– the first published version of The Picture of Dorian Gray for the grand price of 25 cents
The aphorism
There
is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or
badly written. That is all.
stands at the head of the novel as a warning to
critics by Oscar Wilde.
Priya
A single fateful wish for his youth to be
preserved, and his aging transferred to a painting of him, causes Dorian Gray
to descend into evil acts, that are only vaguely described in the novel.
Kavita, KumKum, Talitha, Thommo, Mathew, Sunil
Throughout, the brilliance of Wilde’s wit and his
ability to turn a dogma on its head is apparent. Whether this novel, his only
one, is the best vehicle for his writing was debated. But there is no doubt
about his mastery. Max Beerbohm, himself a well-known essayist with a graceful
style, described Wilde once as "A Lord of Language," in an article with
that title.
Talitha and Thommo
As to Wilde’s homosexuality, for which he was
persecuted in his time (even as homosexuals are being persecuted today in India
by the perverse judgment of a duet of lordships on the Supreme Court of India),
he wrote:
I believe that God made a world for each separate
man, and within that world, which is within us, one should seek to live.
(from De
Profundis)
Preeti and Zakia
Here are the readers at the end of the session:
Preeti, Kavita, KumKum, Priya, Talitha, Thommo, Mathew, Sunil, Zakia, Joe
Read on to savour our pronouncements and
reflections on The Picture of Dorian Gray.
