A Wilde World

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"The Happy Prince" & "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde is most often known for his witticisms, which can lead one to assume he moved in an air of lightness. Words like “dazzling,” “frivolous,” and “enchanting” are often bandied about in describing his personality and presence in a room.

And yet, Wilde’s fairy tales are anything but. “The Happy Prince” and “The Selfish Giant” bring dazzling imagery, surely, of glistening gems and flowering trees, but we are led by these attractive scenes into a confrontation with deeper themes. As Neil Philip writes in his introduction to the 2022 edition, “behind the surface glitter of his phrasemaking lay a thinking mind, which used wit as a snare for truth.” Wilde explores humility, longing, and sacrifice in these brief stories in ways understood by children and adults alike.

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