مميزات وعيوب Picture of Dorian Gray (Wordsworth Classics)

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  Mariam Badawi

  (منذ 2 سنة، 10 أشهر)

  The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde; it is the only novel written by the brilliant author. It was written and published in the late nineteenth century. The events of the novel follow the life of Dorian Gray who is young, very wealthy, extremely loved by everyone who knows him, and most importantly, exceptionally beautiful. His beauty captured everyone who would see him, including his painter friend, Basil, who insisted on painting a portrait of him, and Lord Henry who, at first, was a bad influence on him, but by the end of the novel, his corruptness proves to be nothing compared to Dorian’s. This portrait later proved to be his curse. As time passes, it would take its toll on the painting rather than on Dorian himself: all the wrinkles and ugliness of old age would not touch Dorian’s face, rather the painting would carry that for him; and for every sin that Dorian commits, it would appear on the portrait, making the painted Dorian appear more ugly and hideous, while the real Dorian would remain as innocent-looking and beautiful as ever. As the novel progresses and Dorian sees what his mistakes are doing to the painting, he grows even more vain and corrupt. The progress of the novel is directly proportional to the level of hideousness of Dorian’s sins. I won’t spoil the ending, but it is extremely captivating! The whole novel is a metaphor describing nineteenth century British Society. Wilde is trying to say that despite the fact that the society was known to be extremely conservative, the most gruesome and shocking acts took place during that time, but they happened in the dark. In other words, their motto was: so long as you are not caught, you’re fine. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a masterpiece combining Wilde’s witticism and his skillful manipulation of language to portray nineteenth century British society in its true light, proving that not everything is as it seems to be, which was extremely daring at the time. Well-written is an understatement; the algorithms in the novel are just enough to blow your mind. It is definitely a must-read! And I bet you will add it to your favorites list!