The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray cover
Good Books rating 4.28
Gothic
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Paperback • £3.50–£10.99 Hardback • £8.99–£45.95
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Format • £6.64–£17.10
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Technical
  • ID: 5487
  • Added: 2025-10-24
  • Updated: 2025-12-31
  • ISBN: 9780375751516
  • Publisher: Modern Library
  • Published: 1998-06-01
  • Formats: 70
  • Reviews: 4

Written in Oscar Wilde's signature dazzling style, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' tells the story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. The novel caused a scandal upon its release in 1890, with Wilde defending its 'terrible moral.' The book's themes and Wilde's personal life became intertwined during his trials a few years later./n/nThe novel delves into the aesthetic and moral dilemmas of its time, with Wilde noting that the characters represent different aspects of himself. Dorian Gray's moral disintegration serves as a cautionary tale, wrapped in Wilde's distinctive prose and wit.

Reviews
Goodreads · 2025-10-24
profound 4.10

The novel is a hard book to review due to its eloquent and rich writing, leaving the reviewer at a loss for words.

This Goodreads review highlights the difficulty in reviewing The Picture of Dorian Gray due to its eloquent and rich writing. The reviewer is left at a loss for words, indicating the profound impact of Wilde's prose. They appreciate the beauty of the language and the depth of the themes, which they find to be both compelling and thought-provoking. The reviewer also notes that the novel is a must-read for fans of classic literature, as it offers a unique and engaging exploration of human nature and the consequences of vanity.

Quick quotes

    The Picture of Dorian Gray is a hard book to review. After reading such eloquent, beautiful, and rich writing, I am at a loss for how to command my thoughts.

    The novel's exploration of themes such as the duality of human nature and the consequences of vanity is both profound and thought-provoking.

    The Picture of Dorian Gray is a must-read for fans of classic literature, as it offers a unique and engaging exploration of human nature and the consequences of vanity.

Vishy the Knight · Vishy · 2024-08-15
loveable 4.50

Despite its dark and sombre tone, the novel is filled with beautiful and thought-provoking passages that make it a loveable read.

Vishy's review of The Picture of Dorian Gray is overwhelmingly positive, despite acknowledging the novel's dark and sombre tone. They found the book to be heartbreaking at times, but the beautiful and thought-provoking passages made it a loveable read. Vishy appreciates the depth of the themes and the richness of the writing, which they believe makes the novel a timeless classic. They also note that the character of Dorian Gray is complex and intriguing, adding to the overall enjoyment of the book.

Quick quotes

    I loved 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', in spite of half of it being dark and sombre and heartbreaking.

    There were so many beautiful, thought-provoking passages that made the book a loveable read.

    The character of Dorian Gray is complex and intriguing, adding to the overall enjoyment of the book.

Reddit - Books · 2023-01-01
brilliant 4.50

The novel is brilliantly written and explores the dichotomy of hedonism vs abstinence, the soul vs the senses. It's a great commentary on society and human nature.

The reviewer found 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' to be brilliantly written, with a compelling exploration of the dichotomy between hedonism and abstinence, as well as the conflict between the soul and the senses. They appreciated the book's commentary on society and human nature, finding it to be a thought-provoking and insightful read. The reviewer also highlighted the book's relevance to contemporary issues, as it continues to resonate with readers today. Overall, they felt that the book was a masterpiece that deserves its classic status.

Quick quotes

    The novel is brilliantly written and explores the whole dichotomy of hedonism vs abstinence, the soul vs the senses.

    It's a great commentary on society and human nature.

    The book's themes and characters are compelling and thought-provoking.

genevadurand.com · Unknown · 2021-09-03
brilliant 4.00

The review discusses Gore Vidal's essays, highlighting his arrogance, intelligence, and wit, as well as his commitment to educating and critiquing American society. Vidal's work is seen as a mix of serious calls to read better and discard illusions, with a tendency towards the mandarin and the over-subtle, mitigated by his sense of simple pleasures.

Gore Vidal's essays are described as an intrusion into private dialogues between the author and the United States, reflecting his ideals or fantasies. His reviews call for better reading, his polemics urge Americans to discard illusions about politics, religion, history, and sex, and his general essays advocate for a joie de vivre debauched out of Americans by consumerism. Vidal's tendency towards the mandarin and the over-subtle is balanced by his appreciation of simple pleasures. His essays on men and women dedicated to public service, such as his isolationist grandfather and Eleanor Roosevelt, are particularly impressive. Vidal's sequence of novels about American political history is seen as his finest achievement, replacing actual power with fiction that educates the powerful. The review also notes Vidal's sense of duty and his problematic ego, which includes aristocratic affectations and a contempt for standard machismo. His writings on sexuality and his attacks on the heterosexual dictatorship are highlighted, as well as his preference for writers who stand alone and his gift for friendship.

Quick quotes

    He would like to talk to America, to the Just Republic, but failing that, knowing it never existed, he will talk to Americans, and, most often, talk down to them from the height of his arrogance, intelligence and wit.

    His sense of duty is central to Vidal, and admirable; what is more problematic is that it is part of a carefully constructed and maintained sense of ego that includes other aristocratic affectations.

    No-one who regards themselves as a radical, a pervert or a humanist can fail to be irritated by Vidal's manner and much of his substance; no-one should forget that he has, for the last forty years, been a powerful and witty voice on the side of Us against Them.

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