I've seen so many great suggestions for beach and poolside reading now that summer is here. After looking at several lists, I'd like to make my own recommendation:
My first encounter with this novel was during one of my summer vacations in high school. I got it from a list of 5 "great" summer reads in Seventeen magazine. Back then, I did everything Seventeen suggested. For example, if they proposed that the perfect movie date outfit was a fluffy white sweater, a red plaid skirt, white tights and black Mary Janes, I was all over it, even though denim was de rigueur in 1970s southwest Oklahoma.
I don't remember what the other 4 books were. The Picture of Dorian Gray jumped out at me so I dutifully found a copy at the local library, put it in my bag with my beach towel and suntan oil and went off to the pool. I lay on my towel and read the whole book in one afternoon, pausing only to jump in the water when I got too hot.
The Picture of Dorian Gray was so engrossing, I forgot to reapply the suntan oil after my first couple of trips into the pool, and ended up with a blistery sunburn that stretched my skin painfully tight and turned me the color of Barney for about a week. Nevertheless, I have only fond memories of this novel, and consider The Picture of Dorian Gray quintessential beach read.
If you should make the same mistake I did, the 1945 movie version would be a nice distraction while you're lying around slathered in aloe vera gel and knocking back the ibuprofen.
I first read (and really enjoyed) DORIAN in college, in a class on Aestheticism. After I ploughed through it with great enthusiasm, my professor began his lecture by saying, "I think we should start by acknowledging that this is in fact a very *bad* book."
ReplyDeleteThis was a revelatory moment of readerly anxiety for me - the first time I ever turned on my own instincts and thought, "Wait, am I incapable of telling the difference between a good book and a bad one?". I was haunted by that same feeling all through grad school.
(Years later I just think, Sigh. What a waste of time it is to try to place every book I read on an aesthetic hierarchy!)
Ariel,
ReplyDeleteOf course now we'd tell your prof to shove it, right? I've had the same kind of experiences.
OMG, Seventeen. I remember that as a bible as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is fabulous. My book club is discussing Dorian this weekend, and I'm definitely going to fling out the idea of it as a beach book. I can see it, actually...
ReplyDelete