the one who's been wronged when a girl commits suicide because of him, and only deepening in the climax -- is perfectly believable. This is a book that would stand repeated readings and analysis to tease out the different threads and their implications, and I won't try to do that here. I must say, though, I'm quite blown away by how the "picture of Dorian Gray" idea seems like such an archetype now, when it's only famous because of this book. I mean to say, the idea of a man staying young while his picture grows old seems like such a mythical, omnipresent idea, like the idea of a vampire or a werewolf, but it wasn't before this. Having now read the book, I'd say the impact is well-deserved, and reading the book is valuable because of how many themes it involves that other books may not be willing to address. A lot of books shy away from depicting realistic selfishness, but this one doesn't.
    • 3/5
      As a lover of literature, it's hard not to notice the many great quotes from Oscar Wilde. Here's a few to refresh your memory:?Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.? ?The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.? ?You can never be overdressed or overeducated.?Despite my admiration of his intellect, I've never actually read any of Oscar Wilde's work, and thought it best to remedy that this year. So it was that I picked up the beautifully designed Penguin edition of The Picture Of Dorian Gray, the only novel ever written by Oscar Wilde.I'll admit I was a little apprehensive in the beginning, (what if Wilde is too high-brow for me?) but that was soon put to rest as early as Page 3 when Lord Henry says:"But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face. The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid. Look at the successful men in any of the learned professions. How perfectly hideous they are!"I knew then I was safe in expert hands, and continued willingly discovering this once offensive text. We all know the premise (so I won't waste time recounting it) but what I was surprised to learn was that the sins Dorian Gray gets up to are never really expanded upon. His cruel treatment of lovers is there for all to see, but his sexual exploits are only ever alluded to, never described in full. What a pity.There are countless homoerotic scenes - particularly between Lord Henry and Dorian Gray - but there is never any evidence to suggest they were ever together or even whether they loved each other. Lord Henry clearly loves Dorian for his youth and beauty, and in my opinion Dorian admires Lord Henry's ideals and freedoms, but that's as much as we ever really know for sure about them.I was looking forward to reading a gothic horror story of sorts, taking me through the slow degradation of Dorian's soul - reflected in the portrait - however The Picture of Dorian Gray often read like an essay; the character of Lord Henry a mouthpiece for Wilde's own thoughts on society, religion, youth and beauty.In summary, I enjoyed the writing immensely, the plot less so and I'm left to wonder what Oscar Wilde would write about if he had the freedom to write for us today. He was shocking in his time, would he shock us still now? I think he would.
    • 4/5
      First time I read a classic like this one. Didn't really know what to expect. Everyone knows Oscar Wilde by name and some quotes, but not many know him by books or by writing. His use of words is tempting and lures you in to read more and more and more. The theories about life and love are intriguing, yet so paradoxal. It truely reflects on how the mind of a human being works, changing your mind all the time and not really knowing what you want, who you are or how to act. The life of Dorian Gray, where Beauty is portrayed as the ideal you have to follow, the ideal you have to reach, is of all times. The sins Dorian Gray is succumbed to, are sins everyone holds in them, as a tempting fantasy they will never act on. This is what makes this book universal and timeless. Now, over 110 years after Wilde wrote the book, I can see myself in all of his characters: Dorian, Henry and Basil. It's one man with all of those paradoxals in him, portrayed by three men. When coming to the epilogue, I found out that Oscar Wilde was born on the 16th of October. Suddenly it came to my realisation that today, the day I finished the book, the day I read about the end of Dorian Gray, is the 16th of October. Exactly 160 years later than the day Wilde was born. It makes me almost lyrical and a feeling of "this can't be coincidence" overwhelmes me. What theory would Henry make of it? What theory would Wilde make of it?
    • 4/5
      Magnificent and deeply moving. It really shows the reader that in order to accept yourself, physical beauty is nothing. Because, eventually, we all the same fate-- to die. And that is okay, but the moment we first breathe is the day we start dying.
    • 4/5
      Well, what is there to say? A classic, and the first Wilde-book I have read. Not only is it a classic, but I had been told it was one of the classics that stands the test of time very well. I found this to be partially true. A lot of the time, especially during the first half of the book, I found myself getting a bit bored. Sure, there were a lot of thoughtful quotes, and a lot of "deep" things are said. Keeping in mind that this was written and published in the eighteen hundreds, the book must have been extremely progressive at the time, and a lot of things are said which one can only imagine would have been very controversial. However, I'm reading this book in 2012, and that is how I am judging it. Fortunately, as the story progresses, the story itself takes more of the focus, and I found myself going back to taking an interest in it. Overall the book pretty much matched my expectations, and I'd say it is well worth a read. It's entertaining enough to be worth it, and of course, when one finds onself in sophisticated, educated company one can be one of those people who say "Why, yes. Of course I've read The Picture of Dorian Gray. Who hasn't?"
    • 4/5
      I'm glad that I read this book. I know the basic story of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" because it has become part of culture by being copied, referenced and parodied in TV, movies and other books. As a result of giving his soul to remain youthful, Dorian's picture ages and shows the results of his hedonistic lifestyle while Dorian does not. However, I didn't know the details of Dorian's life--what led him to his lifestyle and the nature of it.In regard to the book, I did have some problems with it. Until Chapter 12 and excepting Dorian's original act that started his life of corruption, I was never sure if I understood the lifestyle that Dorian lived. Wilde strongly hinted at it, but I was constantly wondering if I missed something in what I read or if Wilde had intentionally left Dorian's acts vague so that the readers could fill in the blanks. However, beginning with the 12th chapter and continuing after, Wilde becomes more explicit and provides more detail of Dorian's actions.Also, I could have done without most of Chapter 11. In this chapter, Wilde goes into great detail about his character's obsession with unique musical instruments, jewels, tapestries and Roman Catholic vestments. I really didn't get the point of the chapter.Except for these issues, I enjoyed the book and am very glad I read it. I can now say I know the full story of "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
    • 4/5
      From a footnote of my book, I looked up Faust legion. Thank you Wiki. It pretty much sums up the entire book. What happens when the handsome and wealthy Dorian Gray worries about losing his youthful bloom and will immediately look minutes, then days, weeks, years older than the just completed picture of him? His random outburst of giving his soul to stay looking the same as the picture was granted. Be careful what you ask for!With the (mostly bad) influences of Lord Henry, a natural and encouraged narcissism, and a trigger point of the death of a potential bride, Dorian finds it necessary to test the limits of self-indulgence, a hedonistic lifestyle of the highest of the high (music, art, jewels, etc.) and the lowest of the low (opium, etc.). All the while, he blames the picture and its artist for forcing him to live such a life. How delusional and self-absorbed can a person become when they already have more in life than virtually the entire population? Like many Victorian literature, I expected long, wordy descriptions. For this book, I additionally struggled with the put-down of women. “… no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals.” Perhaps this is why I’ve known intelligent men who choose to love a woman because she is “simple”, whatever the hell that means. And “We have emancipated them, but they remain slaves looking for their masters, all the same. They love being dominated.” Argh, how crude. Despite efforts to place myself into the era and that this is supposed to be ‘witty’, I still find the verbatim words insulting. The Longman cultural edition I have is highly informative with footnotes to explain references, including how this book was used against Oscar Wilde’s then-upcoming indecency trials. I recommend this edition.Some Quotes:On brains vs. looks – I laughed at this and then wondered if I should become dumber – kidding!!“…But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face. The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid.”On the power of words – perhaps this is why words can bring such joy and be so hurtful too:“…Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?”On old age:“…But we never get back our youth. The pulse of joy that beats in us at twenty, becomes sluggish. Our limbs fail, our sense rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were much too afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to…”On influences – this sent chills in me in the worst way, knowing others have influenced me and vice versa, so controlling and brain washing:“…Talking to him was like playing upon an exquisite violin. He answered to every touch and thrill of the bow… There was something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence… To project one’s soul into some gracious form, and let it tarry there for a moment; to hear one’s own intellectual views echoed back to one with all the added music of passion and youth; to convey one’s temperament into another as though it were a subtle fluid or a strange perfume: there was a real joy in that.”On faithfulness – this was, hmm, interesting…“My dear boy, the people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect – simply a confession of failure.”On love and marriage – Bundy style perhaps:“When a woman marries again, it is because she detested her first husband. When a man marries again, it is because he adored his first wife. Women try their luck; men risk theirs.”And“Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them they will forgive us everything, even our intellects.”And“’What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!’ exclaimed Lord Henry. ‘A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.’”On the mind and body connection – if only it’s this simple:“That is one of the great secrets of life – to cure the soul by means of the senses, and the sense by means of the soul.”On experiences – this is different than anything I’ve ever read on the word “experience”:“As it was, we always misunderstood ourselves, and rarely understood others. Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”On the small things in life – this is sweet:“…a chance tone of colour in a room or a morning sky, a particular perfume that you had once loved and that brings subtle memories with it, a line from a forgotten poem that you had come across again, a cadence from a piece of music that you had ceased to play – I tell you, Dorian, that it is on things like these that our lives depend.”
    • 4/5
      Who can not recommend Oscar Wilde? Wonderful, the story in it's purest form
    • 4/5
      Dorian Gray is a strikingly handsome young man whose beauty attracts degenerate aristocrat Sir Henry Wotton. Dorian's picture has been painted by a talented artist Basil Hallward and Sir Henry becomes desperate to meet Dorian. Sir Henry persuades Dorian to pose for a picture painted by Basil and during the painting sessions, Henry “educates” the young and impressionable Dorian about life. Sir Henry's obsession with youth and his cynical, materialistic outlook on everything begin to slowly affect Dorian. Dorian descends into a decadent world, where he commits despicable deeds while everyone else feels the effects. Lives are destroyed and crimes are committed but Dorian's self-indulgent and depraved life continues. The story takes a twist from here as the picture begins to develop a life of its own.

      The novel is considered a literary masterpiece, complete with Gothic atmosphere and Oscar Wilde's understanding of human nature. It's seems just as relevant today where we are constantly searching for youth and our obsession with fighting age through youthful appearance. The Picture of Dorian Gray remains the symbol of the search for the Fountain of Youth, even though it comes with a tremendous price tag.

      I thought this was a fantastic book and even though the language is very flowery, it's typical of novels written in the 1890's. Once I got into the cadence of it, I found the writing to be fascinating. I'm sorry I never read the book before, but maybe I needed to be older to appreciate the themes of beauty, morality and immortality. I think Wilde would be delighted to know that his book has been generating both good and bad opinions for over a hundred years.
    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful and witty tale about a depraved man. His ugly soul is mirrored by his ever-changing portrait while he retains his youthful visage. Suspenseful throughout. A classic.
    • 5/5
      I never really wanted to read any Oscar Wilde books; they just didn't interest me. But while I was learning to use CeltX script software, "The Importance of Being Earnest" was included as a free example text. I was hooked immediately.Several plays later, I finally pick up "The Picture of Dorian Gray". It has fast become one of my favorite novels of all time.With each of the characters playing to an extreme of Wilde's personality, rather than getting a picture of Dorian Gray, you get a picture of Wilde's life. And what a rich life it was. Of course, I've been mildly infatuated with the Regency/Victorian since I read "Pride and Prejudice", but Dorian Gray succesfully turned that infatuation into what one might call an obsession.Between the vivid and beautiful prose, the witty dialogue and character relationships, and the compellingly simple story itself, I couldn't put this book down. It's a great read even if you don't like Victorian lit or history--a great read even if you're not a fan of Oscar Wilde--and a great read even if you don't like history. And, of course, if you like any or all of thsoe things, it's an *awesome* read.I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
    • 4/5
      The Picture of Dorian Gray is a well known classic and many people have some idea about the story line, a magic picture ages and bears the marks while Dorian himself doesn't change. While that is an important part, there is a lot more to the story. I felt it was well worth the time to read this one. I am willing to admit ignorance in the subject but the first section of the book felt very much like a chaste homosexual romance, which considering the time it was written, I can only imagine many did consider it lurid, as several of the reviews of the time showed (5-6 contemporary reviews of the work were available in the appendixes). There were 3 main characters Dorian, his artist friend Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotten. Basil and Henry gravitate around Dorian and appear to be like the little angel and the little devil that sit on each shoulder. Basil an artist in love of beauty and purity. Lord Henry, a cynic and enjoys putting down everything others hold in high regard. Since this is a moral tale, Dorian slowly listens to his little devil more and more, and as he suffers no serious repercussions for his forays into sin, his experiments become darker and more elaborate. His portrait painted by Basil, is a road map and mirror to Dorian's depravity which starts to eat away at Dorian's sanity.Overall a fairly good tale, a little flowery like much of the Victorian lit but not nearly to the extent of Dracula.
    • 4/5
      I was kind of underwhelmed by this one. Some interesting ideas were brought up, but the story itself wasn't as riveting as I thought it would be.
    • 3/5
      Not anywhere near as entrancing as the first time I read it - but that's likely due to me aging a decade. Initially, I found Wilde's witticisms (mainly via Lord Henry) thought-provoking and... sparkly:"The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for ourselves. The basis of optimism is sheer terror."This time 'round, they veered more toward shit-stirring, sound-bite nonsense (intentionally? Lord Henry exists to suggest corruption and watch the show). But so long as you don't view it through the lenses of a purely self-indulgent fuck, I agree AMEN:"To be good is to be in harmony with one's self. Discord is to be forced to be in harmony with others. One's own life - that is the important thing. As for the lives of one's neighbors, if one wished to be a prig or a Puritan, one can flaunt one's moral views about them, but they are not one's concern. Besides, Individualism has really the higher aim. Modern morality consists in accepting the standard of one's age. I consider that for any man of culture to accept the standard of his age is a form of the grossest immorality."And it still managed to resonate, albeit less so (which probably means I'm less of an asshole than I was, or just more aware of fellow life):"All ways end at the same point - disillusion."*reread*
    • 4/5
      Loved it. Consistently interesting, though a few of the speeches dragged on as did a few of Wilde's "detailing paragraphs." Though I may not have agreed with everything that was said, overall it was very good, and Wilde is a beautiful writer.