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 Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli 
Genre: Classics/Politics

Blurb (on back of book): 'One must be a fox in order to recognise traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves'
The Prince shocked Europe on publication with its advocacy of ruthless tactics for gaming absolute power and its abandonment of conventional morality. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) came to be regarded by some as an agent of the Devil and his name taken for the intriguer 'Machevill' of Jacobean tragedy. For his treatise on statecraft Machiavelli drew upon his own experience of office under the turbulent Florentine republic, rejecting traditional values of political theory and recognising the complicated, transient nature of political life. Concerned not with lofty ideals but with a regime that would last, The Prince has become the bible of realpolitik, and still retains its power to alarm and to instruct.
In this edition Machiavelli's tough-minded and pragmatic Italian is preserved in George Bull's clear, unambiguous translation, while Anthony Grafton's introduction depicts Machiavelli's world of power struggles and intrigue, and discusses his role as a political teacher of Europe.

MY OPINION: ****

I had to read this book for my European History class and although I always said this is one of those books I'd never read, I actually kind of... enjoyed it?

Obviously, I don't agree with a lot of the things Machiavelli says. Even though this "book" is supposed to be his philosophical or political discourse on what the true "prince" of a principality should look and act like to be successful, he sure does manage to criticize women in there a lot as well. I wasn't expecting to see such crude depictions of women as metaphors for "Fortune" and it's fickleness in a book about how to be a prince, but I suppose it makes sense for the time period. 

For what it was, it was actually quite interesting. It was super short and I finished it in a night. I would definitely recommend looking at it from like a third view without agreeing or disagreeing outright with anything. Just come at it with a neutral eye and then make your opinions about it afterwards. I struggled with deciding what to rate this because obviously, if I rate it super high, it'll reflect... poorly on me as a person but also, I did very much so enjoy reading this manifesto.

The man just rants on and on about how it is better to be feared than loved but that you should never be hated, the ends justify the means even if that means being cruel, etc etc. We all know these Machiavellian traits. However, I did find a lot of what he said to be quite interesting and while it doesn't always apply to our modern contemporary world, it definitely seemed to ring true for what I know about the states and nations of the time period this was written in. While I didn't necessarily agree with 80% of it, I found the truth or logic behind what he was saying for the most part and understood where he was coming from. 

What he's saying is not necessarily bad. But it is very ruthless and not always the approach you want to take when trying to govern and maintain a strong, stable state with people who love its government and rulers. He elevates certain figures, such as Cesare Borgia, in a more positive light than they deserve. From my personal knowledge of history and the classical world, I found it interesting to see the various figures he included within his book as good and bad examples, because a lot of them seemed to align with the basic ideas of what he was saying but then had contradictory outcomes to his beliefs.

He defines the "realpolitik" in the most analytical way possible. Anyone who is interested in political theory and learning more about these types of rulers for whatever reason should definitely pick this one up. I definitely don't regret reading this book, though only some parts of it were actually required for the class. I found myself very interested in what the man had to say so I just kept reading on and on until suddenly I had finished the whole thing. Definitely try this one out if you have any interest in politics and history!

Main Character: N/A
Sidekick(s): N/A
Villain(s): N/A
Classics/Politics Elements: This was written in the 1500s and serves as a political discourse. 

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