The Picture Of Dorian Gray: 200 Word Reviews #11

The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is an insidiously fantastic book, which holds up as an effortless read, despite its age and literary stature.

Dorian Gray is an unspeakably handsome young man who is masterfully painted by a close friend, and in that moment, prays that painting will bear the weight of years so that he may retain his boyish looks. He finds it so, and with an eternal youth of golden locks, he rises to the heights of social fame and descends to the depths of depraved, subtle scandal, not knowing his soul never left him, and remembers all.

Oscar Wilde’s prose is a masterwork of wordsmithing, weaving between the jolly Victorian banter of aristocrats and monologues on the intimate depths of the human soul and vanity, with apparent ease. Each conversation is filled with witty ripostes, layered over a creeping sense of unease at this man, and what he has become.

I highly, highly recommend this book, even if the title of “classic novel” usually wards you off. In an online age of increasing focus on youth and social image, The Picture of Dorian Gray should be ready everyone, and I promise you will enjoy it.