Assalamualaikum.
Welcome to another review with another book.
Summary :
Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence. The Picture of Dorian Gray was a succès de scandal. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins, and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895. This definitive edition includes a selection of contemporary reviews condemning the novel’s immorality and the introduction to the first Penguin Classics edition by Peter Ackroyd.
About the author :
Wilde was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, poet and critic, and a celebrity in late 19th century London.
Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854. His father was a successful surgeon and his mother a writer and literary hostess. Wilde was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford. While at Oxford, Wilde became involved in the aesthetic movement. After he graduated, he moved to London to pursue a literary career.
His output was diverse. The first volume of his poetry was published in 1881 but as well as composing verse, he contributed to publications such as the ‘Pall Mall Gazette’, wrote fairy stories and published a novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ (1891). His greatest talent was for writing plays, and he produced a string of extremely popular comedies including ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ (1892), ‘An Ideal Husband (1895)’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895). ‘Salomé’ was performed in Paris in 1896.
My review :
Wilde was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, poet and critic, and a celebrity in late 19th century London.
Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854. His father was a successful surgeon and his mother a writer and literary hostess. Wilde was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford. While at Oxford, Wilde became involved in the aesthetic movement. After he graduated, he moved to London to pursue a literary career.
His output was diverse. The first volume of his poetry was published in 1881 but as well as composing verse, he contributed to publications such as the ‘Pall Mall Gazette’, wrote fairy stories and published a novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ (1891). His greatest talent was for writing plays, and he produced a string of extremely popular comedies including ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ (1892), ‘An Ideal Husband (1895)’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895). ‘Salomé’ was performed in Paris in 1896.
Then I started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. Argh, I’m speechless, I enjoyed reading it so much. the story is obvious and I wasn’t straggling at all. the story is meaningful and pointful! Even though that Oscar Wilde is not obsessed with describing settings in detail but he did mastered creating warm and witty conversations that fill most of the novel. This book deals with the themes of beauty, youth, and sin. Wilde pushed boundaries and created novel extremely relevant in today’s society. I’m sure that it was an extraordinary book. It is quite philosophical. It is a work of beauty.
My rating on Goodreads :
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quotes :
The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.
Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.
Raghad Al-Ghamdi
Thanks