The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde · first published 1890
41% recommend54% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Beautifully written, with clever dialogue and a memorable preface. Lord Henry's eloquent defense of hedonism stands out. Easy to pick up cold; suits readers wanting a playful, unsettling classic.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. The novel-length version was published in April 1891.
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Some elaboration on your opinion would provide a greater contribution to the discussion. As an aside however, 'Henry' in Oscar Wilde's A Picture of Dorian Gray provided the most beautiful and articulate defence of hedonism I have ever read. But I am still convinced that in relation to the project of the promotion of ones long-term well-being hedonism is a philosophical…
on “Why aren't smart people happier?” ↗…1984 and Animal Farm. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Life on the Mississippi and Roughing It. Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Iliad, Odyssey and first half of the Aeneid. A Room With A View and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Great Gatsby, Call of the Wild and Age of Innocence. War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Don Quixote.
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗…century tomes that are tough sledding in high school a lot of the time; many like Moby Dick and much of Dickens are pretty long in addition to the somewhat archaic language. There are exception like The Picture of Dorian Gray although that's very late 19th century--and, of course, Wilde is very accessible. ADDED: In general, I don't think I read any, but both Fitzgerald and Hemingway seem pretty reasonable for a high school…
on “H.L. Mencken Reviews the Great Gatsby (1925)” ↗The Picture of Dorian Gray (by Oscar Wilde) is just so beautifully written. It was Oscar Wilde's only novel (he only needed one). It also has the absolute best preface of any book I've read: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/174/174-h/174-h.htm#chap00
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗Some of my picks from last months reading list: 1. The undoing project, Michael Lewis 2. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde 3. Missing Microbes, Martin J. Blaser 4. Socrates' Defence, Plato
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗“Civilization and its Discontents” by Freud “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly “Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Someone already said Vonnegut, so I’ll offer Kerouac. Also, Oscar Wilde. The Picture of Dorian Gray is something beyond.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗Maybe something like "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde? Something that rattles the foundations of life in a playful, unexpected way.
on “Why read Dostoevsky? A programmer's perspective” ↗Interesting. When I first read the Picture of Dorian Gray, I had no idea of its social context -- I didn't know Oscar Wilde was gay, I didn't know the book was considered controversial. I just picked it up on a whim and thought it was a well-written book full…
on “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” ↗…("Livro do Desassossego" in the original Portuguese) 2. 1984 by George Orwell 3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera 4. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman 5. (As mentioned) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde It doesn't make much sense, but between 1. and 2. I'd put all of the currently known poetry and prose by Álvaro de Campos, Alberto Caeiro, and Ricardo Reis (in that order). I have a 3-book…
on “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” ↗The Picture of Dorian Gray
on “Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?” ↗The Picture of Dorian Gray
on “Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction” ↗…touched for me. Not because I had to, but because the reading of the book itself compelled me to do so. It's become lost in time, but I want to re-read the book just in order to re-write the essay. The Picture of Dorian Gray had a similar effect, but for only one perspective that rocked my worldview: Life experience as art.
on “Marc Andreessen on productivity, scheduling, reading habits, work” ↗I had this with The Picture of Dorian Gray, but on a re-read later (several years on a bored weekend, that was before I wrote code or read about code most of the time) I came to really appreciate it.
on “The Great Gatsby: Misunderstood Novel” ↗Crime and Punishment, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Frankenstein, Lord of the Rings, 1984, The Great Gatsby, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Odyssey (by Homer) are all books that I enjoyed that are varying degrees of old. I think comparing old vs new books…
on “Greatest Films of All Time” ↗