A timeless novel: “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
The bookshelf was filled with the rich odor of paper
Photo: Sussan Harshbarger
Courtney Harshbarger reads her favorite copy of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. She loved it so much that she reread it immediately after finishing.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” has become one of my favorite classic novels that I have ever read. The book, written by Oscar Wilde, includes skillful writing, an interesting storyline and numerous questionable social ideals that induce deep thought concerning our own notions of society.
The story focuses on a young beautiful man, Dorian Gray, who becomes envious of a painting of himself. He wishes that the painting would grow old instead of his living self, and somehow this comes true. The remainder of the novel emphasizes Dorian Gray’s struggle with never-ending youth and faltering morality.
Lord Henry Wotton, a man without a conscience, finds Dorian fascinating, and proceeds to corrupt him with selfish ideas. Many of my favorite quotes come from Lord Henry. Despite my disagreement with him on many things, I could not help but commend him for his exceptionally intelligent and well-planned arguments. His opinions constantly forced me to stop reading and take some time to think over his interesting ideas about society and selfishness.
As well as enjoying the writing and its ability to force me into deep thought, I was also greatly interested in the main story. The usage of such a common fear, growing old, made the book more engaging as I confronted my own fear of getting older. This timeless fear of old age is what truly makes “The Picture of Dorian Gray” a classic; it will always be relevant. It is not only relevant to one specific group of people, but to everyone who has ever lived.
My favorite part of the book is the ending because it is shocking, disturbing and also extremely fitting. I love the way it ended so abruptly but with a clear, albeit unsettling, outcome. Like all novels, there are a few boring passages in the book, but the overall experience is one of the best I have ever had with a classic novel. I would highly recommend this to anyone, but especially those who believe all classics to be terrible and unworthy of reading, because this will surely change their minds.
