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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Bartleby, the Scrivener - Herman Melville

Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville
Genre: Classics

Blurb (on back of book): Academics hail it as the beginning of modernism, but to readers around the world—even those daunted by Moby-Dick—Bartleby the Scrivener is simply one of the most absorbing and moving novellas ever. Set in the mid-19th century on New York City's Wall Street, it was also, perhaps, Herman Melville's most prescient story: what if a young man caught up in the rat race of commerce finally just said, "I would prefer not to"?
The tale is one of the final works of fiction published by Melville before, slipping into despair over the continuing critical dismissal of his work after Moby-Dick, he abandoned publishing fiction. The work is presented here exactly as it was originally published in Putnam's magazine—to, sadly, critical disdain.

MY OPINION: **

I read this for my English class during the last few weeks and quite honestly, this makes me realize that I never ever want to pick up Melville's Moby Dick in my lifetime. This was tragically boring, monotonous, and lengthy, and while there were some parts I enjoyed and there were some parts I saw the literary merit in, it overall was not the most enjoyable read for me.

I read stories/books to enjoy myself and feel happy about my life, but this one quite frankly made me want to go to sleep. It wasn't too long, which I am grateful for, because otherwise I do not think I would have ever gotten through this book.

From what I could gather from this novella, a lawyer hires a clerk who blatantly refuses to do anything. His "assigned" tasks are met with the response of "I would prefer not to." And quite honestly, slay! Sometimes I don't want to do my work either. It was an interesting take on the idea of a man choosing not to continue with any of his life's tasks but in such a polite way that it's almost disarming to the lawyer.

Quite frankly, what was the point of this novella? I do not know anything about Melville (which makes me realize that this novella was definitely not going to be my cup of tea) nor do I really wish to know much about him. I just know he was a pretty... bad man. I read this against my will.

I don't really care to go into some literary analysis and have you guys man-splain to me in the comments the Story of Wall Street and all that. I personally did not enjoy this one. I think he was trying to be funny and ironic and maybe hoped that some of his readers would relate to the lazy coworker or insubordinate employee but as a teenage girl, I didn't really... care?

I think it might have also been a commentary on mental health, but I don't even want to tackle that subject in such an outdated novella.

It's definitely something. I think a lot of people really enjoyed this novella, based on the ratings, so definitely go check it out if you think it's something that might interest you. However, for me personally, I was not the biggest fan. I definitely do not want to read anything else by this man anytime soon. If someone were to ask me to read this book or any other Melville, well, here's my answer: "I would prefer not to."

Main Character: Bartleby
Sidekick(s): Lawyer, other workers, etc
Villain(s): "I would prefer not to."
Classics Elements: This is a classic novella.

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