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Sasha's Reviews > The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Sasha's review
bookshelves: 2010, ireland, reading-through-history, top-100, rth-lifetime
Mar 02, 2010
bookshelves: 2010, ireland, reading-through-history, top-100, rth-lifetime
Cool book. I recently read Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which makes a nice companion piece to this since they're sortof about the same thing. Dorian Gray was published in 1890, Jekyll & Hyde in 1886; Wilde's apparently on record as admiring Jekyll & Hyde.
I think Wilde's lack of experience writing novels shows sometimes. James Vane is introduced so clumsily that it's instantly clear that Sibyl will (view spoiler) Not brilliantly subtle.
Jekyll & Hyde, by contrast, is a tidy little package by a master storyteller. But it doesn't reach for the same heights that Dorian Gray does. Wilde's not always successful, but I think he's set his sights higher.
I'm a little afraid that Wilde thinks Lord Henry is as charming as everyone in the book seems to. From quotes I've read, and from Wilde's preface to this book ("All art is quite useless"), Henry's paradoxical style seems to be an exaggerated version of Wilde's own. The problem is that Henry's a total bore. He's just constructing elaborate nonsense based on a formula. You could probably write a software program to deliver Henry-isms. "I'm tired!" "I tire only of sleeping." "That girl's hot!" "There's nothing so ugly as a pretty girl." Oh, shut up.
I think Wilde's lack of experience writing novels shows sometimes. James Vane is introduced so clumsily that it's instantly clear that Sibyl will (view spoiler) Not brilliantly subtle.
Jekyll & Hyde, by contrast, is a tidy little package by a master storyteller. But it doesn't reach for the same heights that Dorian Gray does. Wilde's not always successful, but I think he's set his sights higher.
I'm a little afraid that Wilde thinks Lord Henry is as charming as everyone in the book seems to. From quotes I've read, and from Wilde's preface to this book ("All art is quite useless"), Henry's paradoxical style seems to be an exaggerated version of Wilde's own. The problem is that Henry's a total bore. He's just constructing elaborate nonsense based on a formula. You could probably write a software program to deliver Henry-isms. "I'm tired!" "I tire only of sleeping." "That girl's hot!" "There's nothing so ugly as a pretty girl." Oh, shut up.
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Reading Progress
March 2, 2010
–
Started Reading
March 2, 2010
– Shelved
March 5, 2010
–
Finished Reading
March 15, 2010
– Shelved as:
2010
May 16, 2011
– Shelved as:
ireland
July 19, 2011
– Shelved as:
reading-through-history
December 29, 2013
– Shelved as:
top-100
January 2, 2015
– Shelved as:
rth-lifetime
Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)
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by
Jayme
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 03, 2010 06:56PM
Yay, you're doing the monthly read. Are you going over to discuss it when you're done? I just finished it today, but I won't head over til tomorrow I think. I freakin' loved it though. Slow starter, but just got better and better.
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I'm already there, in the no spoiler thread. I'm around halfway through now.
Booo, spoilers all the way.
I'll join you there in a couple of days. :)
Your paragraph on Henry completely made my day. That's exactly what I thought of him.
Glad you agree, Emily Michelle.
"You could probably write a software program to deliver Henry-isms" - 5stars
