The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wildeby Oscar Wilde
Shares rank 19 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended for its witty, cynical dialogue and lasting influence, and for a strong Sarah Snook stage production. Caveat: wordy prose and an obnoxious character.
Recommended for its witty, cynical dialogue and lasting influence, and for a strong Sarah Snook stage production. Caveat: wordy prose and an obnoxious character.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sharp, witty dialogue
“a well-written book full of fantastically clever dialogue and over-the-top cynicism”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” “The dialogue was amazing.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” Influential and still relevant
“It is certainly one which has influenced me deeply and continues to do so”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” “It is a good read, even now.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” Sarah Snook production praised
“A bit flawed, but a technical marvel and shows how superhumanly virtuosic Snook is.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” “The production of this with Sarah Snook from Succession was absolutely amazing.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Wordy prose
“Hes a wordy motherfuck that Wilde bloke.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows” Obnoxious character dominates dialogue
“uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Stage production a bit flawed
“A bit flawed, but a technical marvel and shows how superhumanly virtuosic Snook is.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “As 'Dorian Gray' ages, its relevance only grows”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Picture of Dorian Grayby Oscar WildeThis page | 10 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character”
“A bit flawed, but a technical marvel and shows how superhumanly virtuosic Snook is.”
“Hes a wordy motherfuck that Wilde bloke.”
“There’s a line in the book I quite liked”
“It restores parts that were cut”
“The production of this with Sarah Snook from Succession was absolutely amazing.”
“It is certainly one which has influenced me deeply and continues to do so”
“It is a good read, even now.”
“The dialogue was amazing.”
“a well-written book full of fantastically clever dialogue and over-the-top cynicism”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.