I've already run out of sticky notes...

There's something about the way that Oscar Wilde writes that makes every sentence seem important. His words are meticulously placed, and sentences excruciating long, but every part makes be want to read more. I'm probably wasting a lot of sticky notes.

The entire preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray emphasizes the depth in which Oscar Wilde writes.
Here are a few example:
"It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors." (pg. viii)
"Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is their fault." (pg. vii)
"All art is quite useless." (pg. viii)

However, that is only the beginning. The key factor of his writing seems to be run-on sentences. Although there are few description department, they are very abundant in any dialogue in this book. Especially that of Lord Henry Wotton. Each word he speaks is meticulously placed, and the vocabulary is usually confusing (at best). However, these sentences are what made me fall in love with Oscar Wilde's writing style. There is not a point in this book were I have found an irrelevant sentence. Each has an intended meaning, the challenge is deciphering what that meaning is. Here is an example of just that. In this passage Henry Wotton is putting in his two-cents on Sibyl Vane's suicide (by the way, Sibyl Vane commented suicide).

"She has played her last part. But you must think of that lonely death in the tawdry dressing-room simply as a stage lurid fragment from some Jacobean tragedy, as a wonderful scene from Webster, or Ford, or Cyril Turner. The girl never really lived, and so she has never really died." (pg. 75)

I could not imagine every writing something like that. Despite my lack of understanding of some of the vocabulary and illusions, I still struck by the message this passage delivers. This is the case for almost any dialogue in this book.

Another important aspect of Oscar Wilde's writing is illusions and motifs. In this section it becomes apparent that the literal picture of Dorian Gray has been, and will continue to be, a large motif in this book. In the beginning it is introduced as Basil's best work yet, a masterpiece. Even Basil himself is shocked by the sheer excellence of what he has created. From then in becomes a symbol of youth and longing. Dorian envies the panting, because it has frozen his face in time, while in real life he continues to grow older. Overall, the painting highlights just how important youth and beauty are to the main characters in this book. Another main motif is that of flowers. They are abundantly in the first few chapters, represent purity and beauty. As the book progresses, the seem to develop mostly around Sibyl, as she is commonly compared to a rose. Although roses are beautiful flowers, they also have sharp thorns. I believe this flower is chosen because of Sibyl's impact on Dorian's life. She was a beautiful young woman, and Dorian was enticed by her beauty. However, her death seems to be the last straw in Dorian Gray's sanity. He changes drastically, even Basil says: "something has changed you completely...you talk as if you have no heart, no pity" (pg. 79).

The main illusions in this book focus on mythologic, literary, and philosophical works. The most abundant, however, is Shakespeare. All of Sibyl Vane's characters partake in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It can be noted that on the night she killed herself, she was playing the lead, Juliet. Like the character in the play, kills herself. Unlike Juliet, her attempt to ingest poison is successful, and she does not have no resort to stabbing herself.

Oscar Wilde certainly jam-packed this book with a lot of different literary styles, making it both an challenging and rewarding read. Although it can be frustrating sometimes, I can honestly say I am eager to read anything he writes.