'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde is known, first and foremost, for his scandalous lifestyle and his brief stint in prison for 'homosexual practices'. After that, his noteriety stems from his brilliant and witty theatrical pieces. Everyone knows of 'The Importance of Being Ernest' and the wonderful crafting of dialogue therein. I knew that he had at least one novel to his credit and that it was deemed by so many bookworms as a classic but I had not yet experienced his flavor through the medium of the novel.

'The Picture of Dorian Gray' received scathing reviews in its time and I am not suprised by this in the least. It certainly leans towards vulgarity, if only in suggestion, but as all books seem to do, it corrects the balance of good and evil in the end. Is Dorian Gray a bad person? Is Dorian Gray just a man who didn't know what he should be? I would be more inclined to think the latter.

We watch Dorian start off with all that is good in the world; innocence, beauty and faith in humanity. As the influence of Lord Harry takes hold over him he devolves into a satisfaction seeking hedonist. This is, in part, enjoyable for the reader as he protagonist does things that so many of us imagine doing but never step beyond the bounds of acceptability to attempt.

We see and feel his inner turmoil as he literally sees the effect these actions have on his soul and we are left, in the end, knowing that he lived, and was punished for, an immoral life.

From Oscar Wilde, I would have expected more scandal. Why can't the evil doer be free from conscience and survive, unscathed, as those well principled persons around him fall by the wayside. I'm sure if it had been written this way, in it's time, he would have been hung for encouraging depravity. Perhaps I am simply overwhelming myself with books from the wrong era. It sounds like a french author, referenced in this book showed a lack of consequence for immorality. I may need to move to a different genre for a while.

Oscar Wilde=Brilliant!