The Picture of Dorian Grey
Oscar Wilde
Although I’ve known this book by title for a long time, I’d never read it, and this month I remedied that deficiency. It is astonishing what a picture of evil it gives. I do not say it is an evil book, but that it portrays great evil in a believable way, much as George MacDonald portrays great good in a believable way. There’s a heavily–perfumed sensuality in the writing that makes the reading unpleasant at times, but the story is captivating, and the evil is not glorified, but recognized for what it is. There are so many famous Wilde epigrams in it that it reminds me of someone’s comment on Shakespeare: “I don’t know why everyone thinks he’s so great—his writing is full of clichés.”