Today I'd like to sit and read
Forget I have a job I need Ignore the things I have to do And just enjoy a book or two I have always enjoyed Oscar Wilde, (I have several of his quotes lining my bedroom.) and this summer I was able to read his one and only book, The Picture of Dorian Gray. At first, I didn't understand the book. It was taking forever to get to the part where his portrait grew ugly and cruel and old, and Dorian Gray honestly seemed like a good person in the first couple of chapters. Then, he and Lord Henry became friends and things started to go down hill. It wasn't until he rejected Sibyl Vane that I truly started to dislike him. From there, the book got interesting. It was still a little slow-going (Classic reads tend to be) but all-in-all I loved it. It was strange, it was gruesome, and it was set in Victorian London. As I was reading, I couldn't help but wonder what Dorian Gray's character would have been if he had not met Lord Henry. Would he have left Sibyl after she quit the stage due to her lacking mystery? Would he have gone on to do immoral things, such as visiting opium dens? The portrait changed as Dorian Gray's soul changed, while his outward appearance didn't change at all. It allowed him to lead a double life of sorts: he was a gentleman in polite society, but he associated with hostels and opium dens. He cared for nothing but his immediate pleasure and that destroyed his soul. I felt that Wilde was trying to make the reader reflect on their own life and their own choices. The portrait is to Dorian what your soul is to you; just because it's not visible, doesn't mean that it doesn't change who you are. I liked that Oscar Wilde made me think with this book. That's what I like about his quotes, too. Some authors have a knack for writing deep, meaningful words and Oscar Wilde is definitely one of them. While I loved his book, I love his quotes even more. His quotes speak to me, and I love looking at them on Google Images. My personal favorite quote is one that motivates me to be better, be different, be daring. It dares me to try something I'm afraid to do. It tells me to take a chance. And I think everyone needs a quote like that. Everyone needs a little bit of Oscar Wilde with them. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Emilee
8/3/2016 11:59:37 pm
I completely agree! It took me awhile to get in to it, but I love it. At times, it reminds me of Poe (example: the climax). I enjoy the quote, "...it is a mistake to think that the passion one feels in creation is ever really shown in the work one creates." I feel this quote is relatable to us as writers because you can fall in love with a topic and put your entire self in to it, but the reader won't always pick up on that. Just some thoughts I had while reading!
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April 2018
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