Book 12

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I was excited to read this book, thinking it a classic by the notorious Oscar Wilde. But, I was instead introduced to what I consider a poor attempt at transforming a play into a novel. I made it to page 92 - halfway through - and had to put it down. There was very little showing of the individual characters, and an entirety of telling.

This novel was the only one Wilde ever did, as he was more known for his position as a playwright. And while the idea of a man who wishes to remain young forever, and in greed commits numerous sins, which are then reflected in his self image, is an incredible idea, there was not enough pizazz within this novel to enlighten me.

I found myself skipping through sentences instead of truly being absorbed within them. And the story offered the truly sexist and misogynistic views of men in the late 19th century, which (while I can embrace differences of that time) had me rolling my eyes. Thus, I made a wholehearted attempt to read it, and then put it back on the shelf.