OSCAR WILDE SHORT STORIES

by Oscar Wilde

OSCAR WILDE SHORT STORIES 2ºNB

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, 19th Century, Irish Literature, English Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1888

About the author

Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.

Reviews

[Sheri Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Oscar Wilde so much. "The Remarkable Rocket" is my favorite story and has my favorite quote;
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."

[Samiha Kamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nightingale and the Rose is absolutely amazing. What takes to make a beautiful red rose symbolising true love? I don't know and I don't even understand what love is. Perhaps it will save the soul some heart piercing that the nightingale had to suffer. I would definitely read more of Oscar Wilde's stories.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75/5 stars
I finally finished it!!

I'm amazed by how many themes were explored within these short stories. If you go a bit deeper (like do some research) you'll see that they are way more than fairy tales.

If you read anything by Oscar Wilde, which did you like the most? It could be both a short story or a play. Let me know🤗

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Stories by Oscar Wilde



The Nightingale, The Happy Prince, The Selfish Giant and A True Friend



Oscar Wilde was a great writer and also a flamboyant, gay man in an age when that was against the law. He was played marvelously by another extravagant man (who happens to share Wilde’s orientation) –Stephen Fry, in the film called Wilde.



This morning I have listened to a story by Wilde called <>, in a Romanian adaptation of a story I …could not find. Looking for a possible original title, I was sent to “A Devoted Friend>> which has nothing to do with what I heard.

It is a pity I do not know what to recommend you should read, unless you are Romanian.

I loved the story of Hans and Hugo, which looks at friendship from two different angles.

Hans is a nice, innocent and you might add a bit thick man. He has a beautiful garden with flowers and cherries. Hugo is his friend.

Thomas Mann says in a story that real friends can be found…only in books.

From the start, Hugo offers his wheel barrow as a gift, but it just happens that he never gives this gift. He does speak about it…continuously.

“- since I gave you the wheel barrow…

- How can I repay you?

- With flowers, you have nothing else

So Hugo keeps coming for favors, in the name of the gift he never actually gave:

- I gave you the wheel barrow, but I will keep it for a while

- No problem Hugo

He takes flowers, cherries and services from Hans. Hugo sends his <> to the market, to take care of his sheep and makes him bring cherries, all in the name of that gift he never gave.



This is a sardonic look at friendship. Indeed, in an age of facebook, where we have hundreds of “friends”, we end up having…none. And that is a problem, because positive psychology has demonstrated that we need friends for a happy life, more than almost anything else.



But better no friends than Hugo. He is the one who takes advantage...to the end. On a stormy night, he comes to Hans and makes him run out in the terrible weather to fetch the doctor.

But he is so mean, that he would not give him a light, to find his way. After that, he thinks Hans is dead and he must have died satisfied that he had such a wonderful friend as Hugo. I will not say what actually happens, perhaps you find a story whose title I do not know, and except for a Romanian adaptation… if you find what it, perhaps you let me know.



Some people do feel that, if they let us breathe in their presence we should be eternally grateful and if they bestow upon us the immense pleasure of doing chores for them, we owe them all that we’ve got.



www.realini.ro

[Ilse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed these short stories. They had an amazing dark twist to them and I really like that.

The Nightingale and the Rose: This little story is about a little nightingale who sings all day every day about love. One day a Student walks in the garden talking about his love for this girl but how she will only want him if he had a red rose. The nightingale, knowing love is so important will do everything to get the two of them together and goes looking for a red rose.

The Happy Prince: The story is about a golden statue of a beautiful statue of a happy prince. One day a black and white bird flies by and sees the statue of the happy prince crying. The bird helps the prince to make him happy again and will eventually do everything for the happiness of the prince.

The selfish giant: The story is about a giant who has a beautiful garden and wants it all for himself. When winter stays and spring never comes he starts to change his mind. This story had definitely a Christian vibe to it but I didn't completely understand why, in combination with the story.

lord arthur savile's crime: when lord arthur goes to a party with a fortune teller he is quite interested in what the future will bring, after all, he is about to marry his fiancé. When he hears he must kill someone in his future he stresses out. He wants a happy marriage and decides to get it out of the way.

the poor millionaire: Hughie wants to marry his fiancé but her dad doesn't want that unless he has 10.000 pounds. Even though he has his own problems he can't help but give his last few dollars to an old poor man. Even if it will make things even harder for him.

the good friend: this story is the perfect example of a poisoned friendship and how friendship doesn't work.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

And eventually I start with Oscar Wilde short stories. No arguments! Each story I read is a masterpiece – astuteness, compassion, and intense portrayal of emotions. Each sentence is a beautiful quote in itself; particularly The Nightingale and The Rose: “Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise and mightier than Power, though he is mighty. Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense.”

However, I realised we had been reading him since teenage. How could I forget reading ‘The Nightingale and The Rose’ and ‘The Selfish Giant’ in our school books :)

[عصام · Rating 5 out of 5]

لقد حطم أوسكار قلوبنا.

[Rasha Zayed · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stories
Young king, Star child, The Nightingale and the 🌹 "selfish ,love , sacrificed, cruel"

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cried like a baby

[Luz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña: http://piensoleyendo.blogspot.com.ar/...

[Sara Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three stories. I didn't like the first one... But the last is funny. Some words are weird... But it's ok to learn.

[Antonina]

wow myślałam że to są opowiadania dla dzieci... nie są. A moje serduszko zostało złamane 😢😢

[Madalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t remember much from the stories. I remember really loving some and really disliking others. As always, though, Wilde’s writing is just so witty and beautiful.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es un libro que compré usado hace unos meses. Pertenece a una colección de grandes clásicos universales publicada en 1986, por lo que no se corresponde realmente con el libro que estoy marcando como leído. A diferencia de este, mi edición trae: el Ruiseñor y la Rosa, el Gigante Egoísta, el Príncipe Feliz, el Amigo Fiel, y el Pescador y su Alma; además de un excelente prólogo de Ilse Sasso Olivares, donde hace un breve análisis académico de los cuentos y de la narrativa de Wilde con respecto a su época. De este prólogo quisiera rescatar la siguiente cita:

Para Wilde, la vida fue un peregrinar poético en que todas las artes, en comunión, podían ayudar a ennoblecer el fin. Por eso, su gran religión fue el sentimiento profundo por la Belleza.

[Robert Strandquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprising to me was the moralistic, nay didactic tone among this collection. Then I remembered that before Freud and before Joyce were center stage, the latter half of the 19th century in England, embraced the melodrama where characters were hero, villain, ingenue, etc. But, it's Wilde's wit that carries the stories and the readers along. Delightful embarrassments and moral prat falls rule these brief tales.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oscar Wilde has been a favourite of mine for his dark 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and his comedic and satiric 'The Importance of being Ernest.' Just from these two works it can be seen the range and versatility Wilde displayed.
That versatility is on show in these short works of fiction which I thoroughly enjoyed. Seemingly simple at times but with dark undercurrents that are masterful as he deals with the themes of truth, love, and sacrifice. A collection to be truly savoured.

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked reading these short stories. They all had a little, unexpected twist at the end, which I loved. I can't even pick a favourite, they were all great!

[Godly Gadfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories from a man best known for his wit and his other literary work (3.5 stars)

In terms of his literary output, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is best known for his only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1891), and his comic play "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). He's also famous for his sharp wit, which produced numerous pithy sayings and epigrams. It's Wilde's wit and humour that made me interested in his work, so I was pleased to discover that he also wrote a number of short stories. One collection was specifically written for children. After consulting several lists of his best short stories, I found myself reading around a dozen stories, and I've listed them in order of my preference:

Stories for children:
⁃ "The Selfish Giant" (4.5 stars): A selfish giant closes his beautiful garden to children, until a change of heart. There's lots of religious symbolism, and a positive message.
⁃ "The Happy Prince" (4 stars): A statue of a prince observes all the sadness and suffering in his city, and with the help of a sparrow, sacrifices his luxurious looks to help them. Again there's lots of symbolism and meaning about compassion and selfless love.
⁃ "The Remarkable Rocket" (3 stars): A proud firework boldly brags about how good he is, but what happens to him tells a different story, and is a warning about being filled with self-importance.
⁃ "The Nightingale and the Rose" (3 stars): When a lovesick student has a single day to find a red rose, a romantic nightingale makes the ultimate sacrifice for their love. The ending is tragic, however.
⁃ "The Fisherman and his Soul" (3 stars): A young fisherman falls in love with a mermaid, but to marry her he must give up his soul. When his soul is separated from love, it takes a life on its own that leads to tragedy. It's the longest of the children stories listed here, and feels more appropriate for adults than children.
⁃ "The Young King" (2 stars): A young prince that was brought up as a goatherd is placed on the throne, but gets overly fascinated with luxury and splendor, until a moral lesson is learned.

Other short stories:
⁃ "The Canterville Ghost" (5 stars): When new residents from America come to live in Canterville Chase, the resident ghost finds that his usual tricks to terrify people don't work, and instead he's tormented with all kinds of tricks. It's a longer story, but a wonderful and very funny one.
⁃ "Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime" (4 stars): When a man is told by a palm reader that he will commit a murder, he figures he'll get the self-fulfilling prophecy over and done with so he can get married. It's also a longer story, but is a hilarious read that reverses conventions and parodies Gothic stories.
⁃ "The Model Millionaire" (3 stars): A penniless man who needs money to get married is surprised when he finds a tramp dressed in rags serving as a model for his painter friend. But wait till he finds out who the tramp really is, and his kindness.
"The Sphinx Without a Secret" (3 stars): A man is in love with a woman who has an air of mystery about her, and follows her to find out her secret. The ending is somewhat of a surprise, but it reinforces this oft-quoted line from the story: "Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood."
- "The Portrait of Mr W.H." (1 star): This is a popular Wilde story for many, but just didn't do it for me at all. It explores a possible literary theory about the mysterious W.H. that Shakespeare dedicated his sonnets to.

There's no doubt that Wilde has an ability with words, and many of his witty epigrams have developed a life of their own outside of the stories they first appeared in. Wilde's skill was wit, and most of his stories themselves didn't exactly blow me away. Exceptions would be "The Canterville Ghost" and "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime", both of which were hilarious. I also liked his children stories "The Selfish Giant" and "The Happy Prince" for their moral lessons and symbolism.

It's widely known that Wilde was a homosexual, and he even spent a couple of years in prison for charges of indecency. Some commentators have attempted to read into some of his stories a homoerotic interpretation, such as "The Fisherman and his Soul" and "The Portrait of Mr W.H.", but I'm not convinced. They're best enjoyed at face value, and it's especially when Wilde is exercising his wit and humor that he's at his best.

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of some of Oscar Wilde's works.

There are definitely portions and short stories within this book that I absolutely love. Wilde personifies nature often and unites these creatures with the fantastical; this style is the sort of treat that brings one back to the wonder of childhood fairytales and fables. So much of Wilde's character and influences shine through the stories he chose to tell, and some of that context is outlined in the helpful introduction to this book. My favorites included the majority of the section of the "Happy Prince and the Other Tales" and "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories." As a lover of poetry, "The Ballad of Reading Goal" provided wonderful insight into Wilde's brief imprisonment that refreshes one after reading pages and pages of prose.

However, some stories dragged on a little for me. "A House of Pomegranates" included excessive description. "The Portrait of Mr. W.H.," though intriguing at points, reads more as a dissertation than a short story, albeit the theme redeemed the pace.

Despite the criticism of some, overall the majority of the tales included in this book were extremely engaging and fun. If you want to remember the value of love, art, and passion in brief and entertaining formats, give this book a whirl. It was definitely a nice break from novels and other realistic fiction short stories, and has certainly distinguished itself from the well-known wives tales while retaining their inherent magic.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt I had to try Oscar Wilde's short stories as I've read quite a few other short story collections lately. I've had this book on my shelf for eons. My version is a beautiful hardback with colourful Picasso-like illustrations. Even with that though, I just didn't really get into the stories. A good part of the book has Wilde's fairytales. Who knew Wilde wrote fairytales? He did a good job with them and his descriptive prose is wonderful, but I just wasn't interested in them. The other stories in the book were very good though. I particularly liked the Canterville Ghost. It's a delightful ghost story, but Wilde's take on it was extremely unique. Oscar Wilde was a wonderfully descriptive writer, and perhaps his troubled short life was the driving force behind his writing style. I know that I particularly love his book - The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Wilde's angst comes out strongly in that book as it does in The Canterville Ghost story. Definitely not a waste of time, and a pleasant way to spend a few hours after finishing a very emotional book.

[Veysel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oscar Wilde - Can Yoldaşı
Ketenkuşu: “Hayır! Hiç de seçkin falan değilmiş. Temiz yüreğiyle iyi huylu insanlara özgü yusyuvarlak, tuhaf suratından başkaca farklı bir şeyi yokmuş. Küçük bir köy evinde tek başına yaşar, her gün bahçesinde çalışırmış. Tüm ülkede, onunki gibi güzel bahçesi olan yokmuş. Hüsnüyusuf Çiçekleri, Şebboylar, Çobançantaları, Civan Perçemleri orda yetişirmiş. Şam Gülü, Sarıgüller, Mor Safran, Altın Sarısı-Mor Beyaz Menekşeler de orda bulunurmuş. Hasekiküpesi ve Çayır Köpük Otları, Mercanköşk ve Yabani Fesleğenleri Çuha Çiçeği ve Zambak, Fulya ve Katmerli Karanfil Çiçekleri; aydan aya her zaman seyredilecek güzel şeyler, koklanacak güzel kokuların bulunması için, zamanları geldikçe birbiri arkasından orada açarlarmış.
Hans: “Sevgili arkadaşım, en iyi arkadaşım” diye

[Jane Minieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of fun, sometimes dark, and satirical stories. Wilde has a unique light style of writing that he skillfully contrasts to the depth and seriousness of the themes covered in his stories. This collection is full of laugh-out-loud and sympathetic moments that outline Wilde's own morals and world views. Beautifully written and tenderly enjoyed are the fairytalesque stories at the beginning. Although my personal favourites come after, with, in my opinion, the best story being Lord Arthur Savile's Crime.

[fio ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(*ideally, I would give a 4.8, but I’m rounding to 5) This book was such a great find, I’m so glad I picked it up. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray a year and a half ago and I’ve thought about it constantly since, I loved Oscar Wilde’s philosophy (if you will) and use of language. I had high expectations for his short stories yet I was still blown away. I truly savoured every word in this book. I haven’t had a book mean so much to me in a while.

[Julia P · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Sphinx without a Secret- utterly dramatic drivel.
The Model Millionaire- awe cute.
The Young King-weird moral.
The Birthday of the Infanta- poor dwarf.
The Fisherman and His Soul- mermaid sadness.
The Star-Child- better boy.
The Happy Prince- yeesh.
The Nightingale and the Rose- ugh impudence.
The Selfish Giant- surprise Jesus.
The Devoted Friend- freaking Miller.
The Remarkable Rocket- woo rocket.
Oscar is quite the cynic.

[Adam84 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smutné pohádky protkané beznadějí a často zakončené smrtí... nic čím by se dal večer podpořit klidný dětský spánek.
Nejvíce si asi přijdou na své čtenáři, kteří se s Oscarem Wildem nesetkali poprvé a jimž sedí jeho styl psaní.
Mne nejvíce zaujala krása ilustrací v novém vydání od Rybka Publishers, pohádky samotné nedokážu dost dobře docenit a bez malířky Xenie Lavrovov, bych se k jejich četbě popravdě ani nedostal.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

oscar wilde is the best author i've ever come across. these stories are amazing. the happy prince has been one of my favorite stories since i was little and i'm glad i got to read the rest of his short stories as well because they were really worth it. i cried to almost all of them, especially the canterville ghost and the selfish giant. man. he is so good

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Happy Prince is my favorite of all short stories by any author, and other stories like the Nightingale and the Rose or the Selfish Giant are similarly amazing in their oral illustration. I recommend everyone set aside a few minutes to read these brilliantly crafted books.

[Michael Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the stories are disturbing or twist the "good overcomes evil" premise on itself. But all of the stories are memorable. In particular, "The Nightingale and the Rose" is among the saddest stories I have read.

[Larry Crockett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories deserve 1 star. At least one story deserves 5 stars. Thus the 3 star rating. The Devoted Friend is by far the best story in this collection. If you only read one story, read that one. It's actually pretty funny and sad at the same time.