Wilde's Fairy Tales

Author: Oscar Wilde (UK)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-21
Features: This book collects nine fairy tales written by the British author Oscar Wilde for young friends: "The Happy Prince," "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Selfish Giant," "The 'Faithful' Friend," "The Proud Rocket," "The Three Dreams of the Young King," "The Birthday of the Little Princess," "The Fisherman and His Soul," and "The Star Child." These fairy tales are filled with wonderful ideas, beautiful language, and rich imagination, and are loved by young readers all over the world. Wilde's surname is not "Wang"; his full name is Oscar Wilde. He lived in the UK over a hundred years ago (1854–1900) and was a great literary figure at the time. "The Happy Prince" tells the story of the Happy Prince and the little swan who sacrificed themselves to help the poor. While the Happy Prince was alive, he lived a very happy life in the palace, never knowing what sorrow or poverty was. After his death, when he was sculpted into a statue and placed high in the city, he saw all the ugliness and suffering in the city. So, he asked the little swan to give away all the valuable things he had to the poor. Later, the little swan froze to death, and the Happy Prince also died of a broken heart, but they lived forever in heaven. In this fairy tale, young readers will learn how to develop a noble sense of compassion.
In "The Selfish Giant," the giant was very selfish at first. He didn’t want children to play in his beautiful garden and even built a fence around it. However, the selfish giant didn’t expect that spring would no longer come to his garden, and the flowers would no longer bloom. Later, the children brought spring back to the giant’s garden. At this point, the giant realized his mistake and tore down the fence, playing with the children in the garden every day. Have you ever had a beautiful toy but didn’t want to share it with your friends when you were young? Reading this fairy tale can teach us that good things only bring true happiness when shared with others.
You may not be selfish, but you might have friends who are. How should you treat them? In "The 'Faithful' Friend," we learn what true friendship really is. The poor gardener, Hans, was loyal, selfless, and always willing to help others. However, his friend, the miller, was cunning and treacherous. He often talked about friendship to take advantage of Hans, either picking his flowers or stealing his fragrant herbs. Later, on a cold stormy night, Hans drowned in the marsh while trying to help the miller. Life has its complexities, and throughout our lives, we meet many people, but we must discern who is a true friend.
All young readers love setting off fireworks and watching them, but do you know that there have been many interesting stories within the family of fireworks? In "The Proud Rocket," the rocket thought he came from a noble family and refused to associate with the other fireworks in his family. He cried so much in his melancholy that he could no longer be lit. When the other brothers flew into the sky, he was thrown into the gutter by the people. After reading this fairy tale, do we not have a deeper understanding of the saying, "Humility leads to progress, while pride leads to decline"?
"The Nightingale and the Rose" is one of Wilde’s famous fairy tales. To help young students find love, the nightingale dyed a red rose with her own blood. The story is very touching, and the language is also very lyrical. Here, Wilde describes the nightingale’s song in this way: "Before dawn, the nightingale sang her last song. The moon heard the song and forgot to fall, lingering in the sky instead. The red rose heard it and trembled with deep joy, opening its petals to welcome the cool breeze of the morning. The song also awoke the shepherd boy in his dreams, traveling over the reeds by the river and reaching the sea."