When I picked up Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" - I was extremely excited. I have taken a liking to time-honoured English Authors and am thinking of sending a request God's way to transform me into one. I think I may be a few centuries too late though.
Back to being excited. Yes....I was. Very much so. I wanted to devour the book...literally with a high level of concentration and zeal. I wanted to read it so hard, that the words would disappear from the book as I read each one. No more words would be left because they would be hidden in my heart and mind. A part of me really. I did start....but I found that as I turned each page of the book...my zeal waned and waned some more.
Here is why. I found the conversations between Lord Henry and the very gifted painter Basil quite charming..enchanting even. However, I found the topic of their discussion a bit uncomfortable. They used beautiful words......words one would typically use whilst describing a woman. Only that they were describing a man instead. I got a niggling feeling....a queer one. I stopped reading and decided to google Oscar Wilde. A got a queer answer (pun intended). I must be the last person on earth to discover that Oscar Wilde was bisexual and had even been imprisoned at one point for his homosexual activities and activism.
Well, I will not provide my views on the subject. What I will say though...I found it increasingly difficult to continue reading the book. My question therefore is...Is it possible to separate the character and being of an Author, from his or her story? Are the two really inseparable? I would ask the same of Stephen King for example. Let me know what your views are.
In the meantime, this little queer book has now joined the START...STOP! list....and also has the privilege of being listed under NEVER EVER LAND.
I bid you farewell....till the next book. A clue you ask? Mrs. Clinton is all I need to say.
Asante!
PS: Should you care to read it though, you can access an electronic copy here http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/oscar-wilde/Dorian-Gray.pdf
PS: Should you care to read it though, you can access an electronic copy here http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/oscar-wilde/Dorian-Gray.pdf
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| Oscar Wilde |
hey...you after such a review who would pick the book to read??? lol! i love your reviews. they make me wanna go buy the book. there is a book about ""a blue sari??" ( i am not so sure) please please tell me if its worth the hunting!!
ReplyDeleteLove what you are doing here. Honest. Keep it going...n i am still amazed that you hadn't bought a book for 33 years??? gal!!
Thanks. Will look for it and let you know. Am a pretty fast reader. Be on the look out! Am really trying...I honestly don't know how I have gotten away with such a "sin" for so long and still managed to read over 200 books! Crazy. I appreciate you keeping up with this. God bless.
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