The Public Domain Is Wonderful

Especially when you have a Kindle or some other electronic means of reading which allows you to get these works for free.

I recently read both The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, and Venus In Furs, by Ritter von Leopold Sacher-Masoch (quite a mouthful of a name, right?). Both were highly enjoyable and worth checking out. Venus In Furs doesn’t approach the level of Dorian Gray on a purely literary basis, but it is wickedly fun to read. I mean, this is the work that literally gave the term “masochism” its name, and inspired the excellent Velvet Underground tune by the same name, so its got to be at least worth a skim, right? Also, whips are employed liberally. Its just that type of book.

Dorian Gray, though, is well worth your time. Quite possibly my favorite book at the moment. I always knew the basic story, but had no idea that it was so well-written by Wilde. Aside from a couple of tedious passages that go on interminably about things that are decidedly non-essential to the plot, this book is full of wondrously wicked wit and is eminently quotable. I probably could, and actually might, do a quote of the day for at least a full month from this book and still have many more quotable lines to spare. Some aspects of the book are, understandably, quite dated, but there are many parts of it that read as if they could have been written today.

The Faustian bargain that provides the basic thrust of the book is portrayed meticulously by Wilde. For those who don't know, the story of the book is that of Dorian Gray, whose wish that he might stay young forever while his portrait ages instead is granted. The consequences of this arrangement are dire for Dorian, for while he shows no outward detriment from the hedonistic life he leads following the bargain, the terrible toll of his choices can be readily examined by Dorian in the form of the painting. Wilde shows both the upside to a carefree, hedonistic existence and the inner turmoil provided by Dorian's duplicity convincingly. While the surface message of the book may be that Dorian's lifestyle catches up to him in the end, we can't help but identify and root for both Dorian and his incorrigible corruptor, Lord Henry, who has all the best lines in the novel and seems to be quite happy despite his failed marriage and seeming lack of moral standing. I was left wondering if perhaps the true message of the novel was that it is dangerous to hide our true selves from the world, and that we should instead let others see us as we truly are, whether that be good or bad.

In short, it provided much more entertainment and food for thought than I had dared to expect.