'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde

Genre: Gothic Fiction/Philosophical

‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is one of the most interesting novels I have read; much like other works of Oscar Wilde I have read, this book explored some controversial yet poignant themes for the time period, but what makes it a classic work of gothic fiction is that the moral of the story is still relevant to this day.

I particularly liked how Dorian was constantly being pulled back and forth between doing the right and the wrong thing; and this aspect reminded me of Christopher Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus’ which is one of my favourite plays, so I really liked the slight nod to it by Wilde. The narrative of a pure, innocent and beautiful soul being corrupted by the evil of others and society, to me, is the epitome of the gothic fiction genre.

Another bonus for me, and many other readers I’m sure, is that this novel is quite short, I managed to read it in its entirety in three days, making it a nice and easy read despite it’s heavy themes.

The only downside for me, and again I find that this is a common trope in Wilde’s writing, is that certain characters seem to drone on and talk for an incessantly long period of time, and without particularly adding anything of substance to the storyline. However, due to the short nature of the book it is easy to overlook this aspect as the narrative soon picks up again after these moments of boredom.

Much like most classics, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a must read for all readers, not only because it is it well-written, but also for the morals it preaches and the critiquing of society, and I would definitely recommend it.

Rating: * * * * *