The Picture of Dorian Gray

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” (The Picture of Dorian Gray) Oscar Wilde's only novel - the picture of Dorian Gray - is, simply speaking, a masterpiece. It deals with the decline of the human soul, and the consequences of not having to fear any consequences at all. We get to know young, beautiful, privileged, wealthy, yet naive Dorian Gray and explore the depths of the corruption of our souls through him. It's a critique of the Victorian society which can very well be transferred to today's - how far are we willing to go for eternal youth and beauty? How far can we push our vanities? I find myself being drawn back to the book more often than I'd like to admit; it's most definitely one of my all-time favourites. If you want to explore Basil and Dorian's relationship further, I recommend reading the uncensored version:)

After about 70 pages you realise that book will have you staring into space for a while. The number of things this book has you think about are insane, if I may say so. Such a fascinating, well written story. It may be what some call 'grotesque', but isn't that fascinating? We see so many shades of moral gray, mainly coming from Dorian 'Gray', whom we see changing after he met Lord Henry, whom I really liked and hated all at once. If it is a change for the better is for you to decide. I really liked this book and it definitely just became one of my favorites. Maybe give it a go?

Ich habe das Buch mit Genuss gelesen. Wilde ist ein fantastischer Autor, mit Witz, Intelligenz und einem scharfen Auge für gesellschaftliche Kritik.

Ganz abgesehen von der Tatsache, dass Oscar Wilde einer jener Autoren ist, die es schaffen Texte zu schreiben, die wahre Kunstwerke sind und "The Picture of Dorian Gray" ein grandioses Beispiel dafür ist, ist dieser Druck zusätzlich sehr schön, durch die Schrift nicht anstrengend für die Augen und mit einem sehr guten Vorwort bestattet, das den Ausdruck der Dekadenz sehr gut beschreibt.

...but, In his novel Wilde displays how superficiality can influence a society and what happens if you let yourself be influenced. Wildes attempt to change the purpose of Art by trying to free it from its responsibility has absolutly worked here. I thouroughly adored Wildes writing style! If you are into classics, I highly recommend reading this next. Also: For upmost enjoyment read this in autumn:)