Oscar Wilde and His Fairy Tales - 5266 Words

Oscar Wilde And His Fairy Tales I. Introduction Wilde, Oscar (Fingal OFlahertie Wills) (b. Oct. 16, 1854, Dublin, Ire ?d. Nov. 30, 1900, Paris, Fr.) Irish wit, poet and dramatist whose reputation rests on his comic masterpieces Lady Windermeres Fan (1893) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1899). He was a spokesman for Aestheticism, the late19th-century movement in England that advocated art for arts sake. However, Oscar Wildes takeoff of his enterprise and, his shaping of his characteristic style of works could be both considered originating from his fairy tales. It was not until his first collection of fairy tales had come out that he was regarded as an influential author. The British magazine Elegance, in which his The Selfish†¦show more content†¦The Happy Prince?is perhaps his most famous fairy tale. The story centers on the happy prince, once a sheltered and ignorant young man, realizing for the first time truths he never suspected while living but is exposed to now from his current position high above the city? A swallow on his way to a warmer climate for the winter befriends him and together they strip the Happy Prince of his valuables and distribute them to the needy inhabitants of the city. The two develop a close and loving friendship. When the swallow dies due to exposure to the cold winter, the Princes leaden heart breaks and the two are carelessly disposed of by the city officials and then taken to heaven by an angel as the two most precious things in the city? The Selfish Giant?ends on a very similar note. In this tale, a Giant returns to his home after a trip to discover many children playing in his garden. He is angered by their trespassing and banishes then all by constructing a large wall to keep them out. Winter comes to the garden and remains until the children sneak through the wall. When the Giant awakes to find them playing happily in his garden that has finally become spring, he realizes how selfish he has been. He notices one little boy crying because he is too small to climb the trees like the other children and goes to help him. The other children are frightened and run away, but the tinyShow MoreRelatedEssay on Oscar Wilde and His Fairy Tales5131 Words   |  21 PagesOscar Wilde and His Fairy Tales I. Introduction Wilde, Oscar (Fingal O’Flahertie Wills) (b. Oct. 16, 1854, Dublin, Ire ?d. Nov. 30, 1900, Paris, Fr.) Irish wit, poet and dramatist whose reputation rests on his comic masterpieces Lady Windermere’s Fan (1893) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1899). He was a spokesman for Aestheticism, the late19th-century movement in England that advocated art for art’s sake. However, Oscar Wilde’s takeoff of his enterprise and, his shaping of his characteristicRead MoreOscar Wildes The Selfish Giant: A Felicitous Ending?748 Words   |  3 PagesFelicitous Ending? No one will dispute the fact that Oscar Wildes short story, The Selfish Giant, is a piece that is undoubtedly for children (Luthra 2009). The tale is rife with imagery and diction that appeals to a childs sensibilities, and is complete with a hero (or anti-hero) and other children, facets of which are endemic of childrens literature. However, the primary problem with this interpretation of this short story is that virtually all childrens stories end happily. Wildes narrativeRead MoreThe Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism1464 Words   |  6 PagesThe Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is the story of moral corruption by the means of aestheticism. 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