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Title: A bit of a high horse for Wilde.
Review: Dorian Gray is very good novel, but it suffers from soapbox syndrome. The writing is accessible, even to those who tend to dislike more old-styled English writing, and the plot is certainly among the greatest ideas in literature. However, the character of Lord Henry, who carries a great deal of the novel, often goes on seemingly unending rants of his views on life and they bring the book down quite a bit. With these discourses, the book loses development in favor of pseudo-philosophy in a clever if rough attempt to both attract and repulse the reader. There is a mid-chapter in the book that describes the middle of Dorian's life that is absolute work to make your way through. The philosophy of the book is important of course, but it's much better when the story lends itself for the purpose. Overall, for the brilliance of the idea of the story; it's required reading.
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