
The Happy Prince and Other Tales
by Oscar Wilde
'The Happy Prince and Other Tales' Summary
"The Happy Prince"
In a town full of suffering poor people, a swallow who was left behind after his flock flew off to Egypt for the winter meets the statue of the late "Happy Prince", who in reality has never experienced true sorrow, for he lived in a palace where sorrow was not allowed to enter. Viewing various scenes of people suffering in poverty from his tall monument, the Happy Prince asks the swallow to take the ruby from his hilt, the sapphires from his eyes, and the gold leaf covering his body to give to the poor. As the winter comes and the Happy Prince is stripped of all of his beauty, his lead heart breaks when the swallow dies as a result of his selfless deeds and severe cold. The people, unaware of their good deeds, take the statue down from the pillar due to its shabbiness (intending to replace it with one of the Mayor,) and the metal melted in a furnace, leaving behind the broken heart and the dead swallow; they are thrown in a dust heap. These are taken up to heaven by an Angel that has deemed them the two most precious things in the city. This is affirmed by God, and they live forever in His "city of gold" and garden of Paradise.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1888Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Authors

Oscar Wilde
Ireland
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, the early 1890s saw him become...
Books by Oscar WildeDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

Best British Short Stories of 1922 by Various
This anthology collects twenty-four short stories by both well-known and lesser-known British authors writing in the early 20th century. The stories o...

Hans Christian Andersen: Fairytales and Short Stories Volume 6, 1866 to 1875 by Hans Christian Andersen
Delve into the enchanting world of Hans Christian Andersen, where imagination reigns supreme and timeless tales unfold. Volume 6 of Hans Christian An...

Old Indian Legends by Zitkala-Sa
Old Indian Legends is a collection of Sioux stories retold by the Yankton Dakota writer Zitkala-Sa and published in 1901. Concerned about the effect o...

Loup-garou! by Eden Phillpotts
Loup-garou! is a collection of short stories by Eden Phillpotts, each exploring a different facet of the supernatural. Set in the rural heartland of D...

Fuzzy Wuzz - A Little Brown Bear of the Sierras by Allen Chaffee
In the breathtaking expanse of the Sierra Mountains, a captivating tale unfolds - "Fuzzy Wuzz - A Little Brown Bear of the Sierras" by Allen Chaffee....

Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between...

Baby's Own Aesop by Walter Crane
"Baby's Own Aesop" presents the fables as one-stanza limericks, each "pictorially pointed" by Walter Crane, the noted painter and illustrator. He appr...

Topaz Story Book: Stories and Legends of Autumn, Hallowe'en, and Thanksgiving by Ada M. Skinner
This charming collection of stories, legends, and poems celebrates the changing seasons and the special holidays of autumn. From the beauty of the har...

Rover Vol. 01 No. 12 by Lawrence Labree
This is the twelfth issue of *The Rover*, a weekly magazine published in 1843 by Seba Smith and Lawrence Labree. Known for its high-quality selection...

Frenzied Fiction by Stephen Leacock
From the cave man to Santa Claus; spies, know-it-alls, and journalists: all are fair game for Leacock’s special brand of humor. He touches on the chan...
Reviews for The Happy Prince and Other Tales
No reviews posted or approved, yet...