Assignment of Short story

Introduction Of Author

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest. As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years' hard labour after being convicted of "gross indecency" with other men. After Wilde was released from prison he set sail for Dieppe by the night ferry. He never returned to Ireland or Britain.

Oscar Wilde’s rich and dramatic portrayals of the human condition came during the height of the Victorian Era that swept through London in the late 19th century. At a time when all citizens of Britain were finally able to embrace literature the wealthy and educated could only once afford, Wilde wrote many short stories, plays and poems that continue to inspire millions around the world.

Introduction Of Fairy Tale

“When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl.”

{J. M. Barrie)

A fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, gnomes, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. In modern-day parlance, the term is also used to describe something blessed with princesses, as in "fairy tale ending" (a happy ending) or "fairy tale romance", though not all fairy tales end happily. Colloquially, a "fairy tale" or "fairy story" can also mean any far-fetched story. Fairy tales commonly attract young children since they easily understand the archetypal characters in the story.

Fairy tales are found in oral folktales and in literary form. The history of the fairy tale is particularly difficult to trace, because only the literary forms can survive. Still, the evidence of literary works at least indicates that fairy tales have existed for thousands of years, although not perhaps recognized as a genre; the name "fairy tale" was first ascribed to them by Madame d'Aulnoy. Literary fairy tales are found over the centuries all over the world, and when they collected them, folklorists found fairy tales in every culture. Fairy tales, and works derived from fairy tales, are still written today.

The older fairy tales were intended for an audience of adults as well as children, but they were associated with children as early as the writings of the précieuses; the Brothers Grimm titled their collection Children's and Household Tales, and the link with children has only grown stronger with time.

Characteristics of a fairy tale

These are some of the characteristics of a fairy tale

· Begins with once upon a time, once long ago, long, long ago etc.

· Unspecified place

· Universal appeal

· Simple plot

· Archetypal characters (no specific names)

· Morality (good vs. Bad, good is rewarded and evil is punished)

· Extreme conditions (beauty, riches, poverty etc.)

· Story has good / nice characters

· Many of the characters are animals or members of royalty

· Protagonist leaves home

· Encouragement of middle-class social values

· Happy ending (order is restored in the end)

The Happy Prince as A Fairy Tale

The happy prince is an interesting fairy tale. It is a romantic story burdened with deep meanings on various aspects of life. A fairy tale belongs to folk literature. It deals with the fortunes and misfortunes of a hero or heroine in a romantic and adventurous background. The happy prince is a fairy tale.

So we will find that why Oscar Wild’s “The Happy Prince” is regarded as a fairy tale. This story is said a fairy tale due to these following characteristics.

(I). One of the very important fairy tale attribute of “The happy Prince” is its universal appeal as being a part if the literature of all ages. In the modern era fairy tales were altered, so that they could be read or told to the children.

So the following story also has a universal appeal this is not written for a specific age of specific people, it is for all the time and all the ages. There is no specific name of the place or town and no specific name of the characters. For example we can see that the story starts with these words:

“HIGH above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword- hilt.”

So in these lines, there is no specific name of the sity or no specific name of the statue is mentioned. So this is an element of a fairy tale.

(II).Another important characteristic of a fairy tale is that has some supernatural elements. Actually, these supernatural elements make a story a fairy tale. These supernatural elements can be angles, fairies, talking animals or even God. In the following story the supernatural elements are the statue of the prince, the swallow, angles, leaden heart and God and heaven. These are the fundamental elements which make this story a fairy tale

(III). The detailed description of the happy prince creates the fairy tale atmosphere for example in the following passage:

“All the next day he sat on the Prince's shoulder, and told him stories of what he had seen in strange lands. He told him of the red ibises, who stand in long rows on the banks of the Nile, and catch gold-fish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world itself, and lives in the desert, and knows everything; of the merchants, who walk slowly by the side of their camels, and carry amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships a large crystal; of the great green snake that sleeps in a palm-tree, and has twenty priests to feed it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies who sail over a big lake on large flat leaves, and are always at war with the butterflies.”

Such isolated scenes described by the swallow create a whole atmosphere very much beyond the reality like a fairy tale. These passages and all the other minute details included by the writer enrich the story with the sinic beauty.

(IV). The simple language is also a common element of fairy tales, also found in ‘The Happy Prince.’ Because these tales are written, generally, for the children so the is necessary to write them in simple language. The alterations and the rhythmic words sometimes give rise to an almost poetic prose caring music and the rhythm. Due to these effects the story becomes more and more attractive. For example the following words are very much poetic:

"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "will you not stay with me for one night, and be my messenger?”

(V). Except the simple language it also has very simple plot which is also an important feature of a fairy tale. Because these tales are especially written for the children so it is necessary to make them as simple as possible. In the story a swallow, who has delayed his migration to Egypt for the love of a reed, rests on the statue's plinth; the Prince is crying at the injustices he can now observe, having been isolated from the realities of his society while he was alive. The Prince asks the swallow to remove the ruby that adorns his sword, and give it to a poor seamstress with a sick child; the swallow does so. The swallow stays with the Prince over the ensuing weeks, distributing the jewels and gold from the Prince to the poor of the city. When the Prince is completely denuded of gold, the swallow realizes he is dying from cold; the Prince asks the swallow to kiss him on the lips. The swallow dies, and the Prince's lead heart breaks. The next day, the Mayor of the city observes the state of the statue, and orders it to be removed and melted down. The Prince's heart does not melt in the furnace, and it is discarded on to the same dust-heap where the swallow's body is lying:

(VI) According to the definition, ‘The Happy Prince’ is a fairy tale. Because, the description of the characters or the two main characters are unreal, the statue of the happy prince and the swallow. Moreover in our daily experience of life we do not find them talking. So this is another common quality of fairy tales that some inanimate things or animals behave like human being.

A very striking feature of fairy tale is that it shows extreme contrast. This contrast can be between poverty and richness, powerful and weak or any other contrast it can be. In the following story we can see the contrast is extreme richness and misery. At the one hand there are people who enjoy all the joys of life, they are spending there lives in marry making and they are unaware of other poor people, and at the other hand there are people who are in extreme miserable condition. These are the tow extreme sides of single society presented by Oscar Wild. As for example the little swallow tells the happy prince about the condition of his city in these words

“So the Swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates…….”

(VII). All the fairy tales have happy ending in the favour of the protagonist. Same is the case in the following story. In the end of the story, although the mission of the happy prince is not completed but in the end is in their favour and they are taken in the heaven by the angles. The leaden heart of statue of the happy prince and the dead body of the swallow are the most precious things for the God. When the angles take these two things in the heaven God said them:

“You have rightly chosen," said God, "for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.”

(VIII).The moral lesson is an essential feature of modern fairy tales. Because at this time the purpose of the literature is to preach the morality. Because of the rapid scientific progress materialism, social evils were also rapidly prevailing in the society. So in the following story we find we find a strong moral lesson of love and to help the poor. The story tells us that the real purpose of man’s life is to serve humanity. In this way we can get the real happiness.

Conclusion

“The Happy Prince” thus not only a contained the elements of a fairy tales but also encoded with poetical wisdom of its author. Many of the themes and ideas are wrapped in the story. It contained skillfully engraved the philosophy of its author, not only making the tale enjoyable but also emphysized into the writers heart, the leaden heart.” So we can conclude with these famous words of a critic about Oscar Wild:

“He left behind, as his essential contribution to literature, a large repertoire of jokes which survive because of their sheer neatness, and because of a certain intriguing uncertainty— which extends to Wilde himself— as to whether they really mean anything.”

(George Orwell)