The Happy Prince and Other Tales

I've read all these stories a long time ago and recall enjoying them, but somehow this time I found them too spiritual, too devout and decidedly harrowing. It appears a young person can appreciate stories of sacrifice and pathos more than a pragmatic adult. I always found the story of the nightingale the most heartbreaking, even more so than the others. However, Wilde is without question a superb writer and while I recognize that, I would hesitate presenting these traumatic stories to a child.

Sadly I was never given this delightful little book to read as a child, and it was not until Rhinoa bought me a copy that I finally had the chance to experience the fairy tales of the infamous Oscar Wilde. Tales in this collection include The Devoted Friend, The Remarkable Rocket and The Selfish Giant, but I will briefly mention my two favourite stories.

The Happy Prince is the heartbreakingly beautiful tale of a golden and jewelled statue of a prince overlooking a city, where he mourns the injustice and poverty he sees before him. He is befriended by a swallow who has delayed his migration (because he fell in love with a reed!) and persuades the bird to distribute his jewels and gold to the poor and needy. The swallow grows to love the show more Prince but realises that he must leave before the winter grows too cold. I cannot describe how much I loved this story. I won't reveal the ending to those who do not already know it, but needless to say, I shed more than one tear (while reading the book in the bath!).

The Nightingale and the Rose is the story of a nightingale who overhears a student saddened because he is unable to give a red rose to his beloved, to win a dance with her. The nightingale searches for such a red rose, but discovers that the only way to produce one is if she is prepared to sing the sweetest song all night and impale herself on the rose-tree's thorn staining it with her heart's blood.

Wilde's fairy tales are far darker than I imagined, but I have seldom read such beautiful writing. I highly recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys fairy tales, and will definitely be reading it to my baby cousin in a few years. Thanks Rhinoa! show less

Oscar Wilde does fairy tales--a kind of strange mixture.

The title story, The Happy Prince, and its successor, The Nightingale and the Rose, are a bit sorrowful and bleak. I dare say the main takeaway might be that love brings death and is much unappreciated. The Selfish Giant is an almost religious tale in which an act of kindness is rewarded...the sort of tale in which the main character does not realize who he is aiding but proves his worth by his unselfish act.

The fourth story was my favorite. The Devoted Friend is a story of exploitation in the name of friendship and hypocrisy. I could imagine Wilde basing it on his on personal experience.

The final story seemed to be a study in pomposity, another subject Wilde knew a bit about.

His show more signature wit surfaced from time to time.

After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited.

And

’What is a sensitive person?’ said the Cracker to the Roman Candle. ‘A person who, because he has corns himself, always treads on other people’s toes,’ answered the Roman Candle in a low whisper…

The stories are cynical, with Wilde poking fun at himself, society, and possibly Aesop’s Fables. I doubt he would have enjoyed his current reputation if this had been all he had written, but as an addition to his works, they are interesting enough. show less

Wilde may be know more for his novel the Story of Dorian Gray and a bevy of socially critical plays, but there's something about his small collection of fairytales that's intrinsically charming. Playing on hte previous success of collections of traditional folk and fairytales by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, Wilde turns the genre aside by creating his own stories in the same vein. While Wilde eschews the inspiration of stories of the people he employs the same structured narrative tone, similar moralistic themes, and almost recognizable characters, landing himself solidly within the genre. Unfortunately, this separation from the old tales did not do him any favours in the long run, as his stories were not taken up as instant show more classics or embedded into the nursery rhyme cachet that children throughout the Western world are familiar with. None the less, I enjoyed reading this small collection of tales. show less

Wilde blends his witty humor and insight with a keen observation of human behavior and ideals. Some tales entertain with whole sections you want to underline and share with others. A few of the stories are just simply beautiful with moral character that shines through. These are stories to be read and returned to when in need of laughter or smiles.

If this book doesn't make you want to curl up with a nice hot cup of arsenic and maybe some razor blades, you read a different edition than I did. Apparently Wilde read Hans Christian Anderson and thought, "Dang nab it, I can write way way depressing fairy tales, too!"

Not saying it's not pretty. Just saying.

Oscar Wilde was wide-ranging in the literary forms he engaged and I've enjoyed many of his other works, but his fairy tales don't strike me as being one of his strengths. He was no Hans Anderson, not even J.K. Rowling (see: Beedle). But if you're looking for a purely Christian slant in classics for children, you can't do better than this.

(4/5) The Happy Prince - A golden statue has opportunity to help his city with a bird's assistance. It's all about charity. Saw the 1974 animation as a kid, so the nostalgia won it some points.

(3.5/5) The Nightingale and the Rose - A nightingale selflessly assists a young wooer. Love isn't love unless you're willing to die for it. Most kids won't grasp this without assistance.

(3.5/5) The Selfish Giant show more - spring won't return to the giant's garden after he ejects a bunch of hooligans. Embrace Christianity for everlasting life. Made little impression on me when I was young, and none at all now.

(3/5) The Devoted Friend - A tale about give-and-take that's entirely open to misinterpretation, thus the awkward framing story about the water rat.

(3.5/5) The Remarkable Rocket - A supremely self-centered firecracker leaves no impression on anyone. A strange note to end on, but there it is. show less