Would you sell your soul for eternal youth?
Genre: Gothic Fiction
Publication: July 1890
Author: Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray depicts the dangerous consequences of eternal youth through gothic storytelling that grabs the reader from the very start.
Dorian Gray acts as the new muse for the artist Basil Howard, who can’t help but rave about Gray’s handsome looks. One day, Lord Henry, a friend of Basil’s, befriends Dorian, further praising Gray’s fine youth and ability to get away with everything.
As Dorian sees his youth looking back at him through the portrait that Basil painted, Dorian begins to fear growing old and makes the wish to stay youthful forever, while his portrait bears the ageing he so fears.
I decided to read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde for the very first time. After seeing it all over my BookTok and Bookstagram feeds, I decided to head over to my local bookstore and pick up a copy, and it surely did not disappoint.
Despite being released in 1890, this story still holds up today. The hyper fixation the characters have on youth and beauty is very similar to what our society is focused on today. Equivalent to our concept of pretty privilege, we see Lord Henry act as a devil on Dorian’s shoulder. Making him believe that he is very knowledgeable about life and that Dorian’s youth is not something to waste.
I believe Lord Henry led Dorian down a dark path of manipulation and exploitation of his looks, but I also think Dorian had this inclination within him from the start. The constant praise of his looks was what ultimately broke him out of his cage.
It is a thought-provoking story. There were moments when I wanted Lord Henry to just stop talking and moments when I was baffled by the actions of Dorian.
It upholds the gothic horror genre without being outwardly scary, but rather approaches horror through the actions of the characters, their beliefs, and the justifications of their actions. The ending spooked me a bit.
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