The Picture of Dorian Grey

Firstly, can I just say that you should never underestimate Gothic novels; they can be incredibly scary! Secondly, that was the first time I have ever been properly scared by a book. I was so creeped out that I actually had to sleep in the same room as my sister last night!

Anyway, on to the book itself. There is something so entrancing about the way that Oscar Wilde writes that it was impossible not to be amazed by the simplicity and yet wondrous effectiveness of the writing itself. All the way through he uses his intuitiveness and makes important and unexpected psychological and social observations  that I found stunningly beautiful to read. There is one character, although not the antagonist of the story, named Sir Henry Wotton, who is the main one to make all of these insightful discoveries. He is a self-proclaimed sociologist and makes it his goal to observe every aspect of Man's obsessions and nature. It is easy to tell that this character is not purely fabricated; he is what I would imagine Oscar Wilde himself was like-funny, intelligent and utterly charming. However, Sir Henry is by no means an angel. He makes it his project to fascinate Dorian Grey and influence him in such a way that he is no longer himself, merely a copy of all that Sir Henry Wotton feels, thinks or says. It is essentially this which leads Dorian Grey himself astray and makes him the monster he is at the end of the book.

Dorian Grey is an interesting character, and through him Oscar Wilde analyses why a man will commit a heinous crime, or why he will love a girl for an instant and loathe her the next, or why, in a typical Victorian society, Beauty and the appearance of Youth is everything needed to maintain one's position in society. At the beginning of the book we see Dorian Grey as an innocent young boy who is unaware, or unwilling to acknowledge, the beauty he is in possession of. We first hear of him through Basil Hallward, an artist, and first meet him in his painter's studio. This is the point at which the obsession with beauty begins. Hallward is in the process of painting Dorian Grey as he is. When it is finished, Grey makes a proclamation that he wishes that he would remain as young and pretty as he was painted, and that the picture would age for him. Impossible though it may sound, the night that Dorian Grey's "girlfriend" commits suicide, the picture begins to change. A cruel twist appeared in its smile, making the picture one of a damaged soul. Throughout the book, as he continues to commit horrendous crimes, the picture of Dorian Grey becomes slowly more and more hideous and disfigured. It is the picture of his soul, as his outward appearance won't change.

The beautiful Ben Barnes as Dorian

It is a fascinating book, one which I thoroughly hope you all read! Next, keeping with the theme of depressing books, I shall be reading The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. Watch out for more updates!