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 Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Genre: Classics/Plays

Blurb (on back of book): Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a mainstay of the high school curriculum for decades.
Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack's ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack's country home on the same weekend the "rivals" to fight for Ernest's undivided attention and the "Ernests" to claim their beloveds pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!
This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader appreciate Wilde's wry wit and elaborate plot twists.

MY OPINION: ****

I LOVE Oscar Wilde, for those of you who don't know. Yes, he only wrote one book and yes it's the only thing of his that I've read, but I honestly love everything about this man's writing. This play was completely different from Dorian Gray and I was here for it. I love when an author truly displays their talent across all genres and can exhibit strength in each category. I plan on rereading Dorian Gray now that I bought my own collector's edition but this play reminded me why Wilde is a genius with prose. 

The play covers important themes like deceit, truth, character, names and status, hypocrisy, and lying. I loved everything about it. It's a real example of a "farce" in that every plot point is so ridiculous that it's hilarious but at the same time each point is so nuanced and significant that it makes it feel more serious. 

I've recently been forced to read more plays because of the emphasis on plays in my AP Lit class and I actually truly enjoy them now. I am still not the biggest Shakespeare fan but I am definitely willing to try out another Oscar Wilde play. I watched the movie for this play years ago but don't remember anything and to be quite honest, I don't think I understood it at that time. 

Everything in here reeks of satire and sarcasm, making it humorous and unrealistic. The comedic aspects are less obvious in that we as an audience find it funny but the characters in the play aren't the ones laughing at the jokes. It plays on dramatic irony and audience knowledge. 

This book didn't really have any long, boring, drawn-out monologues, which I really appreciated. It was very fast-paced and the dialogue was very quick for that comedic effect, I guess. 

The play is an observatory commentary on Victorian society and high-class worries and thrills. It poked fun at the people who were probably in attendance to the play's premier and I loved that bold step from Wilde. We see that absurd hyperfocus elites often have on names and the status it carries with it. The two women in this novel are willing to marry their respective men so long as their names are "Ernest" and won't settle for anything else. 

I don't want to go into a plot summary but I liked how the relationships between each character seemed to parallel each other. While unrealistic, it gave it a nice satisfying ending that summed everything up really well, which is important in such a fast-paced, fairly disjointed piece of work. I liked how Wilde concluded his play because I personally didn't see it coming and it made it seem all the more absurd. 

I liked how Ernest came to represent so many different people and different versions of people. It reminded me of that famous Shakespeare quote about "What's in a name" and how the names of things realistically don't change anything but still seem to have all the importance in the world. 

Short review for a short play. I'm super interested in watching the movie again now that I know what's going on. I would recommend this play to anyone looking for a humorous, witty commentary on upper-class elite Victorian-era life. 

Main Character: Jack, Algy
Sidekick(s): Cecily, Gwendolyn, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, names, etc
Classics/Plays Elements: This play was a witty satire written a long long time ago.

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