Oscar Wilde Questions and Answers
Oscar Wilde
Who are the characters of the story "The Happy Prince?"
The Happy Prince. The main character in this story. He used to live a happy life as a prince in the royal palace until he dies. A statue of him is then built and placed on a tall column high above...
Oscar Wilde
How is figurative language used in "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde?
In "The Selfish Giant," Oscar Wilde begins by using figurative language to emphasize the beauty of of the garden, where flowers stand out of the grass "like stars" in the sky. These flowers are...
Oscar Wilde
What is the rising action in Wilde's story "The Happy Prince"?
The rising action in the story consists of the swallow helping the the Happy Prince to do good for his people. During his life, the Prince never ventured from his palace and had no idea that the...
Oscar Wilde
Explain the relationship between the Swallow and other characters in "The Happy Prince."
In Oscar Wilde’s “The Happy Prince,” the Swallow initially shares superficial relationships with other characters; through the course of the short story, however, the bird develops a deeper, more...
Oscar Wilde
What is the ending of “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde's short story "The Happy Prince" is a satire commenting on social class distinctions and the wastefulness and selfishness of the upper class, particularly the nobility. The story...
Oscar Wilde
What are some literary devices in The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde?
In the short story “The Happy Prince,” Oscar Wilde uses many literary devices to create a fairytale that shows how generosity and compassion can alleviate sadness, illness, and poverty, even in a...
Oscar Wilde
Name some of the figures of speech in "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde.
Figures of speech enhance a piece of literature by using words in ways that go beyond their literal meaning. Wilde uses euphemism in "The Happy Prince." Euphemism means putting something harsh into...
Oscar Wilde
Why did the Giant's heart melt upon seeing the children in "The Selfish Giant"?
In Oscar Wilde's short story "The Selfish Giant," the Giant puts walls around his garden to keep the children from playing in it, because he wants to keep the beauty of the garden all to himself....
Oscar Wilde
What key issues and themes does Oscar Wilde convey through his texts? Also, any particular literary devices he uses...
Oscar Wilde's works include a wide range of nonfiction, plays, a novel, and poems. In these works he expresses a consistent ideological position that art should be independent of morality, and has...
Oscar Wilde
What is the theme of "The Sphinx Without a Secret" by Oscar Wilde?
In "The Sphinx Without a Secret," Wilde explores the theme of love. This is shown from the beginning of the story when the narrator meets with his friend Lord Murchison, a man who is "troubled" by...
Oscar Wilde
The Selfish Giant Analysis
"The Selfish Giant" centers around a giant with his garden and the children who enjoy playing in it. The giant, when he returns to find the children in his garden, drives them out and builds a wall...
Oscar Wilde
What does the storyteller mean by the words "Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the...
In Oscar Wilde's text "The Model Millionaire," the charming and penniless Hughie Erskine is madly in love with Laura Merton, the daughter of a retired colonel who finds Hughie congenial but will...
Oscar Wilde
How is figurative language used in ''The Devoted Friend'' by Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde’s “A Devoted Friend” is an example of a type of story called a “fable.” Fables usually sound like children’s stories because they are meant to instruct or demonstrate a moral, and they...
Oscar Wilde
How does the title of "The Remarkable Rocket" by Oscar Wilde relate to and justify its theme?
In short, the title "The Remarkable Rocket" illustrates the self-importance and distorted view of reality that the rocket himself embodies. (He's a plain old rocket, keep in mind, just a stick that...
Oscar Wilde
Could you please name some metaphors in ''The Happy Prince'' by Oscar Wilde?
Rather surprisingly, Oscar Wilde does not use many overt metaphors in "The Happy Prince." He uses a plethora of similes as he describes the settings and characters of the story, but metaphors are...
Oscar Wilde
What are some figures of speech in ''The Remarkable Rocket'' by Oscar Wilde?
SIMILES: Comparisons that use the word "like" or "as." a) "The sledge was shaped like a great golden swan..." b) "she was as pale as the Snow Palace in which she had always lived." c) "'"She is...
Oscar Wilde
How does fantasy merge with reality in "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde?
One way to read the story is as a critique of capitalism and the class structure. The people the Happy Prince tries to help are representative of particular segments of late Victorian society;...
Oscar Wilde
Compare and contrast "The Nightingale and the Rose" and "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde.
"The Nightingale and the Rose" and "The Happy Prince" are written in the same lyrical style with highly stylized descriptions of beautiful environments. Both have a heroic bird at the center of the...
Oscar Wilde
How does the swallow die?
The swallow is a bird who needs to migrate to a warm climate in the winter months. The swallow in this story instead chooses to stay with the Happy Prince in order to fulfill the prince's request...
Oscar Wilde
Why did the old man smile when Hughie gave him the gold coin in the story "The Model Millionaire"?
In Oscar Wilde's "The Model Millionaire," a young man named Hughie Erskine performs an act of kindness that yields him great reward. Although he is handsome and well-liked, Hughie does not come...
Oscar Wilde
What is the theme of "The Doer of Good" by Oscar Wilde?
Reading this poem twice is a good idea. If you have no familiarity with the Bible, then the story may not come as easily. This is the difficulty with allusions: if someone is unfamiliar with what...
Oscar Wilde
"Happy Prince" is a story based on love and humanity. Do you agree? Give reasons.
As a children's story, "The Happy Prince" is indeed meant to be read on the surface level and is, just as it seems, a story entirely about love and humanity. The beginning of the story shows the...
Oscar Wilde
Study the opening paragraph of "The Model Millionaire." Which phrase do you think describes Hughie Erskine best? Why...
I believe the phrase that best describes Hughie Erskine in the first paragraph of "The Model Millionaire" is he had every accomplishment except that of making money. This best describes Hughie...
Oscar Wilde
In the short story "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde, the writer presents the idea that love and kindness could help...
Oscar Wilde’s story can be interpreted in general terms as promoting generosity as a path to eternal peace, but it is generally understood as a Christian allegory. The narrator presents the Giant...
Oscar Wilde
How does the short story "The Model Millionaire" reflect the values and ideas of the Victorian Age?
The industrial revolution has widened the gap between the rich and the poor like never before in the Victorian era (1830-1900). The literature of the time reflected the growing disparity in the...
Oscar Wilde
In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) observed, "Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is...
In this question, we are asked "to what extent" Wilde's claims are valid. Based on the examples of the readings you provided, it would appear that Wilde's claims are valid only to some extent....
Oscar Wilde
Explore the ways in which Oscar Wilde makes Hugh the Miller such an unlikable character in the story "The Devoted...
Wilde shows Hugh to be a hypocrite who takes advantage of little Hans while pretending to be his friend. We first see Hugh as unlikable in how generously he helps himself to flowers and fruits from...
Oscar Wilde
Please write a paragraph of about 10 lines to explain Wilde's use of irony. He was considered one of the wittiest and...
There is no doubt that Oscar Wilde's fame is justified. One might quibble about the type of fame he has generally enjoyed. Wilde is said (by André Gide, among others) to have boasted that he put...
Oscar Wilde
What is the significance of the dandy in Oscar Wilde's social comedies (besides hinting at the author's sexuality)?
If we think about the various social comedies that Wilde wrote, it is clear that one ingredient he added to the form of comedy was the figure of the dandy. The dandy could be defined as a man with...
Oscar Wilde
How does the author convey the virtues and flaws of Victorian society in the short story "The Remarkable Rocket"?
Oscar Wilde's "The Remarkable Rocket" is a satire, a story that pokes fun at the failings of certain types of people in Victorian society. The focus in this story is on the moral weaknesses of the...
Oscar Wilde
Why was Oscar Wilde known as having a flamboyant style?
Oscar Wilde was known for having a flamboyant lifestyle because he used his wit and intelligence to pursue a life of pleasure. He adopted a carefully-crafted public reputation which included an...
Oscar Wilde
Explain the following paragraph from The Happy Prince: "I am covered with fine gold,"said the Prince, "You must take...
The Prince was looking over the city noticing how deprived he was of the truth: That while he was Prince and rich, the people of lesser birth died of hunger and disease in poverty at the slums....
Oscar Wilde
What are some metaphors in "The Remarkable Rocket" by Oscar Wilde?
I share your inability to find metaphors in this excellent short story. My suggestion, however, is that if you are focussing on figurative language in your work, consider the use of similes in this...
Oscar Wilde
Why is Wilde's treatment of women different in A Woman of No Importance and The Picture of Dorian Gray?
This is a great question because there is, indeed, a difference in the treatment, the descriptions, and the roles of women from one work to the other. In Dorian Gray the roles of women are of...
Oscar Wilde
What is Wilde’s attitude toward the Victorian preoccupation with philanthropy?
In The Importance of Being Earnest, philanthropy is mentioned once: when Gwendolen Fairfax goes to the country estate of Jack Worthing, who she believes is really called Ernest, because she wants...
Oscar Wilde
Discuss how Oscar Wilde has brought out the theme of class divide's prevalence in society in his story "The Happy...
The city in which the story is set gives the impression of being a place where material wealth is considered all-important. The opulent statue of the Happy Prince, with its gold leaf and precious...
Oscar Wilde
What are the dominant themes/preoccupation of late Victorian and Edwardian fiction?
As in any era, the literature of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods reflected social concerns of the time. A general consciousness of the change in the century—the "fin de siecle"—lent the...
Oscar Wilde
To what extent is the play A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde a critique of English society?
Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance follows the tradition of Wilde's comedies of manners. This is a specific theatrical genre that aim to critique and even satirize the common dynamics of...
Oscar Wilde
With regard to "The Doer of Good" by Oscar Wilde, where does it take place?
The poem "The Doer of Good" by Oscar Wilde appears to take place in the Holy Lands during the time of Christ. The two allusions of the two men in the story refer to a leper and a blind man, both of...
Oscar Wilde
What is Walter Pater's influence on Oscar Wilde's Fairytales?
During the first of three trials for which Oscar Wilde was prosecuted for Gross Indecency on April 3rd, 1895, Wilde refers to Pater as "The only critic of the century whose opinion I set high" At...
Oscar Wilde
To what extent can Oscar Wilde's plays and stories be read as serious social criticism?
I think that analysis of the themes of these plays might be a very good start in terms of assessing their socially critical value. Even before this, it might be helpful to assert that Wilde,...
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde said that all art is quite useless. Is it? I've always loved the oh-so-quotable Oscar, but he did love...
As a radical Wildean I can see that he must have said these words back in the aesthetic period of his career where he followed the L'Art Pour L'art movement which (if Im not mistaken) was a Pater...
Oscar Wilde
How does Oscar Wilde explore gender identity in his society comedies?
The top four society comedies in Oscar Wilde's dossier are The Importance of Being Earnest, A Woman of No Importance, Lady Windermere's Fan, and An Ideal Husband. Each of these comedies explore...
Oscar Wilde
I need to explain Wilde's concept of individualism and talk about the manner in which he attempts to advance the...
Wilde thinks of "individualism" in a way quite different from that of extreme capitalists such as Ayn Rand or social Darwinists such as Herbert Spencer. He is mainly concerned with the flourishing...
Oscar Wilde
"Although Wilde seems frivolous, he aims at illuminating serious issues about humanity." How far do you agree with...
Oscar Wilde often seems frivolous to the extreme, and readers who identify him as such would not be entirely wrong. However, this frivolity and apparent carelessness actually point to more serious...
Oscar Wilde
the happy prince Why Oscar Wilde doesnt tell us the name of the city in The Happy Prince?To make us more intesified...
Why would us knowing the name of the city make it more intense and exciting to read this excellent short story? Surely the point of the story has nothing to do with the location of the city, but it...
Oscar Wilde
Wilde’s heyday was the 1890s, a period when Victorianism was winding down. Oscar Wilde’s heyday was the 1890s, a...
I would suggest that the Victorian period was one of great social and economic change. The Industrial Revolution, for example, changed the structure of society. As the world became "smaller"...
Oscar Wilde
Can we say that both "The Nightingale and the Rose" and "The Birthmark" share the theme of love? If yes, explain how...
“The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde is a story about a young man who has fallen madly in love with a girl. This is the first difference between these two stories: in Wilde’s story, the...
Oscar Wilde
How did the new aesthetic ideas from France influence Oscar Wilde?
There are several ways in which the new aesthetic ideas of the French symbolist and Decadent movements influenced the work of Oscar Wilde. Perhaps the most important influence, due both to his...
Oscar Wilde
In what ways does Wilde explore Christian undertones in the story "The Selfish Giant"?
The Christian undertones in this story are evident from the beginning: the Giant is described as selfish, and given that the story is geared towards children, the narrative makes it quite evident...
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