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The Picture of Dorian Gray

  • Thread starter Thread starter aussierob
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aussierob

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Hey guys,

I have this book sitting on my shelf and time and again I have picked it up, tried to read it yet I really cannot do it. I just zone it.

Has anyone read it- by all accounts it sounds a brilliant novel, but I can't get into it. Should I push myself harder to get into or or not?

Cheers
 
If it's not your thing than why bother? Life's too short!

Having said that, I read it a few years ago and loved it.
 
Because as much as I have trouble with it- it's something I really want to try. I've heard its good but just trying to get into the mind to read it, I just can't.

Mind you, this has only happened with one other book. So who knows
 
Have you seen the movie? It's quite entertaining - but not as good as the book. I agree that Wilde's narrative can be a little mannered sometimes making it a bit hard to get into - but if you stick with it, it's great.

I have this trouble slightly with Dickens (embarrassing to admit), and completely with William Shakespeare (totally ashamed of this). But there's no point forcing yourself - reading's supposed to be a pleasure!
 

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Despite it being an excellent story, if you can't 'get into it', you will never enjoy reading it. I'm like that with Stephen King. I think he's a horrible writer even though his stories might be good. I've tried reading a number of his stories and simply gave up after a few chapters because I can't abide his writing style.

If you decide to go for the movie, try the 1970 version with Helmut Berger.

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what, you can't get into my biography? well then...how about the front of my pants?:rolleyes: :badgrin:
 
Haven't read the book, or heard of the movie, but the depiction of Dorian Gray in Leauge of Extroadinary Gentlemen was pretty good in my opinion.
 
^
and it was much easier than reading eh? jk :wave:
 
what, you can't get into my biography? well then...how about the front of my pants?
Click to expand...
And that is a vignette worthy of Mr. Wilde! :)

If you're having trouble with Dorian Gray, skip it. It's not his best work: novels were not his strong suit. He's got a few good lines in Dorian, and a cool visit to an opium den, but the whole Sybil Vane episode turned me off. Bleh.

What he was really excellent at were one-liners. Here's a favorite of mine from his play The Importance of Being Ernest:

"To lose one parent is tragic. To lose both? Careless!"

This is literary heresy, I know, but in my view the best thing to do to know Wilde is to just get a list of his quotations.
 
I don't think the pay off from forcing yourself to read the novel is worth it. The language is overly dated and ornate and I'm not sure that I was left with much more from reading the book than I already knew from the outline.

In terms of film versions, there was supposed to be a new version in 2006, starring the blond kid, grown up, from Seventh Heaven. But from the IMBD it looks like it isn't any good and is having a problem finding distribution http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435669/ .
 
aussierob said:
Hey guys,

I have this book sitting on my shelf and time and again I have picked it up, tried to read it yet I really cannot do it. I just zone it.

Has anyone read it- by all accounts it sounds a brilliant novel, but I can't get into it. Should I push myself harder to get into or or not?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I'm completely with you on this one. I love the story, but the writing is really unnecessarily long-winded. I'm-a give it one more chance, tho'.
 
It's one of my favorite novels. But then, I love purple prose... the more long-winded the better. However, I had the same problem as you've experienced with Proust and Tolkein, so I know what you mean. I think it's good discipline to make yourself slog through the Victorians, but it isn't exactly fun.

And, Zingerific, darling, the correct quote is: "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness." I agree that Wilde was much more accessible as a playwright and fabulist (his fairy tales and short stories are amazing fun), but The Picture of Dorian Gray is still, I think, his crowning achievement.
 
Robert~Marlénè said:
It's one of my favorite novels. But then, I love purple prose... the more long-winded the better. However, I had the same problem as you've experienced with Proust and Tolkein, so I know what you mean. I think it's good discipline to make yourself slog through the Victorians, but it isn't exactly fun.
Click to expand...

yeah... I guess my biggest problem is that, because of my schedule, I do most of my reading on the subway. Makes the focus a little more difficult :)
 
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I have to co-sign on the old black and white version with Angela Landsbury

I was channel surfing one day, stopped it on that, was intrigued by a young Murder She Wrote, and always wanted to know the story behind this [my only other reference point was the movie League of Extraordinary Gentleman, I'm ashamed to say]

this film is great, because I don't like most black and white films [only other two I can think of that I like are Raisin In The Sun and Seven Samurai]
but this one held my interest through out!!


.
 
hey zing,
thanks for the bon mot (i think thats how you spell it anyway) and btw
wilde was known for witty in the short stuff but could never use 1 word when 5 or 6 could be brought into play. took me 2 yrs to finish dorian, in fact i had to go back and reread the first part to jog the memory cells.!oops!
 
Wow- thanks for all the responses guys.

It sounds like the the book is worth the effort reading- it seems a really interseting plot. I would prefer reading it then seeing a move version, if only as a comparison. After all, nothing beats a good book.

Oh well; I may try to kick myself into gear and try to read it at the end of the year; a good summer read.
 
I had the exact same problem, but I read it and loved it. It just takes a few pages to get used to his style. I would recommend it.
 
Sometimes it just takes a bit to get into a book. I feel that you can get there with almost any book if you're in the right mindset (true interest, sheer boredom, you name it).
 
aussierob said:
Hey guys,

I have this book sitting on my shelf and time and again I have picked it up, tried to read it yet I really cannot do it. I just zone it.

Has anyone read it- by all accounts it sounds a brilliant novel, but I can't get into it. Should I push myself harder to get into or or not?

Cheers
Click to expand...

It's a very short book... Just read it. It does take a few pages to get into, but the thing about Wilde is that you need to pick up on his insights and one liners....
He's amazing.
And his story about Dorian is based on a young man that he was infatuated with at the time he wrote it. They had a fling.... and Oscar was in love with this young man until he met Lord Alfred Douglas.
The language of Wilde in the book is not nearly so outdated as that of Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe.
It's still a very readable book I think. Wilde did have a reputation as a poet in late Victorian England but after Dorian was published his reputation was made.
It was considered quite scandalous by many society folks at the time... but then Wilde was not one to shy from scandal.
Wilde had a first hand experience with Opium, so he knew a bit of what he was writing in that section of the novel. He wasn't an addict by any means but he'd used the drug.
I"ve seen the movies of this story but none due justice to the book. I don't think a film will ever be able to portray Dorian the way that Wilde meant him to be protrayed.
Just think of the most handsome, beautiful, charming young man you've ever met. He would be educated and have beautiful manners.
He would exude sexuality.... that is Dorian Grey.
The dialoge between the characters is exquisite.
Now, the book is very short.... surely you could spend a couple of hours to read it. Then let us know what you think.
 
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