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The Happy Prince and Other Tales

Oscar Wilde

1888 · 19th Century · Short Stories · English

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Abstract

Written: 1880s; published 1888
Setting: Timeless fairy-tale past; An unnamed city, a giant's garden, a village and a king's palace
Author: Oscar Wilde
Country: England
Language: English
Genre: Literary fairy tales
Form: Five short tales told by a third-person narrator
Recommended: Grades 3–8 (Read-aloud fairy tales; several end with the death of a kind character.)

Background. Wilde, best known at the time as a lecturer, poet and editor, published this illustrated collection in 1888, when his two sons were small. The stories follow the pattern of Andersen's literary fairy tales but add Wilde's own epigrams and gentle satire.

Plot. A jeweled statue and a swallow give away the statue's riches to the poor of a city and are rewarded in heaven. A nightingale dies to make a red rose for a student's sweetheart, who rejects it. A giant who shuts children out of his garden learns kindness from a mysterious child. A linnet tells a water-rat about a poor gardener exploited by a selfish friend, and a vain firework spoils its own moment at a royal wedding.

Ideas. The tales set love, compassion and self-sacrifice against vanity, greed and empty talk. Their humor is often aimed at the rich, the proud and officials who care more for appearances than for people, while their endings point to a love that outlasts death.

Reception. Well reviewed on publication, the book has stayed in print, has been illustrated by many artists, and its title story and "The Selfish Giant" are among the most often retold literary fairy tales in English, in picture books, plays and films.

Main characters

The Happy Prince: Jeweled statue
The Swallow: Migrating bird
The Selfish Giant: Garden owner
Little Hans: Poor gardener

Portrait of Oscar Wilde. Source · Public domain

Summary

The Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of five literary fairy tales by Oscar Wilde, published by David Nutt in London in May 1888 with illustrations by Walter Crane and Jacomb Hood. Written in the manner of Hans Christian Andersen but with Wilde's own wit, the stories mix humor and sadness and often turn on self-sacrifice and the difference between true and false love. In "The Happy Prince", a jeweled statue looking down on a city's poverty persuades a Swallow, who has stayed behind on his way to Egypt, to carry away his ruby, his sapphire eyes and his gold leaf to people in need. Winter comes, the Swallow dies at the Prince's feet, and the statue's lead heart breaks. The town councillors melt down the shabby statue, but God's angel chooses the broken heart and the dead bird as the two most precious things in the city. In "The Nightingale and the Rose", a nightingale gives her life, singing all night with her breast pressed against a thorn, to make a red rose so that a student may dance with the girl he loves; the girl prefers jewels, and the student throws the rose away. In "The Selfish Giant", a giant who walls children out of his garden is locked in endless winter until a small child softens his heart; years later the child returns bearing the wounds of nails and leads the giant to Paradise. "The Devoted Friend" is a fable, told to a Water-rat by a Linnet, about little Hans, whose rich neighbor the Miller exploits him while talking grandly about friendship. "The Remarkable Rocket" is a comedy about a vain firework at a royal wedding who is so busy admiring himself that he gets damp and fails to go off at the right time. The book was well received, and Wilde followed it with a second collection, A House of Pomegranates (1891).

Plot or Argument

The Happy Prince
A gilded statue and a Swallow give away the statue's jewels and gold to the poor, at the cost of both their lives.
The Nightingale and the Rose
A nightingale dies to create a red rose for a student in love, whose beloved rejects it.
The Selfish Giant
A giant who shuts children out of his garden learns generosity from a mysterious child.
The Devoted Friend
A Linnet tells the Water-rat a story of the hard-working little Hans and the selfish Miller who calls himself Hans's friend.
The Remarkable Rocket
A conceited rocket at a prince's wedding misses his moment and ends in a ditch, still convinced of his own importance.

Characters

The Happy Prince, protagonist
Jeweled statue who, from his column, sees the city's suffering.
The Swallow, protagonist
Small bird who delays his journey to Egypt to help the Prince.
The Nightingale, major
Bird who sacrifices herself for love.
The Student, major
Young man who wants a red rose for the girl he loves.
The Selfish Giant, major
Owner of a beautiful garden who at first keeps the children out.
Little Hans, major
Kind, poor gardener in "The Devoted Friend".
The Miller, major
Hans's rich neighbor, who talks of friendship but takes advantage of him.
The Remarkable Rocket, major
Vain firework who believes he is the most important guest at the wedding.

Lessons

Self-sacrifice
The Prince, the Swallow and the Nightingale give away what they have for others. Readers can discuss what makes a sacrifice worthwhile.
- Why does the Swallow stay with the Prince?
- Is the Nightingale's sacrifice wasted?
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- Mansfield Park, Lesson: Education shapes character
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- Emma, Lesson: Rank and worth in a small society
  Rank and worth in a small society. Highbury is finely graded, from Hartfield and Donwell down to the Bateses' rooms and the Martins' farm. Emma at first despises Robert Martin as beneath Harriet, while Mr. Knightley values his good sense. Austen does not overturn the order of her village, but she judges each person by conduct within it, so that the farmer proves more worthy than the vicar.
- Fathers and Sons, Ch. 27
  Bazarov cuts himself during a post-mortem on a typhus victim; he describes his symptoms clinically, accepts his death and sends for Odintsova.
True and false friendship
"The Devoted Friend" contrasts the Miller's fine words with his selfish actions. Students can compare what characters say with what they do.
- How does the Miller use the word 'friendship'?
- What would a true friend have done for Hans?
Related across the library
- Fathers and Sons, Ch. 27
  Bazarov cuts himself during a post-mortem on a typhus victim; he describes his symptoms clinically, accepts his death and sends for Odintsova.
- Death Comes for the Archbishop, Lesson: Death Comes for the Archbishop: formed attention
  Death Comes for the Archbishop: formed attention. Death Comes for the Archbishop teaches students to slow down before judgment. tenth-grade readers can discuss sanctity, cultural encounter, institutional building, friendship, and the danger of turning mission into conquest
- Fathers and Sons, Lesson: Death as the great leveller
  Death as the great leveller. Bazarov dies from a small cut during routine work, his genius unused. His death, faced with courage and tenderness, gives the novel its moral weight.
- Essays, Lesson: Rehearsing death versus trusting nature
  Rehearsing death versus trusting nature. Early Montaigne echoes Seneca in urging constant meditation on death; late Montaigne, having seen peasants die calmly during plague, suggests nature teaches dying well enough. Tracing that change shows a mind revising itself in print.
- On Friendship, Lesson: Comparing loves
  Comparing loves. Montaigne contrasts friendship with family duty and erotic passion, revealing assumptions of his time, including about women. Readers can test his distinctions against their own experience.
Pride and vanity
The Rocket and the town councillors are figures of vanity. Wilde uses humor to show how pride blinds people.
- Why does the Rocket fail to go off at the wedding?
- What do the councillors value in the statue?
Related across the library
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- Mansfield Park, Lesson: Education shapes character
  Education shapes character. Sir Thomas realises too late that his daughters were taught accomplishments but not principle. The novel examines what upbringing really instils.
- Pride and Prejudice, Preface.
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Context

Late Victorian England had a strong market for illustrated fairy tales, encouraged by translations of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. Wilde, then known mainly as a lecturer, journalist and poet, was the father of two young sons when he published the collection.

Composition

The five stories were published together by David Nutt in May 1888, illustrated by Walter Crane and George Percy Jacomb Hood. The book was dedicated to Carlos Blacker, a friend of Wilde's.

Reception

Reviewers praised the tales' charm and style, and they have been reprinted, illustrated and adapted many times, especially "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant". Wilde published a second collection of fairy tales, A House of Pomegranates, in 1891.

Virtue Ethics Love Desire Death / Mortality Class / Society Friendship Faith / Religion Satire Folly

Comparisons

Fairy Tales (Selection)
Andersen's literary fairy tales, with their sad endings and Christian imagery, were a direct model for Wilde's.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Wilde's novel also deals with beauty, vanity and the soul, but for adult readers and in a darker key.
Household Stories (Grimm's Fairy Tales)
The Grimms collected traditional folk tales, while Wilde wrote original literary fairy tales with a moral and satirical edge.
The Velveteen Rabbit
Williams's story, like Wilde's, uses a toy-like hero and a sad but hopeful ending to describe what love makes real.

Quotes

““Bring me the two most precious things in the city,” said God to one of His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.”

— Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, The Happy Prince.Quote card

Crime and Punishment, Chapter Ii
That s his notion Talked himself silly A fine clerk he is And so on and so on Let us go sir said Marmeladov all at once raising his head and addressing Raskolnikov-- come along with me Kozel s house looking into the yard I m going to Katerina Ivanovna--time I did Raskolnikov had for some time been wanting to go and he had meant to help him Marmeladov was much unsteadier on his legs than in his speech and leaned heavily on the young man They had two or three hundred paces to go The drunken man was more and more o...
The Subjection of Women, Full Text
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King Lear, Goneril.
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“Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?”

— Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, The Nightingale and the Rose.Quote card

The Symposium, Source
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““I have many beautiful flowers,” he said; “but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.””

— Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, The Selfish Giant.Quote card

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“there is no work so delightful as the work one does for others.”

— Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, The Devoted Friend.Quote card

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For Students

A reading companion for classical Christian high school students. See the student guide.

Reading Guide

Watch for

Who gives something away in each tale, and what it costs.
Characters whose words do not match their actions.
Wilde's funny descriptions of proud or silly characters.
Endings that are sad but hopeful.

Key terms and names

Literary fairy tale: A fairy tale written by a known author rather than passed down by tradition.
Fable: A short story, often with animals, that teaches a lesson.
Irony: A contrast between what is said or expected and what really happens.
Sacrifice: Giving up something valuable for the sake of others.
Satire: Humor that mocks foolish or selfish behavior.

Seminar Questions

Comprehension What does the Swallow take from the Happy Prince, and to whom?
Comprehension Why does the Giant's garden stay in winter?
Interpretation Why is the leaden heart one of the most precious things in the city?
Interpretation What does the Water-rat fail to understand about the Linnet's story?
Big Question What makes someone a true friend?
Big Question Is it better to be admired or to be kind?

Faith Connections

John 15:13 (Scripture)
'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends': the Swallow and the Nightingale give their lives for others.
Matthew 19:14 (Scripture)
'Suffer little children ... to come unto me': the Giant learns to welcome the children, and the child he helps leads him to Paradise.

Logic and Rhetoric

Central argument: Through gentle and comic fairy tales, the collection suggests that real worth lies in love and self-giving rather than wealth, beauty or self-importance.

Rhetorical device: irony. The Miller talks constantly about friendship while using Hans for his own benefit.

Debate: Resolved: The Nightingale's sacrifice in "The Nightingale and the Rose" was worth it.

Memory Work

“I have many beautiful flowers,” he said; “but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.”
The Selfish Giant. A short, memorable line that sums up the Giant's change of heart.

Writing Prompts

Essay: Explain how the Happy Prince changes from a statue people admire into a hero.

Comparison with Fairy Tales (Selection): Compare "The Happy Prince" with one of Andersen's tales, such as "The Little Match Girl", in how they treat suffering and hope.

Medical Lens

A poor seamstress's son lies ill with fever in "The Happy Prince", and several tales end with a gentle death; illness and dying are presented simply, as in Andersen.

Death Dying Fever Infection

The Happy Prince
A sick child with a fever asks for oranges.
Fever Infection

Creative Prompts

Fiction
Write a new tale in which another statue in the city decides to help someone.
Essay
Which of the five tales has the most important lesson, and why?
Classroom
Act out "The Remarkable Rocket" as a short play, giving each firework a different personality.