The Picture of Dorian Gray Paperback – December 1, 2005

This is a very nice quality paperback, as I was hoping it would be. Oversized, with flexible binding (so one doesn't have to break the spine or pry the pages open.

Haven't read yet but it sounded interesting. The cover picture is very cool.

Vanity! Corruption! A painting that reflects a man's soul!All it needed was the Cryptkeeper providing opening and closing narration. Now that I think of it, I believe they might have actually done an altered version of this story.

My youngest daughter is an avid reader and loves re-reading books she was assigned in English class. In fact, she is a collector of these required assigned readings such as The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Wilde sees the world more clearly than any writer of fiction in the last century. It is for that reason that his work is so filled with countless paradoxes and contradictions that challenge the mind and titillate the senses. Wilde lived in an infinitely ironic age, when society had grown so influential as to crowd out the individuals that made it up. Today, we have taken for granted this incongruity and so our writers cannot express the kind of irony that Wilde mastered, despite the fact that we all know that something is amiss.`The Picture of Dorian Gray' is filled with this irony. The plot shows us the ultimate irony of a man giving up his soul for the beauty of youth--the condition that is exalted in the modern age above all else, intellect, truth, justice, life itself. Interspersed are dialogues and epigrams that persist one hundred years later as some of the finest word handling ever recorded. Even a few samples should compel the potential reader:"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.""Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.""A man cannot be too careful in his choice for his enemies.""The only difference between a caprice and a life-long passion is that the caprice lasts a little bit longer.""Men marry because they are tired, women marry because they are curious. Both are disappointed.""I love acting, it is so much more real than life."- "I am on the side of the Trojans, they fought for a woman."- "They were defeated."The mastery of wit that Wilde displays must be seen in its context. He was a decadent as much as the characters he portrays are. Ultimately, the disillusion that the decadent faces comes through in the story and the reader is left with a very uneasy feeling upon completing `Dorian Gray.' Is life as absurd as it seems? Is there a solution? Or are we stuck with a life of paradox? Perhaps our current period of decadence will show us an alternative. Until it does, we can enjoy the astounding word play offered here.

The experience of reading Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is tantamount to engaging in a philosophical debate with a person suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder--and they're winning. The exquisite attention to detail paired with a sharp analytical wit delivers an indomitable argument. One cannot help but succumb to temptations along with the charismatic Dorian and echo his cries of despair when the effects of sin become prominently displayed, marring the handsome features.Wilde creates a subtle trap, luring the reader with Dorian's innocence and naiveté. The snare gently tightens as the pure boy slides deeper into depravity and becomes corrupted by pleasure. So slowly is the reader introduced to the poison, by the time realization hits there is no hope of escape. They are as thoroughly embroiled in the life of hedonism and aestheticism as the protagonist. Dorian becomes subsequently more callous with every act of debauchery he commits and the impact of his actions is reduced by the sheer number of skeletons in his closet. Rather than becoming appalled as his wickedness grows, the reader is simple hardened for what is to come. When Dorian finally carries out the act of treachery that tilts the scale, no one is surprised.The pictures painted by Wilde's careful words are elaborate to the point of being mind-numbing. Explicit descriptions of Dorian's hobbies fill pages while serving no apparent purpose. Closer examination determines the usefulness of aforementioned descriptions in drawing the reader closer to the child-like curiosity of Dorian, perhaps justifying his eventual corruption. Unfortunately this knowledge is not enough to banish the tedium and some passages must simply be suffered through.Oscar Wilde has created a thought provoking masterpiece. An excellent read for those who have ever question the morality of society of have peered out across seas of corruption and vowed to stay away. Not for the faint of hear or easily distracted, hose who choose to take the plunge will find themselves pleasantly rewarded.