Should have read classics discussion
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Lisa, the usurper
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Dec 25, 2011 09:03PM
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I am in, but I have to barrow it first ;)
Nilgun wrote: "I am in, but I have to barrow it first ;)"Wilde's books are in the public domain and are available here for free download in epub, kindle, and pdf formats:
http://www.feedbooks.com/book/6/the-p...
Jim wrote: "Nilgun wrote: "I am in, but I have to barrow it first ;)"Wilde's books are in the public domain and are available here for free download in epub, kindle, and pdf formats:
http://www.feedbooks.co..."
oo I try to find it, thanks :)
Nilgun wrote: "It work thank you, Marry Chrsitmas!"And Happy New Year to you!
Jim wrote: "Nilgun wrote: "It work thank you, Marry Chrsitmas!"And Happy New Year to you!"
you too!
I'm ready for discussion having read the book within the past few months....Hope everyone had a terrific Christmas. Hopefully things will slow down enough to get some reading in again.
Isn't the group read for Anna Karenina going on in January as well?
And January is almost here. :)I have a hard copy and also one on my Kindle from Gutenberg. So glad to read this with all of you.
gutenberg.org
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That is actually the Russian buddy read. It is going on in January also.
Azalea wrote: "And January is almost here. :)I have a hard copy and also one on my Kindle from Gutenberg. So glad to read this with all of you.
gutenberg.org"
amazing book are here in the page, thank you too...
Nilgun wrote: "amazing book are here in the page, thank you too... "You are welcome. I wish you had a Kindle too. :)
Azalea wrote: "Nilgun wrote: "amazing book are here in the page, thank you too... "You are welcome. I wish you had a Kindle too. :)"
:))
I got a kindle for Christmas so I have the free version on it. I am back to reading with you all!
I read this a few months ago, but I'll be checking in. One of my favourites. :)
I also read this fairly recently and really enjoyed it.
Started yesterday and through the first two chapters set the story up. It seems Basil wanted Dorian's identity discovered. He boasted of his masterpiece and couldn't help but slip Dorian's name out.
Mod
I would have to agree with you. If you are trying to keep a secret, the first thing you don't do is talk about it. I must say this book is not what I expected, except I'm not quite sure what I expected. The only experience with Dorian Gray I have had is from the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Not exactly true to form! I'm enjoying it however.
Lisa wrote: "Shawn wrote: "Started yesterday and through the first two chapters set the story up. It seems Basil wanted Dorian's identity discovered. He boasted of his masterpiece and couldn't help but slip Dor..."I dint have any expacting, I let me enjoy it. But the flavor is the relation-speech have drachma life from 1800 jears... this let me feel attractive enough of it...
for now is my favorite caracter Lord Henry Wotton, I am ipressed from him's philosophical ideas like Dorian...
Just downloaded on my new Kindle! Can't wait to jump in!
Lord Henry's influence is interesting to see. I'm not shocked at how influential the gentlemen are towards those of lower classes during this time.
I'm keeping mum on this :) I read it back when I was a KID, & I'm going to be 45 this year, LOL. It remains on my top books of all time list, & I've re-read it several times since! Enjoy you all!
Would you describe Basil's feelings towards Dorian as love or rather infatuation (exhilaration over discovering a perfect muse)? He sure is jelous of Dorian's and Lord Henry's friendship.
Mod
I read this awhile back for another challenge --will come on periodically to see what is going on with the discussion. I must say, I found this hard reading but having seen the movie years ago it helped get through the ponderous prose.
I was thinking Basil had more of a infatuation with Dorian than anything. He appears almost to worship him, then Lord Henry comes along and WOW! what happens! I keep reading and thinking WOW! Why didn't I read this years ago! I am really liking this one.
Lisa wrote: "The whole scenario is interesting. First Basil warns Lord Henry away, then leaves Dorian and the Lord alone in the garden together. ..."On one hand Basil was afraid that Lord Henry might "steal" Dorian from him on the other hand he couldn't resist to show off what a perfect, beautiful and delightful friend he got.
What bothers me about Dorian is that he is like "a blank page". He doesn't seem to have any thoughts or opinions which could be called his own. He simply adopts the opinions of others (Lord Henry and then the book he lents him) That's why Lord Henry's influence is so absolute.
I was reading the original reviews in the back of my kindle version and was surprised by how little the critics liked the original version. Wilde did a lot of revisions and added chapters to the book before it was published as a book.
Amy wrote: "I was reading the original reviews in the back of my kindle version and was surprised by how little the critics liked the original version. Wilde did a lot of revisions and added chapters to the bo..."He also added the preface... to spite the critics.
I'm about 4 chapters in now, I really enjoy Lord Henry and Basil's relationship, it seems very Holmes and Watson like. I also find it interesting how fascinated the men are with each other, maybe it's just because I've been far out of the habit of reading classics but it's very interesting and amusing to me how very preoccupied they are with each other rather than women or current events. I've been reading a free version on a kindle app on my phone during lunch breaks, can't wait to read more tomorrow!
I just finished this one. I loved the beginning of the book and the end of it, but what on earth happened in the middle?! That whole chapter about Dorian's interest in jewels and whatever... My eyes glazed over. I wanted to read more about Dorian's debauchery! The book leaves a lot of it to the imagination.
Wilde had to keep it mild... Unless your cover says"uncensored version," you probably read the version which was edited to be "acceptable to the most fastidious taste".
I haven't read the uncensored version, but I get the idea that it really wasn't that much more colorful.
I'm on chapter V and I have to say I find Sir Henry totally creepy. He turns all values on their heads; he cheapens what is good and worthwhile, and idolizes everything that is base and shallow. He reminds me of when I went to school ...... of the kids who would try to get you to smoke with them, like they knew they were doing something that was wrong, but thought if they could get everyone else doing it, somehow that would make it right. Of course, Sir Henry's actions are at a much more significant and enigmatic level. His use of Dorian seems comparable to how he would use a toy, and it seems, so far, his only benefit is the power he feels over the boy; like a spider with a fly in its web.So far I can't feel much sympathy for any of the characters. I hope I don't still feel this way at the end of the book. :-Z
Oh, and I agree with Miranda ....... the book doesn't flow as a whole; it reads more like a patchwork, which I guess, with the added chapters, it is.
Okay, away I go to read on! :-)
Miranda wrote: "I just finished this one. I loved the beginning of the book and the end of it, but what on earth happened in the middle?! That whole chapter about Dorian's interest in jewels and whatever... My eye..."I just finished today and I agree that middle chapter just came out of nowhere and had me seriously wanting to skip it but I pushed on.
Overall an excellent book and Ill probably read it again down the road.
Although I joined the group before the holidays, this is the first book I started 'with the group', albeit a week late...LOL! So far I am through 3 chapters and agree with earlier posters, I feel the characters have been introduced and story staged. Not sure what to think about Basil's feelings towards Dorian. The introduction of Lord Henry and what he and his position in society bring to the group is also intriguing. Looking forward to reading on to see how these relationships unfold.
I'm reading this quickly on my Kindle (LOVE my Kindle!). Is it just me... or are these characters highly UNlikeable? I can't stand Lord Henry. He's so full of himself and really just a poisonous jerk. And I find no redeeming qualities in Dorian so far, either. I don't like these people and would be happy to see the painting step out of itself and slap them all upside the head. That's my take so far...
Mod
I could not agree more! I'm about 55% done and I have yet to find any characters that I enjoy. I find it interesting how Dorian starts to become suspicious of his valet. Makes me wonder if this paranoia will develop further.
I finished this off a few days ago but didn't want to comment too much and possibly put people off reading it. But since other people are criticizing here is my review:"This should be a good book. It gets 2/5 rating from me because I still like the premise if not the execution. If it had been based on execution alone, it would have gotten 1/5.
A young man has his portrait painted and realizes how handsome he is. Impulsively he wishes for the painting to grow old while he remains untouched by time, a wish that comes true. He is influenced to engage in any number of wicked activities by a friend of his and watches the painting become more and more hideous while he himself stays completely unscathed... a wolf in sheep's clothing so to speak.
So why isn't it an enjoyable read? Because it just gets bogged down by Oscar Wilde's allusions and opinions. The prose can be overpowering at times. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic or likeable. And yet one can't really work up enough feeling to dislike the "bad guys" either.
This novel is considered to be a classic which has withstood the test of time. A good many people think it is excellent, so I wouldn't want to specifically dissuade anyone from reading it. I just don't see what other people see in it."
Honestly if not for the book club, I would gladly have abandoned this. I can't remember the last time I read to the end of a book I disliked so much. I hope next month's read is more enjoyable!
Ok. I finished reading this today. Here's the quick review I gave it... Not one redeeming character in this story. No one to root for, no one to like. If I don't care about the characters, the story is worthless to me. And I'm not an Oscar Wilde fan. I don't appreciate his style at all... sentences that go on & on & on for a whole entire page. This book I am relieved to finish and will never go near again.
I finished reading this a couple of days ago. Here is my site review:I always find it difficult to write a review for a book I actually liked, but here goes. Oh, and a warning:
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
For one, I actually enjoyed Wilde's style of writing. There was enough dialogue to keep me enthralled and the descriptions were adequate to set the scene properly. I didn't love the run-on sentences, but they weren't too distracting.
The motives, actions and personalities of the characters blended together beautifully. Basil was the angel on the right shoulder and Lord Henry the devil on the left. Unfortunately Dorian was such a blank slate that he absorbed every epigram that Lord Henry threw at him. I think it would have been interesting if Wilde had explored the influence of Dorian's grandfather on the boy a bit more.
While I quite liked the start of the book (the first few chapters set the story up perfectly), I absolutely loved the ending. With the threat of James Vane eliminated just a few chapters before, I found it fitting that Dorian was left to face his greatest enemy during the last few scenes of this tale.
Why didn't I give it 5/5?
* There was a chapter in the middle of the book (the time when eighteen years passed), that was tedious to read. I honestly did not care about Dorian's interest in jewels, fashion or anything of the sort.
* It would have served the story more to give us a glimpse into his relations with friends (especially intimate friends) and specific deeds that made the portrait change. It was apparent that he had an influence over a great many people, but how did he use/abuse that influence?
I, too, very much wanted to enjoy this book. I am, most definitely, an Oscar Wilde fan. Unfortunately, I just couldn't care about any of the characters, especially narcissistic Dorian Gray. Each character I found to be shallow and generally unlikeable (although not unlikeable enough either). The philosophical ramblings were tedious and petty. I read this book many years ago, and had forgotten how unmoving it is. I am still a Wilde fan, but will not be recommending this book to anyone. 2/5 just because of the author.
Mod
All that being said, I picked up The Selfish Giant and I enjoyed it and my kids did also.
I have to say that I hated this book until about 2/3 of the way through and at the end, strangely enough I really ........... well, I can't say I loved it but I found it fascinating. It kept me thinking about it after I had finished, and I enjoy when books push me to be introspective. I did have some troubles with the flow of the story because of the inserted chapters; I had problems with the believability of some of the scenarios, but I was impressed by how Wilde handled some of the themes.
Lord Henry's arguments for seeking pleasure, while you know in your head that they're wrong, were quite persuasive. You can see how the portrait strengthens Dorian's vanity, how at certain times he KNOWS he is choosing the wrong path but decides to follow it anyway. The scene where Sir Basil entreats him to turn from his ways, to pray for forgiveness was very poignant ..... a chance to avoid his destruction and he chooses to sink further into depravity. While the story around the picture was hard for me to believe, perhaps Wilde's point may have been that we can disguise sin/depravity with outward guises but it will always eat away at us within, ie. the picture took on the appearance of Dorian's sin but it did not relieve him of any of the inward suffering as a consequence of his sins.
It was not an uplifting book and it certainly left me with a disturbing feeling but I possibly would be open to re-reading it at a later (much later!) date. I'm glad it was chosen for the January read!
I read this book years ago and remember clearly feeling disturbed when it ended. I was unable to closely relate to any of the characters (as noted by other readers above) and I felt like no one really learned anything in the end. I understand that outward appearances are just that and that we shouldn't 'judge a book by its cover' but I felt like this message could have been conveyed in a somewhat smoother manner.
I trudged through this text earlier this year at my husbands request. He gave it a favorable recommendation. I wish I could do the same. I found the text, though creative, very tedious. I'm bored just thinking about it.
I'm late in reading this one I know. I'm about half way through ang I can't say that I'm enjoying it but, strangely enough, I seem to have a lot to say about it. I'm reading this on my IPad and I keep highliting passages and adding notes to myself here and there... Isn't that strange? Usually a novel that would draw so much reaction out of me is a novel that I like, not in this case? ...
