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sunn_bleach 's review for:
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. What an asshole. I'm glad I read this classic now rather than high school - I see what Wilde is doing in the grotesque descriptions of food, drink, and conversation. The twist here is part of the anglophone zeitgeist, but how we get there is not, and Wilde takes his sweet time in classic Wildeian plotlessness. You don't read about Gray's Jekyll & Hyde-esque philandering, but you sure sense its effects, and the damaging of "reputation" is as damning as Victorian England could get. Intensely homoerotic as to be expected, and I'm very glad I finally read it during a cold camping weekend over Thanksgiving.
Graphic: Sexism, Murder
Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Antisemitism