Dorian

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I debated my rating between 2 and 3, for various reasons. It's not, let's be honest, the most enthraling of novels. But, for a classic, it isn't half bad. In the end, it boiled down to this: while the writing, narrative and storyline generally were not my cup of tea, dragging in parts with overly wordy an completely irrelevant explanations of beauty, there is a great deal of wit, cunning and hideous irony to The Picture of Dorian Gray. The concept, the undertones and the sinister mood which presides is excellent, and yet I found myself as a reader, wanting more, as though the surface had barely been scratched. Never-the-less the classic ideal of ageless beauty, juxtaposed with the haunting horror of grotesque sins has become an archetype all it's own in the infamous painting. A brilliant concept, the portrait holds its own within the novel despite its rather background setting. Pair this sinister presence with the clever banter that seems to so mark Wilde, and the potentially dry narrative gains the flavor and interest necessary to keep the pages turning. As stated, I would have liked to see the concept taken further and explored more deeply, but overall was left satisfied.


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