The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde

The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde  

                                        …The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion

This is a story of vanity. The protagonist is Dorian Gray, a young man so charming and handsome that he becomes the life of an artist. It is a story about sensuous curiosity, literary debauchery and reckless love for art.

It seems that Oscar Wilde has not only poured his mind, but his life in this tale. It is his own reflection in pages scrawled with artsy stones, doleful verses and undying incenses. The writing style is rather peculiar and carefree. Wilde puts no thought on how his work will be received. He goes on dwelling on art, music, kings and queens digressing from his main plot. His pen doesn’t pay attention to the pages, but to the words. The language is comprehensible and supportive of an easy flow from scene to scene. The words are meaningful as ever, the phrases poetic , the story fantastic. This is more serious than other works of Oscar Wilde that I’ve read. The whole story redefines morality in terms of a conflict between sensuousness and propriety. It examines the life of the protagonist in the wake of his interaction with the world and his “renunciation”. It is a tale no man should read without pain , and no man should write without empathy. The society through the eyes of Oscar Wilde is truly a society of romantics and meaningful only for them. And hence, It is recommended only for romantics.

Happy Prince and Other Tales Review

Happy Prince and Other Tales By Oscar Wilde  

                                                 …I like hearing myself talk

One cannot but drool over the sweet tales of one's childhood. And Oscar Wilde’s stories are just like that, only with a subtle political satire and outright irony. I can hardly imagine a reader not gasping while reading this book. This book is a package of five bittersweet short stories about sympathy, sacrifice, love, selfishness, greed, vanity and self-love. The stories do not have surprising ending , nor do they have any descriptive parts. They are simple fables meant to win the hearts and minds of all.

There is something extraordinary about Wilde’s writing style. Though animals and candles have been personified many a time in literature but Wilde’s characters seem to be utterly novel, almost magical. It is not without pangs of childlike excitement that a reader will turn the pages of this book. The words are beautiful and nothing less. Wilde knows his flowers and stones quite well. The nature is distinct and each flower has its own entity in Wilde’s world. His writing is sincere, magical and appealing. His stories leave no doubt that he was a romantic at heart. I had envisaged him as a self-loving person when I read De Profundis. But this book changed his image in my mind. I feel closer to him in some way through the characters he brought to life. He has gratified the child inside me, and I am very thankful to him for that. Needless to say, this book is a must read.

Theaetetus Review

Theaetetus By Plato
                …all of these off-springs are wind-eggs and not worth bringing up

Plato’s contribution to epistemology can be distinctly perceived and possessed as knowledge through this text. In this dialogue, Plato tries to examine the question “what is knowledge?” unsuccessfully. And yet he tells us “What knowledge is not?”. The famous Socrates belief, the one who knows that he does not know is wiser than the one who thinks one knows and does not know, is tacitly manifested in this dialogue.

Besides a few hasty conclusions and abstract arguments, this text is unerring. Moreover, though the language is simple, the flow of language is a little turbid. Sometimes, the paraphrased theories are less decipherable than the original theories.Also, some part of the text will require the reader to know a bit about epistemology thereby making it esoteric. Sometimes the Socratic portion does not appear to be quite like the standard Socratic dialogues .All the same, this text stands as the seed of epistemology which sprouted into a separate branch of philosophy proving that this text is as significant as Plato’s work of forms if not more. Moreover, some of the arguments are difficult to refute despite the widened human vision of modern era. The simile of bird’s cage used by Socrates to help Theaetetus envisage the concept of “possession of knowledge” and “having knowledge” is awfully commendable inasmuch as it makes one realize that re-learning is different from learning. This example alone makes this text worthwhile.

Read it to “possess the knowledge” of what knowledge is not. Re-read it to “have knowledge” of the possessed knowledge.

Phaedo Review

Phaedo By Plato 

            …opposites from opposites but not Opposites in Opposites

While a dying man is wont to mourn his impending death , Socrates hoped for a better future in death. For his whole life he had been practicing philosophy with the hope of abstaining from bodily afflictions that make us cling to the unreality of this world. We must strive to keep our soul free from any kind of greed and live in moderation.

Phaedo is an edifying dialogue between Socrates and his friends, which is later, narrated by Phaedo. The scene is set just before the death punishment of Socrates and yet all those present are engaged in an intellectual conversation rather than a temperamental one. Socrates argues that soul is immortal and indestructible; it is exists before the body and remains after the body. The soul is sent to the underworld in a direction that depends on the piousness or wickedness of the soul. His friends provide some counterarguments but Socrates is successfully able to address them and reinstate his arguments. After the rational conversation however his friends are no longer able to contain themselves and break down into tears. This shows that though human beings might agree and accept the inconsequential existence of the body they cannot forego their temperaments. Socrates urges them to practice what they have discussed and not just agree with it. Till the very end, Socrates stands by his convictions and admonishes people to stand by them if they have agreed to them.

This text is a must read for anyone who wants to get a consistent perspective towards death.

Crito Review

Crito By Plato
         …Virtue and justice are man's most precious possession

Is loyalty to country to be given any consideration even if it has wrongfully convicted one of major crimes? Does duty to one’s children take precedence over duty to one’s country? This text answers these questions and many more. Socrates deduces through strong arguments that loyalty to one’s country is more important even than loyalty to one’s parents.He will prefer dying to mistreating his country.

The arguments given by Socrates are thought provoking and dispassionate. However it seemed that he could have been convinced of the opposite with simplest logic if Crito had tried. Unlike the other dialogues the inability and helplessness does not seem to be due to the effect produced by Socrates characteristic style of questioning but Crito’s incompetence. Crito is never convincing either in passion or in logic. He is anxious that the majority will see him as a friend who didn’t even try to salvage Socrates. Socrates makes this anxiousness seem pointless by giving counter arguments to prove that majority is not to be trusted in all issues. Only specific people who have wisdom may be considered. This seems paradoxical with Socrates' stance to be loyal for the country but country here is not the same as majority. The concept of country refers to the laws, legacy and services collectively while majority refers to only the people.

This text is recommended for readers interested in understanding the problem encountered by several thinkers when dwelling on the precedence of individuality over nation or vice-versa.

Apology Review

Apology By Plato 

              …I do not know, neither do I think I know

Apology does not refer to conveying that one’s regretful in this text. It is the derived from the Greek word “Apologia” which means dwelling on one’s defense. This text is Plato’s report on the speech given by Socrates during his prosecution. The accuracy of this work is not known like many other works that Plato has written in dialogue form involving Socrates. Socrates says he’s not an orator and yet emanates the effect only an efficacious orator can create.

The charges against him are of heresy, corruption of young minds and atheism. Socrates denies his being guilty of any of the charges and defends himself through reason and wit. This is the story of a man who stood for what he believed until the end no matter what. Until the end does he forward his belief that a good man is the one who gives preference to virtue and introspection rather than material wealth. He ends on the note that he will consider the jurymen just only if they reproach his sons if they sway from the path of knowledge. The language is fairly easy to grasp. The logic that Socrates give in regard to God, death and piousness will force reader to think about the nature of society and individuals.Socrates words are dispassionate and yet inspirational. It leaves no doubt in the mind that he was indeed amongst the wisest if not the wisest.

This text is highly recommended.

Euthyphro Review

EUTHYPHRO By Plato

                         …I prefer nothing, unless it is true.

Before I picked up this book I was apprehensive of it being abstract and trying but it has turned out to be just the opposite. This is a dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro who has decided do prosecute his own father for murder because of his “complete” knowledge of piousness. But Socrates turns his world upside down and subtly shatters his belief. Euthyphro is so frustrated by the end that he leaves the place.

The clever argument that, being carried makes a thing a “Carried thing” is true but a “Carried thing” is carried is not, is what is best about this dialogue. Through logic and logic only does Socrates manage to imply that piousness is not defined by love of God nor is its form so clear as to one becomes convinced that he knows everything about piousness. And to have so much conviction that one prosecutes one’s own father is just irrational. The fact that Euthyphro leaves the scene corroborates with this fact.The dialogue is in easily readable and decipherable. It is not absurd and medieval but rational and radical. The dialogue form makes one feel that he is in fact present on the premises. Socrates methodology of arguing with “what is this and why is this?” amalgamated with his sarcastic humbleness and quick wit will make reader thing about the questions of morality.

It is a must read for all those who do not want to lead a life of darkness.