First, I've never read any of Oscar Wilde's works, but I've seen "The Importance of Being Earnest" three or four times and really enjoyed it.
Before starting this book, I read up a little bit about Oscar Wilde. Until then, I didn't know that Oscar Wilde was gay. However, I think I could have guessed it by the end of the first chapter of this book. :-) It doesn't take a genius. Later in life he was actually incarcerated for being homosexual.
So, about this particular book. I'm only through the first chapter but I am already glad that I chose it. It has the same wit and charm of "Earnest". I already have several favorite quotes, all from Chapter 1:
Describing an art gallery- "Whenever I have gone there, there have been either so many people that I have not been able to see the pictures, which was dreadful, or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse." Being an avid people-watcher, who enjoys artwork, I can echo this sentiment whole heartedly.
"I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects." Does this seem backward to you?
Just a note: There is a 2009 version of this book called "Dorian Gray" and starring Colin Firth. It isn't released on DVD yet (at least not on Netflix) but looks rather interesting. There are numerous older movies based on the book, dating back to 1945!
Melissa - Yes, you're are so right, you DID send me a copy. I read the first couple pages, and it's good so far. Will probably put a good dent in it tomorrow night and over the weekend.
If you haven't already read Chapter XI, then I would suggest skipping it. It reminds me of a Moby Dick digression. Let me sum up those pages: Many years pass.
Other than that chapter I am actually enjoying the book. I can't believe some of the stuff that comes out of Lord Henry's mouth but I expect his is meant to be outrageous.
Quite a few more favorite quotes (and the reason I am enjoying the book):
From chapter III: "'Dry goods! What are American dry-goods?' asked the Duchess... 'American novels' answered Lord Henry."
Also from Lord Henry in Ch. IV: "Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed." :-)
And again from Lord Henry in the same chapter: "As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, there are only five women in London worth talking to and two of these can't be admitted into decent society." I would say the first part is still true and am dying to know who the five women from the second part are!
And yet more of Lord Henry in Ch. VI: "'Marriage is hardly a thing that once can do now and then, Harry.' (said Basil) 'Except in America,' rejoined Lord Henry."
And Dorian's selfishness in Ch. VII epitomized: "His life was well worth hers. She had marred him for a moment, if he had wounded her for an age. Besides, women were better suited to bear sorrow than men." Really? I don't think so.
And yet more Lord Henry... in Ch. VIII: "..the only way a woman can ever reform a man is by boring him so completely that he loses all possible interest in life." This one really made me think. First, a woman's job isn't to reform men. Second, probably if a woman tried, she would bore the man to death since people who try to reform others are always so dreadfully boring!
From the same chapter: "Never trust a woman who wears mauve, whater her age may be, or a woman over thirty-five who is fond of pink ribbons." Yeah, I don't trust women who wear pink either.
And finally, for this posting, from Ch. X: The past coulc always be annihilated. Regret, denial, or forgetfulness could do that. But the future was inevitable."
I went ahead and finished last night since I only had 60 pages left. The last few chapters move along rather quickly compared to the prior chapters. It ended much the way I expected, but I won't say anymore until you've finished.
Just one other quote; the end of the book was a bit weak on interesting quotes, I thought.
From Ch. XIX, again from Lord Henry: "The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young." Having recently turned 30 :-) I can understand this quote.
So, a few questions to ponder. If you were Dorian Gray, would you have done the same thing? Live your life the way you want since you have an "out" rather than how you thought it should be lived? Do you think Lord Henry believed the things he said or that he just said them to get an impact? He doesn't appear to have lived his life by the philosophies he spoke. And finally, do you think Basil was partly to blame for Dorian's outcome? The book seems to blame Lord Henry and Dorian, but can any blame be parcelled out to Basil as well?
I was reading Chapter XI and thinking wow, this is boring, maybe I'll just skip it, I skimmed thru it and don't think I really missed anything.
I too thought the end moved right along. I liked the second half much better than the 1st half of the book.
I also liked the quote about the art gallery. So true.
Some of my favorite quotes are: From chapter 3, discussing English women vs. American women, "(American women) don't last, I'm told. A long engagement exhausts them, but they are capital on a steeplechase. They take things flying."
Near the end of Chapter 4, from Lord Henry, "Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes."
And from Chapter 19, Lord Henry says "To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable." Well, what else???
I didn't really like Lord Henry. He always had a quick comeback and that got annoying. He was just too cunning for his own good and just seemed to be a know-it-all. There was one point where Dorian referred to him as "Prince Paradox" and he was absolutely correct.
I can't say I really LIKED any of the characters except Sibyl Vane but then she was only in the book for a short time.
I was really shocked by the demise of Basil Hallward, I did NOT see that coming. And it seemed to me that all that burning would have made a horrible stench, didn't anyone in the house or nearby smell anything???
As for your questions Melissa, I don't think I would have lived like Dorian knowing there was an out. I think it would have made me more fearful to watch the destruction of the picture. It was such a visible "soul" if you will rather than an internal one. So Dorian had to hide the picture so he would not have such a visible reminder of his soul. And he stayed "youthfully" irresponsible.
And Lord Henry just says things for impact. He's a know-it-all.
I am uncertain about Basil's responsibility. He idolizes Dorian, admits the painting is his best work, says he has put into the painting the "secret of his OWN soul", yet gives the painting to Dorian, and shows up some 20 years later??? I don't get it.
And what do you think Dorian used as blackmail with Alan Campbell? It was obviously something from their earlier days, but before the painting or after the painting?
I also noticed the "getting back youth" comment and wondered "what else is there?".
I enjoyed Lord Henry's character but didn't like him. But then, I didn't like Sybil Vane either. She seemed silly and stupid to me. Really, who calls their fiancee/boyfriend "Prince Charming"?
I expected something like Basil's demise to occur. We were led to believe that Dorian was so corrupt and immoral, it seemed only a small step from there to murder. I rather expected him to murder his servant, though. I too wondered about the smell. Though, from what I've heard, most of London stunk for most of its history, maybe nobody would notice one more rank smell? After all, look how long Sweeney Todd and his landlady baked people into pies before they were caught. :-)
I'm not sure what I would if I were Dorian. I would like to say that I would still be a good person, but oh! the temptation. I wonder if he could eat whatever he wanted and only the picture would get fat? I would enjoy that. A lot.
I think I do hold Basil responsible, to some extent. He is the one who "discovered" Dorian and introduced him to Lord Henry; he must have known Lord Henry would attempt to corrupt, or at least shape, Dorian. AND he created the vehicle of Dorian's destruction. Or did he? Would Dorian have been just as bad even if he hadn't had a portrait to hide his soul? I think maybe he might of.
One thing that kind-of irked me was that until the very end, we are told that Dorian is evil, but not what he has actually done. Lots of sex and drugs are alluded to, but we aren't really told anything. Like, for example, what he and Alan Campbell did together that was so bad he could use it as blackmail. It must have been pretty bad, since Campbell kills himself later on.
I really struggled through this book. Like Joy I found Lord Henry to be a know it all whose constant smart mouth was most annoying. Indeed, as he himself said in chapter 19 "Her clever tongue gets on one's nerves."
There were a lot of quotes that I liked in the first chapter or so, but after that not many jumped out at me. "Pink ribbons" was also one of my picks but I won't retype it.
CH 1: "With an evening coat and a white tie, as you told me once, anybody, even a stock-broker, can gain a reputation for being civilized."
" 'Yes, she is a peacock in everything but beauty,' said Lord Henry."
"Now, the value of an opinion has nothing whatsoever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it." I thought this was one of the most thought-provoking lines in the entire book.
Chapter 2 "Ah! this morning! You have lived since then"
Chapter 9 "What has the actual lapse of time got to do with it? Is is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion."
"And you are awfully unjust, Basil. You come down here to console me. That is charming of you. You find me consoled, and you are furious. How like a sympathetic person!" The exchange between Basil and Dorian in chapter 9 really started me thinking as well. Is an emotion any more pious if it is felt for a longer period of time? Is a short lived emotion any shallower? Do we often unfairly judge people because they do not demonstrate the emotions that we think they should? For the length of time we think they should?
Chapter 14: Francis, the butler, upon being told to go for orchids in a far away town: "No trouble, sir. At what time shall I be back?" Oh, that butler knew something funny was going on upstairs!!
Regarding characters, The only one I really liked was Gladys, the Duchess. I really enjoyed that she could verbally spar with Lord Henry.
I don't think Basil can be blamed for Dorian's demise. He idolized Dorian, yes, but after the painting was finished they seemed to have such little contact that I just can't place any blame on him. Maybe, as Dorian's "mentor" he should have been more involved in his life, and in keeping him on a righteous path? However, I believe strongly that you are a product of your own choices. As Basil didn't try to influence Dorian either way except for the night he died, he's innocent in my book.
I agree with Melissa's idea about having a painting gain weight for me. That would be great!
I would probably behave a little bit like Dorian - but hopefully in just the small ways. If I could get rid of the guilty feelings I have about speeding, or leaving a cart in the parking lot even when it's raining cats and dogs, or taking long lunches/leaving early I think I would do all those little things. Maybe they would lead to worse things? I would probably drink a lot more if the painting got the hangover. The thing about the small things is that you get used to them (or get used to NOT doing them) and then they snowball.
Lord Henry I think just talked to hear himself talk, and to get a shock value. No wonder his wife ran off with someone else. One of the reasons I didn't really like the book was his constant monologues. I hate to read a page that is is all one giant paragraph. Something about the tabs and half lines of frequent paragraph changes keeps my interest level up.
M - Dorian going to the opium house really reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. Did it you?
Questions I wonder about too: What did Dorian do to the prostitute who let his "Prince Charming" name slip at the end of the book? Seduce her and leave her? Give her VD? Get her hooked on smack? What the heck was up with the mystery psychology book that seemed to bring about Dorian's demise? HE had it bound in 9 colors or something? wth? Campbell and Dorian. I assume they had some sort of bisexual affair, but some specifics would be nice. Must have been HUGE.
1 last little comment, I didn't like Sybil either. I can appreciate her acting ability, but she as just all teen angst, and that just doesn't do it for me any more. =)
Angie- THANK YOU. Ever since I read the scene about the opium house it has reminded me of another book, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it reminded me of. Sherlock, of course. What a load off my mind.
I think we do judge people based on how long and strongly we perceive them as feeling an emotion. For example, my grandfather swore he was devastated when my grandmother died. YET, he went on a date a month after the funeral and he remarried in less than a year. I can't help but feel that maybe he didn't feel as bad as he said he did because he didn't mourn long enough (or at least as long as I think he should have mourned). But, maybe he did?
I see your points about Lord Henry and several times, myself, wondered if anyone now would get away with monopolizing a conversation the way he does? On the other hand, I enjoyed most of his dialogues. Regardless of whether he was sincere in his opinions, they were interesting and often thought provoking. Though the paradoxes got annoying after a while.
I just watched the 1945 (yes, 1945) film "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Rather disappointing. It added a whole romantic storyline between Basil's daughter and Dorian that didn't exist in the book, yet dominated the movie. In addition, in the style of the era, it was a bit melodramatic and overacted. Also, they changed why Dorian left the actress (who is a singer in the movie, not an actress) and blamed it on Sir Henry. As if he wasn't already enough to blame.
It was interesting that the entire film was in black and white except for the shots of the painting, which were in color. And they did keep most of Sir Henry's lines intact, which was amusing.
I started this book on Saturday. I find it weird that two men are going on and on about Dorian Gray's good looks and what a wonderful personality he has. I can certainly tell where the author's sexual preferences laid.
Well, I have finished Dorain Gray. I was not impressed. I think that the book would have been much better if instead of just saying that Dorian Gray had corupted other peoples'lives Wilde had given actual detailed scenarios. Oh yeah, and you all are right. Chapter 11 could have been completely eliminated. It was not the worst book I have ever read. But I wish that Wilde had had an editor because this could have been soooo much better.
20 comments:
First, I've never read any of Oscar Wilde's works, but I've seen "The Importance of Being Earnest" three or four times and really enjoyed it.
Before starting this book, I read up a little bit about Oscar Wilde. Until then, I didn't know that Oscar Wilde was gay. However, I think I could have guessed it by the end of the first chapter of this book. :-) It doesn't take a genius. Later in life he was actually incarcerated for being homosexual.
So, about this particular book. I'm only through the first chapter but I am already glad that I chose it. It has the same wit and charm of "Earnest". I already have several favorite quotes, all from Chapter 1:
Describing an art gallery- "Whenever I have gone there, there have been either so many people that I have not been able to see the pictures, which was dreadful, or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse." Being an avid people-watcher, who enjoys artwork, I can echo this sentiment whole heartedly.
"I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects." Does this seem backward to you?
Just a note: There is a 2009 version of this book called "Dorian Gray" and starring Colin Firth. It isn't released on DVD yet (at least not on Netflix) but looks rather interesting. There are numerous older movies based on the book, dating back to 1945!
I'll be picking up my copy tomorrow, and can't wait to read it!
M - Don't forget that Isaac turns THIRTY today!
Angie, wasn't this one of the books I mailed you before Christmas? I thought it was, but then my memory is shot, so I could be wrong...
Melissa - Yes, you're are so right, you DID send me a copy. I read the first couple pages, and it's good so far. Will probably put a good dent in it tomorrow night and over the weekend.
Is anyone else struggling with this book? I find Lord Henry's dialogues very taxing. Currently about halfway through.
If you haven't already read Chapter XI, then I would suggest skipping it. It reminds me of a Moby Dick digression. Let me sum up those pages: Many years pass.
Other than that chapter I am actually enjoying the book. I can't believe some of the stuff that comes out of Lord Henry's mouth but I expect his is meant to be outrageous.
Quite a few more favorite quotes (and the reason I am enjoying the book):
From chapter III: "'Dry goods! What are American dry-goods?' asked the Duchess... 'American novels' answered Lord Henry."
Also from Lord Henry in Ch. IV: "Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed." :-)
And again from Lord Henry in the same chapter: "As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, there are only five women in London worth talking to and two of these can't be admitted into decent society." I would say the first part is still true and am dying to know who the five women from the second part are!
And yet more of Lord Henry in Ch. VI: "'Marriage is hardly a thing that once can do now and then, Harry.' (said Basil) 'Except in America,' rejoined Lord Henry."
And Dorian's selfishness in Ch. VII epitomized: "His life was well worth hers. She had marred him for a moment, if he had wounded her for an age. Besides, women were better suited to bear sorrow than men." Really? I don't think so.
And yet more Lord Henry... in Ch. VIII: "..the only way a woman can ever reform a man is by boring him so completely that he loses all possible interest in life." This one really made me think. First, a woman's job isn't to reform men. Second, probably if a woman tried, she would bore the man to death since people who try to reform others are always so dreadfully boring!
From the same chapter: "Never trust a woman who wears mauve, whater her age may be, or a woman over thirty-five who is fond of pink ribbons." Yeah, I don't trust women who wear pink either.
And finally, for this posting, from Ch. X: The past coulc always be annihilated. Regret, denial, or forgetfulness could do that. But the future was inevitable."
I went ahead and finished last night since I only had 60 pages left. The last few chapters move along rather quickly compared to the prior chapters. It ended much the way I expected, but I won't say anymore until you've finished.
Just one other quote; the end of the book was a bit weak on interesting quotes, I thought.
From Ch. XIX, again from Lord Henry: "The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young." Having recently turned 30 :-) I can understand this quote.
So, a few questions to ponder. If you were Dorian Gray, would you have done the same thing? Live your life the way you want since you have an "out" rather than how you thought it should be lived? Do you think Lord Henry believed the things he said or that he just said them to get an impact? He doesn't appear to have lived his life by the philosophies he spoke. And finally, do you think Basil was partly to blame for Dorian's outcome? The book seems to blame Lord Henry and Dorian, but can any blame be parcelled out to Basil as well?
I was reading Chapter XI and thinking wow, this is boring, maybe I'll just skip it, I skimmed thru it and don't think I really missed anything.
I too thought the end moved right along. I liked the second half much better than the 1st half of the book.
I also liked the quote about the art gallery. So true.
Some of my favorite quotes are:
From chapter 3, discussing English women vs. American women, "(American women) don't last, I'm told. A long engagement exhausts them, but they are capital on a steeplechase. They take things flying."
Near the end of Chapter 4, from Lord Henry, "Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes."
And from Chapter 19, Lord Henry says "To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable." Well, what else???
I didn't really like Lord Henry. He always had a quick comeback and that got annoying. He was just too cunning for his own good and just seemed to be a know-it-all. There was one point where Dorian referred to him as "Prince Paradox" and he was absolutely correct.
I can't say I really LIKED any of the characters except Sibyl Vane but then she was only in the book for a short time.
I was really shocked by the demise of Basil Hallward, I did NOT see that coming. And it seemed to me that all that burning would have made a horrible stench, didn't anyone in the house or nearby smell anything???
As for your questions Melissa, I don't think I would have lived like Dorian knowing there was an out. I think it would have made me more fearful to watch the destruction of the picture. It was such a visible "soul" if you will rather than an internal one. So Dorian had to hide the picture so he would not have such a visible reminder of his soul. And he stayed "youthfully" irresponsible.
And Lord Henry just says things for impact. He's a know-it-all.
I am uncertain about Basil's responsibility. He idolizes Dorian, admits the painting is his best work, says he has put into the painting the "secret of his OWN soul", yet gives the painting to Dorian, and shows up some 20 years later??? I don't get it.
And what do you think Dorian used as blackmail with Alan Campbell? It was obviously something from their earlier days, but before the painting or after the painting?
I also noticed the "getting back youth" comment and wondered "what else is there?".
I enjoyed Lord Henry's character but didn't like him. But then, I didn't like Sybil Vane either. She seemed silly and stupid to me. Really, who calls their fiancee/boyfriend "Prince Charming"?
I expected something like Basil's demise to occur. We were led to believe that Dorian was so corrupt and immoral, it seemed only a small step from there to murder. I rather expected him to murder his servant, though. I too wondered about the smell. Though, from what I've heard, most of London stunk for most of its history, maybe nobody would notice one more rank smell? After all, look how long Sweeney Todd and his landlady baked people into pies before they were caught. :-)
I'm not sure what I would if I were Dorian. I would like to say that I would still be a good person, but oh! the temptation. I wonder if he could eat whatever he wanted and only the picture would get fat? I would enjoy that. A lot.
I think I do hold Basil responsible, to some extent. He is the one who "discovered" Dorian and introduced him to Lord Henry; he must have known Lord Henry would attempt to corrupt, or at least shape, Dorian. AND he created the vehicle of Dorian's destruction. Or did he? Would Dorian have been just as bad even if he hadn't had a portrait to hide his soul? I think maybe he might of.
One thing that kind-of irked me was that until the very end, we are told that Dorian is evil, but not what he has actually done. Lots of sex and drugs are alluded to, but we aren't really told anything. Like, for example, what he and Alan Campbell did together that was so bad he could use it as blackmail. It must have been pretty bad, since Campbell kills himself later on.
I really struggled through this book. Like Joy I found Lord Henry to be a know it all whose constant smart mouth was most annoying. Indeed, as he himself said in chapter 19 "Her clever tongue gets on one's nerves."
There were a lot of quotes that I liked in the first chapter or so, but after that not many jumped out at me. "Pink ribbons" was also one of my picks but I won't retype it.
CH 1:
"With an evening coat and a white tie, as you told me once, anybody, even a stock-broker, can gain a reputation for being civilized."
" 'Yes, she is a peacock in everything but beauty,' said Lord Henry."
"Now, the value of an opinion has nothing whatsoever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it." I thought this was one of the most thought-provoking lines in the entire book.
Chapter 2
"Ah! this morning! You have lived since then"
Chapter 9
"What has the actual lapse of time got to do with it? Is is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion."
"And you are awfully unjust, Basil. You come down here to console me. That is charming of you. You find me consoled, and you are furious. How like a sympathetic person!"
The exchange between Basil and Dorian in chapter 9 really started me thinking as well. Is an emotion any more pious if it is felt for a longer period of time? Is a short lived emotion any shallower? Do we often unfairly judge people because they do not demonstrate the emotions that we think they should? For the length of time we think they should?
Chapter 14:
Francis, the butler, upon being told to go for orchids in a far away town: "No trouble, sir. At what time shall I be back?"
Oh, that butler knew something funny was going on upstairs!!
Regarding characters, The only one I really liked was Gladys, the Duchess. I really enjoyed that she could verbally spar with Lord Henry.
I don't think Basil can be blamed for Dorian's demise. He idolized Dorian, yes, but after the painting was finished they seemed to have such little contact that I just can't place any blame on him. Maybe, as Dorian's "mentor" he should have been more involved in his life, and in keeping him on a righteous path? However, I believe strongly that you are a product of your own choices. As Basil didn't try to influence Dorian either way except for the night he died, he's innocent in my book.
continuing..
I agree with Melissa's idea about having a painting gain weight for me. That would be great!
I would probably behave a little bit like Dorian - but hopefully in just the small ways. If I could get rid of the guilty feelings I have about speeding, or leaving a cart in the parking lot even when it's raining cats and dogs, or taking long lunches/leaving early I think I would do all those little things. Maybe they would lead to worse things? I would probably drink a lot more if the painting got the hangover. The thing about the small things is that you get used to them (or get used to NOT doing them) and then they snowball.
Lord Henry I think just talked to hear himself talk, and to get a shock value. No wonder his wife ran off with someone else. One of the reasons I didn't really like the book was his constant monologues. I hate to read a page that is is all one giant paragraph. Something about the tabs and half lines of frequent paragraph changes keeps my interest level up.
M - Dorian going to the opium house really reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. Did it you?
Questions I wonder about too:
What did Dorian do to the prostitute who let his "Prince Charming" name slip at the end of the book? Seduce her and leave her? Give her VD? Get her hooked on smack?
What the heck was up with the mystery psychology book that seemed to bring about Dorian's demise? HE had it bound in 9 colors or something? wth?
Campbell and Dorian. I assume they had some sort of bisexual affair, but some specifics would be nice. Must have been HUGE.
1 last little comment, I didn't like Sybil either. I can appreciate her acting ability, but she as just all teen angst, and that just doesn't do it for me any more. =)
Oh yeah, eating and drinking to excess and letting the painting suffer woule be beautiful.
Angie- THANK YOU.
Ever since I read the scene about the opium house it has reminded me of another book, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it reminded me of. Sherlock, of course. What a load off my mind.
I think we do judge people based on how long and strongly we perceive them as feeling an emotion. For example, my grandfather swore he was devastated when my grandmother died. YET, he went on a date a month after the funeral and he remarried in less than a year. I can't help but feel that maybe he didn't feel as bad as he said he did because he didn't mourn long enough (or at least as long as I think he should have mourned). But, maybe he did?
I see your points about Lord Henry and several times, myself, wondered if anyone now would get away with monopolizing a conversation the way he does? On the other hand, I enjoyed most of his dialogues. Regardless of whether he was sincere in his opinions, they were interesting and often thought provoking. Though the paradoxes got annoying after a while.
so what is our next pick, Joy?
I just watched the 1945 (yes, 1945) film "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Rather disappointing. It added a whole romantic storyline between Basil's daughter and Dorian that didn't exist in the book, yet dominated the movie. In addition, in the style of the era, it was a bit melodramatic and overacted. Also, they changed why Dorian left the actress (who is a singer in the movie, not an actress) and blamed it on Sir Henry. As if he wasn't already enough to blame.
It was interesting that the entire film was in black and white except for the shots of the painting, which were in color. And they did keep most of Sir Henry's lines intact, which was amusing.
Not recommended.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Angela Landsbury, as a teenager, played the singer (actress) that Dorian jilted. Rather fun to watch.
I started this book on Saturday. I find it weird that two men are going on and on about Dorian Gray's good looks and what a wonderful personality he has. I can certainly tell where the author's sexual preferences laid.
Well, I have finished Dorain Gray. I was not impressed. I think that the book would have been much better if instead of just saying that Dorian Gray had corupted other peoples'lives Wilde had given actual detailed scenarios. Oh yeah, and you all are right. Chapter 11 could have been completely eliminated. It was not the worst book I have ever read. But I wish that Wilde had had an editor because this could have been soooo much better.
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