The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Horror Classics

Image result for the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hydeBlurb (on back of book): Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The work is commonly known today as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or simply Jekyll & Hyde. It is about a London lawyer named John Gabriel Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.

 MY OPINION: ***

I believe this is known as a novella, which is why it is so short. However, I found the story compelling and interesting despite its abrupt ending. There were a few times when I was confused as to what was going on but as soon as I went back a couple of pages and reread some of the passages, everything made sense.

I loved this book. I thought that the whole idea of it was so interesting, especially for the time period it was written in. I would think that this would be a very revolutionary idea that was most likely unheard of. I would definitely have never been able to wrap my head around something like this.

This story is about a lawyer named Utterson who investigates the "strange case" of his close friend, Henry Jekyll, who seems to have a little bit more to him than what meets the eye.

Dr. Jekyll is a scientist. I found his character especially interesting because he knew what was going on but found that part of him to be so strong and compelling that he lost all of his morals. I thought that he was written especially nicely because he was dealing with so much and the book was so short to give him a large personality. I loved how it was a completely different person from Edward Hyde, definitely emphasizing how everybody has their own dark side as well as a light side and that it isn't the same person.

Mr. Hyde honestly creeped me out and yet I loved how he was written. The writing of this book was "creepy" and reading about how Mr. Hyde's thoughts went and what he was thinking when making decisions was inherently scary and yet also fascinating. I found Mr. Hyde to be less developed, obviously, but still a realistic character that I could visually see and shudder at.

I found the entire plotline and ideas that made this book come about to be fascinating and incredibly eyeopening. Everybody has a dark side to themselves, that "other half" that possesses them to do something that is considered "bad," even if it's telling a little white lie. I loved how Stevenson took the step to create an entire persona of the bad side of a person and make it into someone so compelling and dark.

I found this to be entertaining and I would recommend to anyone looking for a "gothic," shorter piece of literature that's both haunting and compelling as a whole.

Main Character: Utterson, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde
Sidekick(s): Dr. Lanyon, etc
Villain(s): Mr. Hyde

Horror Classics Elements: This book contained horror elements that would generally be seen in a "gothic" story.

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