Novel By: Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wow. The story follows Dorian Gray, a newly introduced member of high society, and his two companions, Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward. The young, British aristocrat is seen navigating his own personal maze of romance and enrapturing conversation, while battling to keep his own dark secret hidden from eager eyes. Hallward is the artist who Dorian’s first friendship was with. The two have several interactions that can be described as innocent and angelic; successfully encapsulating the sweetness of purity. This is soon followed by Lord Wotton’s gradual involvement in Dorian’s affairs, really spurring some of the latter’s notable decisions, and subsequently bringing forth new themes of hedonism, self awareness, and obsession. These elements are all incorporated into Dorian’s obsession with his bewitched portrait, exposing just how many sins someone will commit in the name of vanity. The novel’s interesting pacing works to stress the importance a mere dinner party had in the 17th century, while simultaneously exposing how years of laziness never affected the upper class lifestyles whatsoever. The plot’s consistent lack of linearity successfully added to the magic and unexplained observations in the tale, thus highlighting Oscar Wilde’s expertise in crafting such enchanting stories.
I decided to finally read this book on my flight from Dallas to San Francisco (as well as on the return trip), and in hindsight, I am very pleased I did! The establishment of main characters and the setting was a severe bore, but Wilde does not add anything without a purpose. Once the wheels start turning, the commotion that follows the male leads is too interesting to leave unresolved; speaking of, I stayed awake into the early hours of the AM to find out what really happened to that painting….
Finishing the novel left me with a lot of interesting ideas to ponder. Without spoiling anything, I want to draw attention to the ideas of beauty, art, and appearances. I never knew just how deep such ‘superficial’ characteristics were before this read, and it is a topic that can be so easily applied to modern society. I recommend ingesting Wilde’s various philosophies thoroughly, as it enhances the reading tenfold. I also consistently listened to classical music when enjoying this book, more specifically, the Anna Karenina Movie Soundtrack (by Dario Marianelli). The string orchestra in the background of the story helped the theme flow easier for me without being any distraction.
Overall, The Picture of Dorian Gray was fantastic. To me, entertainment is the most important thing to look for in a good book, and this one certainly checked off that box. It helped get me out of a three month long reading slump, and left me excited for more stories! I am rating this novel an easy 5 out of 5 stars.
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