# The Picture of Dorian Gray



## October Song (Jul 12, 2005)

Written by Oscar Wilde, in the 1800s. The book was actually ripped apart by crtics and banned when it was first published. Now it's considered a classic. One of my all time favorite books. The writing style is absolutely flawless; every time I read it I wish I could write like that. Who else has read it?


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## jipsi (Jul 12, 2005)

*wildely inimitable...*

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my absolute FAVORITE books of all time. i too strive for his combination of elegance and wit and morbid beauty that is seamlessly blended in this book. i think he was probably the first author i ever tried to mimic , after i read this book. everything , from dialogue to description to commentary is done in just the perfect , balanced amount.


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## wordwitch (Jan 30, 2006)

I am down with any book that made the banned list at some point.  It's been riding around in the backseat of my car for six months, so I better read it.


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## Mr Peace (Jan 31, 2006)

October Song said:
			
		

> The book was actually ripped apart by crtics and banned when it was first published. Now it's considered a classic.



"There is no such thing as an obscene book.  There are well written books and poorly written books.  That is all."
-Wilde

My first name is Dorian, after the main character in this book.  I've read it and it's very good, as is nearly anything by Wilde.


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## pride.in.introspection (Feb 11, 2006)

I have. It's brilliant. Except for chapter 11 or so where the going went a bit tough and it took me... a week... to get through those pages... But I loved the ending!


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## strangedaze (Feb 11, 2006)

read it for shits and giggles over the summer. i enjoyed it, but i wouldnt count it as a favorite. his rendition of salomé, however, was fab.


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## Rogue Writer (Feb 24, 2006)

Wait a moment. Oh shit I've read this book I know I have but I can't remeber what it is about. Someone please refresh my memory.


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## hirshmon (Feb 24, 2006)

To be honest, it's one of my LEAST favorite books of all time. I hated it, and I hate Wilde's writing... it's so hard to trudge through. I don't care if they considered him witty at the turn of the century...here, right now, in the 21st century, I think he and his writing are, frankly, boring. The story might've been compelling and exciting and entertaining if someone else had written it...


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## kalibantre (Feb 24, 2006)

I adore it, simple as. It's up there in my favourites and I think hirshmon you were a little harsh, and rogue? how can you not remember the plot??


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## aliceedelweiss (Feb 24, 2006)

I loved it. I'm actually going to be reading it again soon for English class. i did tons of research on Wilde afterwords,reading all the stuff about his imprisonment and all. I don't remember exactly why it was banned...can any one help me on that? Either way, I completely loved it. The atmosphere it gave was glorious.


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## hirshmon (Feb 24, 2006)

kalibantre said:
			
		

> I adore it, simple as. It's up there in my favourites and I think hirshmon you were a little harsh, and rogue? how can you not remember the plot??


 
I remember the plot... it was a decent plot and idea. What I hated was reading it, because of Wilde's execution. I might be a little harsh, but I know that reading it was very harsh. I don't think I enjoyed a single page of it.


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## kalibantre (Feb 25, 2006)

the plot comment wasaimed at rogue.


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## hirshmon (Feb 25, 2006)

Oh, sorry..I thought you meant that I had a rogue opinion. Haha, whoops.


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## kalibantre (Feb 25, 2006)

haha, no. But I like the idea of having a rogue opinion.. haha.

I do have a problem with Dorian Gray.. He shouldn't be blond..


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## stormswimmer (Mar 5, 2006)

I thought that it was a great book. It has a witty feel with well developed plot and characters.


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## nereyda_333 (Mar 5, 2006)

Well... The Picture of Dorian Gray is probably my most hated book, even more than the Da Vinci Code! I read it some years ago, and I remember that at first I liked it, I thought "how witty is this guy". But according I was reading more, I started getting more and more annoyed by the way it was written, the bunch of stupid things that could fit into the same page... (I think he tried too hard to be witty and to seem clever) And when the painter (who was my favourite character) died, I got really angry. From that point finishing the book was a nightmare for me. I wanted to know how the story ended, but every time I picked up the book I got angry, it was an unbearable book for me. And now I don´t even remember the ending :-s


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## J. Bryan Shoup (Mar 26, 2006)

This was the first selection my book club read - it is quite a classic. I found Dorian's transformation from angelic figure to corrupted deviant a bit rushed, but it was satisfying overall.


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## LoneWolf (Mar 27, 2006)

I just read it for AP English. I absolutely loved it...since I had to analyze it I found so many symbols and literary devices. It was great, made me wish I could write like that. Though the ending kind of confused me, I liked it.


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## kalibantre (Mar 27, 2006)

I still cry over Sybill.


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## LoneWolf (Mar 29, 2006)

Ya, Sybil was so innocent...did you see all the rose imagery that Wilde described her with? It's not really Dorian's fault though...I loathe Harry.


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## kalibantre (Mar 29, 2006)

His letter to her was inspired bless him. I love Dorain just because I can't believe he's a truly bad person.. he's just lost shall we say. and James, god what a man.. that amount of loyalty is so admirable.


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## LoneWolf (Mar 29, 2006)

Yes, I felt bad for James when Dorian tricked him, but also happy for Dorian. I love this book because it just makes you think.


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## kalibantre (Mar 29, 2006)

Yeah I remember the first time I had a oh my god whose side am I on moment, and then thought fuck it, I'm in love with Mr Gray...

I'm away for a week I think I'll have to have Dorian with me.. I'll take the copy I got for christmas with me, I have 2, at least..


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## LoneWolf (Mar 29, 2006)

Hehe look at us...we're some Dorian dorks...I like that sound of that, actually


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## kalibantre (Mar 29, 2006)

I sat in a doctors waiting room and let 3 people be treated before me so I could read some more of it, I'd already read it 4 times, one that week...

I'm bad, I love him.. Its one of my favourite books I just.. god.. I even got my ex who always swore against Wilde to start liking him haha.. 

My daddy is the reason I have "Wilde at heart" in my sig, I was chatting on and on about the fact I have another Oscar wilde book and thats what he came out with. I am a nerd, and gladly so  I love that I didn't get into him just because of the quotes like so many people who claim to be Wilde fans..


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## Amarisa (May 10, 2006)

I just recently finished it.  The story itself is excellent, the philosophy in it is boring and hard to get through and remember.  And yes, outdated.  I agree with whomever commented above me; the ideas might have been gasp-worthy in polite society back then, but now-a-days it's common sense or just meaningless.  I would love to be able to quote him, but I simply can't.  He ranks up there with Victor Hugo, another author I recently finished.  Both of them use philosophical ideas within their dialogue.  If it weren't for Lord Henry's (he's a lord, right? gah!  see how fried my brain is??) constant stream of ideas, the book would be much smoother.

Granted, I loved the story.  But I'm not reading it again any time soon.


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## AtlanteanTapir (May 10, 2006)

wow, i love his books. i first downloaded it in pdf (yes, sadly, it was hard to read) so then i bought the book. I LOVE IT!!


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## sebastian (May 11, 2006)

i thought it was ok. the atmosphere created was indeed pretty good. his aesthetic chapter (11) was a bit missplaced and his secondary characters were a bit 2d. i also thought the plot could have done with a bit more fine tuning but overall it was a pretty decent read


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## blademasterzzz (May 31, 2006)

I haven't read it yet, planning to do it soon. So, does anyone die of a heart attack?


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## aliceedelweiss (May 31, 2006)

heart attack? Why ask that?


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## blademasterzzz (May 31, 2006)

Wilde seems to have a little bit of an obsession - a lot of his characters die of heart attacks.


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## take a whiff on me (Jun 29, 2006)

whats the book about?


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## chmpman (Jul 12, 2006)

This is interesting:

*A Dialogue Between Sir Henry Wotton and Mr. Donne*

by John Donne

[W.]


IF her disdain least change in you can move,
You do not love,
For when that hope gives fuel to the fire,
You sell desire.
Love is not love, but given free ;
And so is mine ; so should yours be.


[D.]

Her heart, that weeps to hear of others' moan,
To mine is stone.
Her eyes, that weep a stranger's eyes to see,
Joy to wound me.
Yet I so well affect each part,
As—caused by them—I love my smart.


[W.]

Say her disdainings justly must be graced
With name of chaste ;
And that she frowns lest longing should exceed,
And raging breed ;
So her disdains can ne'er offend,
Unless self-love take private end.


[D.]

'Tis love breeds love in me, and cold disdain
Kills that again,
As water causeth fire to fret and fume,
Till all consume.
Who can of love more rich gift make,
That to Love's self for love's own sake?

I'll never dig in quarry of an heart
To have no part,
Nor roast in fiery eyes, which always are
Canicular.
Who this way would a lover prove,
May show his patience, not his love.

A frown may be sometimes for physic good,
But not for food ;
And for that raging humour there is sure
A gentler cure.
Why bar you love of private end,
Which never should to public tend?


​


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## IamLegend (Jul 13, 2006)

Personally I can't wait to start reading some of Wilde's work. From what I've heard he writes a lot like Bram Stoker? I'm not sure and haven't touched anything he's written, but I plan on it soon. What else has he penned, anyone?


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## chmpman (Jul 13, 2006)

The Importance of Being Ernest is quite amusing, with all talk of Bunburying.  A little parable type short story called The Happy Prince (I think) is good, almost got a tear out of me.  That's all I've read, with Dorian Gray.


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## Mungye (Oct 23, 2006)

Hey Ch how are you?
I too have read the trio and loved them, really loved them although with Dorian Grey I was quite unnerved by some of the issues I thought I saw the author struggle with.Still really great reading.


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## WordBeast (Oct 31, 2006)

Wilde's early writing is witty, satirical and entertaining, but to fully appreciate him as an artist, it's important to read his two great works written in prison, _De Profundis_ and _The Ballad of Reading Gaol_. These two pieces are profoundly moving, and reveal his serious side. Tragically, after his release from prison, up until his death three years later, he was unable to write again.


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## Girl in Story (Jul 29, 2007)

It's kind of weird. I must have heard of the plot somewhere when I was younger, because I started having dreams about a guy whose portrait aged when he didn't. So I mentioned the dreams to my dad and he said it sounded like the premise of _The Picture of Dorian Gray_.

I started looking for a copy, because I couldn't get this weird yen to read it out of my head. I work at a bookstore, and we didn't it in stock, and the local librarian hadn't even heard of it (which I think is a little sad) so I just ordered myself a copy. I can't wait to get it.


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## Baron (Jul 29, 2007)

aliceedelweiss said:


> I loved it. I'm actually going to be reading it again soon for English class. i did tons of research on Wilde afterwords,reading all the stuff about his imprisonment and all. I don't remember exactly why it was banned...can any one help me on that? Either way, I completely loved it. The atmosphere it gave was glorious.


 
The book was banned because it was thought that there were implied allusions to homosexuality.


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## Girl in Story (Aug 6, 2007)

I'm so glad I ordered it. I really loved it. It made me miserable.


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## Dabnorfish (Aug 7, 2007)

When the day at work was dragging, I said to my colleagues "In the attic, there's a painting of me going home."  No-one understood


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## Jam (Aug 10, 2007)

Never have I read a book where almost every peice of dialogue was a memorable quote before. I loved this book!


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## BlackWolf (Aug 10, 2007)

Really? I thought it was boring. I hate classics. There's no phsycology in them.


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## Jam (Aug 10, 2007)

BlackWolf said:


> Really? I thought it was boring. I hate classics. There's no phsycology in them.


 
Really? What about One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest....that's all about phsychotics!


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## BlackWolf (Aug 10, 2007)

Hahaha, not. I meant the really early ones, Dickens and the like. 2-D characters and way OTT descriptions, and story-lines that feel cliche even if they were the first of their kind. Yawn.


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## Girl in Story (Aug 10, 2007)

I don't know. I didn't think Estella Havisham was two dimensional. I definitely didn't think Dorian Gray was.


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## BlackWolf (Aug 10, 2007)

I make an exception for Great Expectations. Only Pip's sister and her husband were 2-D in that. The rest were fine.


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## Jam (Aug 10, 2007)

BlackWolf said:


> Hahaha, not. I meant the really early ones, Dickens and the like. 2-D characters and way OTT descriptions, and story-lines that feel cliche even if they were the first of their kind. Yawn.


 
Haha yeah deffinitly get that  Just thought I'd make a funny  And I did haha.


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## superchase32 (Aug 11, 2007)

Wilde is the it! this is one of my favorite Wilde works. My other favorite is the simple though classic A Woman Of No Importance. Dorian Gray is one of the best male literary characters.


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## creativespark (Aug 25, 2007)

WordBeast said:


> Wilde's early writing is witty, satirical and entertaining, but to fully appreciate him as an artist, it's important to read his two great works written in prison, _De Profundis_ and _The Ballad of Reading Gaol_. These two pieces are profoundly moving, and reveal his serious side. Tragically, after his release from prison, up until his death three years later, he was unable to write again.


So, these two were written after _The Picture of Dorian Gray_?


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## Girl in Story (Aug 26, 2007)

Deleted


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## cactusfruit (Sep 4, 2007)

Yes, I've read it after recommendation of a friend. I'm considering reading it again for a full understanding & second-time around enjoyment. But I did enjoy it first time around, too.


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## TWariner (Sep 22, 2007)

Love it!  It's one of my favorite books.  I love Oscar Wilde stuff in general.  This is just one of the most interesting ideas and subjects there is.


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## whoamI (Oct 18, 2007)

I to love the story.  In response to someone who said something like the book was dull and boring or something, it doesnt suprise me.  i believe that it takes a special sort of appreciation for literature to enjoy any sort of classic literature for the very reason that it is classic.  Modern literature is modeled after it so obviously it may be a bit more in depth or whatever way you want to put it.  Anyways, ever since i studied both classic and gothic literature (kind of wierd to say as gothic literature[the old style not the modern junk] is a form of classic literature, but oh well) i have been obsessed with the two.  For those of you who enjoy wilde i suggest going nto some areas of gothinc writing that are a lot more idk true gothic pieces.  My reccomendations would be The Monk by Mattew Lewis, although it is quite easy to find it boring especially since he goes nuts on adding all the elements of gothic literature into it.  Other good ones are The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole the founder of the gothic genre, or pretty much any of Ann Radcliffe's books, but i especially like The Italian as it is somewhat a parody of The Monk

If you are interested in the gothic genre contact me as i would love to learn more about or spread interest in it.


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## Girl in Story (Oct 27, 2007)

You basically just denounced all modern literature. That's like loving a classic just because other people call it a classic and it's kind of silly. Of course modern literature was modeled after classic literature, which was modeled after the stories that came before it, which were modeled after oral history. You should love a story because its a good story and not because signet prints an edition of it.


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## Justin Millett (Nov 6, 2007)

This book is amazing. My all time favorite book to sit down and phsyco-analyze. Wilde did a terrific job in this piece, exploring the dangers of human ego and vanity. The book had a tremendous impact on me as a young writer and also as a young human being. 

Also to the comments above about the book being boring: Yes, this book is boring, but the book is also written from a time when entertainment had nothing to do with shooting people or murder. This is true romance, and for you not to appreciate it is just....slander in my opinion haha.


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## Delvok (Nov 9, 2007)

I thought it was okay but dull and hard to read at parts.


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