A classic, also made into a film, about a young man, Dorian Gray, who has his portrait painted and is believed to be so beautiful that be becomes and icon of art. When Gray realizes that eventually all beauty fades and people grow old, he pleads that the picture should grow old instead of himself.

The gothic theme throughout is one that I have been reading a lot lately and I seem so many similarities in this as I did other classics of the same time period.

It was a great story with great theme. Be careful what you wish for.

My first introduction to "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde was the inclusion of his character in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." After reading "Dracula" recently I decided I wanted to go and read other classics in the genre of the fantastic. I was amazed when I learned that it was by Oscar Wilde!

When I was younger I was part of a program called "Home Link." It was a school designed to allow the home schoolers in the area (we have a lot of them!) take elective type classes that are hard to teach at home. One of the classes that was offered was drama - and me being me - I of course took it!

In 9th grade we spent the entire year working on producing "The Importance of Being Ernest," by Oscar Wilde. Why we spent a whole year on it is a story for another time and place, but it was an experience I'll always treasure. I played Lady Augusta Bracknel, and by the end of the year I could quote that play back and forth! All three acts, and Lady Bracknel didn't even appear in the second act! I could quote large portions of it for years afterwards.

Reading "Dorian Gray" brought back a lot of memories for me. Obviously the two stories are very different, but the writing style was most definitely recognizable as Oscar Wilde. He has a way of having his characters say the most absurd things, but making them seem to make sense in the scene.

The story of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is in many ways a story on the nature of sin and how it changes you. A painter friend of Dorian's creates a master piece portrait of Dorian. Prompted by some comments of a mutual friend of theirs, Dorian idly wishes that he could remain youthful and "pretty" forever, and that the painting could change instead.

For whatever reason, his prayers are answered. Dorian never grows older, but every sin and stain on his soul shows up in vivid detail on his painting. Scared at first, Dorian begins to enjoy his freedom and pursues whatever catches his fancy.

I found the progression of his descent to be interesting, although at one point the musings that Wilde went into got a little tiresome. I would say more about the end and the consequences, but I'd rather let you read the book for yourself! Be prepared though for the Victorian turns of phrase and ideas. If your not used to it you might find it a hard read. ( )

Gave me so much to think about afterward -- it was hard at times to continue reading (it would get slow, especially when listing examples of decadence from historical figures), but the discussions I could have at the end made me go back and reread so much of it. I found it fascinating how much more I understood when I went back to sections -- once I had the whole picture at the end, I could make more sense of the pieces. That's good writing! ( )

It’s amazing the difference between what shocked then and what shocks now. It goes into very little detail of how Dorian ruins his life. There is a brief scene in an opium den but that is all we are told. There are people who refuse to be in the same room with him and there is of course that doctor who Dorian blackmails into disposing of the painter’s body after he kills the painter. What he did to that doctor is unknown but it must have been something really awful.

I especially liked the other friend Lord Henry something or other who initially plants the seeds of vanity in Dorian’s head. He convinces him that his beauty can redeem any wrongdoing he does. He convinces him that youth is the only thing worth having.

Over a period of 20 years, Dorian deteriorates until eventually he cannot stand himself. He finds out that even what he considers to be altruistic deeds are motivated by selfishness. In the end he stabs the horrid portrait with its bloody hands and twisted lips. His servants find him dead on the floor, the knife planted in his own chest and the portrait exactly as it had been the day it was painted.

This is a story of Dorian Gray.He is a very beautiful man.He was drawn by Basil Hallward.When Dorian sees the picture of his own face,he falls in love his own beauty.He wishes that he could always stay young and that the picture could grow old.His wish becomes true!His face doesn't change.But the picture shows real Dorian Gray,who is growing old.
I like this story because I couldn't imagin the end of it. ( )