~ books read in 2023 ~

#11: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

When ladyroses burn, they bleed.

Rating: 4/5

30082023

morning at my desk

I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.

— Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

A morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs

he's a 10 but he has a cursed rotting portrait of himself which shows the decaying of his soul which he traded for eternal youth and beauty

I think if tpodg adaptations want to have a plausible way to 'redeem' Dorian or give him a more 'sympathetic' character arc after he murders Basil, then instead of forcing a love-interest on him, they should force him into Henry's role.

Since Dorian will def make into the 20th century, have him meet someone like him, someone stunningly beautiful, but hopelessly naïve, and then have him serve as their Henry. This gives you at least two options:

The cycle repeats itself- the new pretty person just becomes another Dorian. This maintains the cautionary tale of the original.

The new pretty person rejects Dorian's bullshit - This can be for any number of reasons, maybe the political happenings around them stop them from losing empathy (the 20th century was eventful to say the least), maybe they see the red flags, or (my personal favorite) they have a Basil-figure in their lives who they trust more than the weird ass twink spouting victorian shit. No matter the reason, Dorian will be forced to confront how painfully empty Henry's life was and, because he followed suit, his own life too. This is especially true if the new person has a Basil-figure; Dorian already knew Basil would have saved him, but this rubs salt into the wound and forces him to recognize his own hand in his downfall.

I think forcing Dorian to confront his worldview and then having him realize how awful it is creates a much better foundation for a redemption arc than introducing a new random love interest would.

Hetty Merton (and the subsequent figures who follow) cannot be the one who redeems him, because the whole point about her character is that she didn't matter. One good act and, therefore, one good person is not going to redeem Dorian nor really inspire change in him, otherwise Basil would have been enough.

ok who let dorian listen to brand new city??

it isn’t gothic literature if the protagonist doesn’t faint and/or fall ill/delirious for several months

Books about awful men being awful

Usually they get their comeuppances, but sometimes they don’t. Usually no one likes them by the end of it.

Drawing the Dorian Gray Characters for class part 2! Basil Hallward<3

i’ve been procrastinating on the stuff i’m actually supposed to be working on, so here, take some sketchy expressions practices

in order: irene, jekyll, hyde, holmes, watson, basil hallward

bookstore trip :,)

Read a little watched a little

Current read

I really like how my Maurice and Alec turned out, much more like I pictured them in my head 🥰

Process gif under the cut! Also some thoughts on this scene.

I'm seeing a lot of love for the movie here on tumblr, and I'm sure it deserves it.. but I'm not a fan. Every movie adaptation needs to leave things out - I know that - but this scene specifically? Is so weirdly threatening. And mostly because they show Alec just. inviting himself in through Maurice's open bedroom window. Like, he sees Maurice hanging out of the window twice and assumes he was looking for some fun?

While in the book Maurice calls "come!!" into the night, on two separate occasions, himself not really understanding why. Alec was out an about both times. The first time he ignored it - the gentleman wasn't calling for him, was he? - but the second time he did feel like that could be the case. They completely leave that out in the movie. Seems important to me though? It refers to the recurring dream Maurice has, of a "friend" who will last him a life time. It refers to his desire for real love and companionship. And to then have Alec responding to it has so much meaning! Why omit that?

And then in the movie, the way Alec says "I know" as if he's saying "I know you're gay and if you don't let me fuck you, everyone will know too." Whereas in the book it felt more like "I know you're gay and that's alright, I'm going to take care of you," or something like that.

And then Movie Alec just starts off by smooching Maurice's chest.. it all feels super invasive. Very dubious consent ^^; But I guess I'm supposed to think nothing of it, cause when they wake up in the morning they're all cuddles and kisses. I personally would've liked to see that gentleness from the start.

I know the dubious consent part can be said about the book scene as well: Maurice didn't *actually* invite Alec in and he doesn't verbally consent to sleeping with him either. The atmosphere is just so different..

Anyway, I'm not judging anyone for liking the movie, I personally can't really stand it (at the moment: I thought it was acceptable ten-ish years ago when I'd read the book for the first time)