A great gothic tale with a fantastical twist. Even though it took me 50 pages to actually get engrossed, the story kept me quite interested. I have only ever read poetry and maxims attributed to Oscar Wilde, so this reading was a first for me. I was pleasantly surprised at how readable it was. Of course the macabre theme certainly helped, Wilde's obvious hedonism theme was written well into the story. It's hard for me to imagine a world where this book would cause such a controversy over its "homoerotic themes". There is no sex, no physical contact really between men, and the allusions to homosexuality could just as easily be considered platonic friendship. Besides, its not like Dorian Gray is a hero in anyway. He is obviously quite evil or at least grows to be. I'm simply having trouble imagining an educated critic read the novel and not see its satire.
Anyway, I enjoyed learning some new words, or old meanings of words, plus comparing the story of Dorian Gray to other Gothic tales like Uncle Silas. I felt this was a good introduction and I look forward to reading the rest of Oscar Wilde's work. ( )

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a well known classic and many people have some idea about the story line; a magic picture ages and bears the marks while Dorian himself doesn't change. While that is an important part, there is a lot more to the story. I felt it was well worth the time to read this one.

I admit ignorance in the subject but the first section of the book felt very much like a chaste homosexual romance. Recognizing the time it was written, I can see why many considered it lurid, one reviewer was almost apoplectic in his revulsion of the work (5-6 contemporary reviews of the work were available in the appendixes).

There were 3 main characters; Dorian, his artist friend Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotten. Basil and Henry gravitate around Dorian and appear to be like the little angel and the little devil that sit on each shoulder. Basil an artist in love with beauty and purity. Lord Henry, a cynic who enjoys putting down everything others hold in high regard. Since this is a moral tale, Dorian slowly listens to his little devil more and more, and as he suffers no serious repercussions for his forays into sin, his experiments become darker and more elaborate. His portrait, painted by Basil, is a road map and mirror to Dorian's depravity. This starts to eat away at Dorian's sanity.

Overall a fairly good tale, a little flowery like much of the Victorian lit but not nearly to the extent of Dracula. ( )

I was blown away by Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', an intelligently written piece of literature which cleverly shows the way that we value the visual, and how it can determine our actions in society. The characters of Lord Henry and Basil Hallward are powerful ideologies through which we find ourselves influenced through the initially innocent Dorian Gray, and as we follow him throughout the book, this influence leads us to view with horror how it can lead a human being to do things far from the imaginable. ( )

The writing is brilliant and witty but the content is horrifying. I particularly found myself loathing Lord Henry - he is one of the most truly evil characters - all gloss and polish and all nastiness underneath. In the end, I think Mr. Wilde makes a terrific case against the sophistries of men who think they can erase consequences merely by saying they don't exist. What you do does matter and does have consequences that you can't avoid. ( )

I read a part of this book in our textbook and I wanted to know the whole story.
It's kind of the fantasy (horror) story.
Dorian Gray, main character of this story, believes the beauty is everything.
I don't think so but it is really important for his life... ( )