malalai khan

“How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June…. If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that—for that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!”

This was so exquisite.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a late 19th century gothic novella, originally published in July 1890, written by the famed Irish poet and writer, Oscar Wilde. It was the first and only novel Wilde ever wrote, and also regarded as one of the best classics of all times.

The story starts in the ethereal studio of Italian painter, Basil Hallward. He paints a portrait of Dorian Gray, an innocent youth with golden hair, while talking to his cynical friend, Lord Henry who appears to be very interested in Dorian, but Basil does not approve of it as he believes that Henry might corrupt him with his outrageous beliefs.
Well, of course he ends up corrupting him.
In the midst of talk, Dorian prays for exchanging his soul for youth and beauty whilst his painting bears the decadence of his very soul.

I love and loathe Dorian. Though he is darker and more *evil* than the usual morally grey hero, he is an anti-hero which I am particularly happy about.
Actually, Dorian Gray is a whole shade darker than grey.
Dorian becomes quite indifferent to feelings of guilt, of the consequences that he faces for his vanity.
“And yet I must admit that this thing that has happened does not affect me as it should. It seems to me to be simply like a wonderful ending to a wonderful play. It has all the terrible beauty of a Greek tragedy, a tragedy in which I took a great part, but by which I have not been wounded.”

Truly, Dorian himself is wholly responsible for the corruption of his soul even if the devil is influencing him. (of course that doesn’t occur but just get the point)
“I have never searched for happiness. Who wants happiness? I have searched for pleasure.”

Come to think of it, this book is actually pretty noir, considering the morally flawed characters throughout the story.

Living a hypocritical double-sided crooked life, Lord Henry simply adores destroying other people.
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself.”

He disgusts me and I hate him.
“Dorian, you will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you have never had the courage to commit.”

But, what can I say? He spits out the truth when Dorian blames the mysterious ‘yellow book’ for corrupting him. Yes, art can have a terrible influence over a person, but in the end, it is solely the person’s fault of succumbing to its grasp.
“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”

Basil Hallward loved Dorian but that only destroys him in the end. Poor Basil. He did his best to keep Dorian away from Henry.

What happened to Sybil Vane, the actress, was very heart-breaking and that is the point when I hate Dorian. It generally follows the cliché of an innocent lady being seduced by a rich aristocrat. I wished so much that James Vane, her brother, would kill Dorian.

The way Oscar Wilde described the artistry of paintings, embroidery, fabrics was so beautiful and aesthetic. ❤ ❤ ❤

Catherine de Médicis had a mourning-bed made for her of black velvet powdered with crescents and suns. Its curtains were of damask, with leafy wreaths and garlands, figured upon a gold and silver ground, and fringed along the edges with broideries of pearls, and it stood in a room hung with rows of the queen’s devices in cut black velvet upon cloth of silver.

This is only one selected paragraph out of the whole chapter (Chapter IX) which is purely devoted to Wilde’s huge knowledge of the history of art.

Literally a stunning book. Oscar Wilde himself explained it in this book.
“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”

Rating

A full on full for this gem:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This lustrous jewel of a book is an embodiment of philosophy and pure gothic vibes ❤

✧─── ･｡ﾟ★: *.✦.* :★｡ﾟ･ ───✧