Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray
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“What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
This is the premise of Oscar Wilde’s compact novel The Picture of Dorian Grey.
Dorian Grey is rich and beautiful. Artist Basil Hallward becomes obsessed with Dorian’s beauty and paints his masterpiece, a portrait of the young man. Seeing the exquisite work, Dorian becomes jealous of his own portrait, capturing a moment of beauty that is already fading. He wishes to remain as young as the portrait while the painting itself becomes marred by time and sin. He gets his wish and with the diabolic Lord Henry whispering in his ear, Dorian turns to a life of sin and scandal.
This book is frighteningly good. It holds well nearly two hundred years later. Lord Henry is a character like Screwtape who whispers discontentment into the ears and heart of his victim, who is not without deceit. We are the company which we keep. As readers we discover how inch by inch, Dorian becomes a man who taints all who come in contact with him, fooled by his beauty, charm and wealth.
As a person who is on my own search for beauty, it was fascinated by Dorian’s complicated relationship with artifacts of beauty---yet similar to his own body, these artifact are empty vessels, or simply widow dressing for the horrible truth inside.
Wilde’s writing is luscious and descriptive but also clear and an easy read. I was absolutely surprised by this quick decent into madness.