Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin.
His father was a respected surgeon and his mother, a
literary figure, known as
Speranza, was engagged in the Celtic revival of Ireland.
His mother gained literary notice
through her pursuit of folklore and romantic
embellishment of myths. Wilde achieved notoriety as a fop in Trinity
College, Dublin
where he excelled as a brilliant scholar in classics among other things. He
completed his studies at Magdalen College,
Oxford where he took the Newdigate
Prize for his poem, "Ravenna." In 1881, his first
collection of verse was published, opening a incredibly successful literary
career. What he didn't write, others wrote about him. His notoreity spread
equally of his charm, wit, sophistication, and repartee. Foppish, snobby and
egocentric, he attracted critics and
satirists alike who cast his shadows on canvases larger than life. His life was
sketched on their tablets and canvases for public approval. Lampooned, he
became the subject of Gilbert and Sulliven msuical theater as the leader of the
Aesthete:
art for Art's Sake, the simpering man
who walked his mystic way with a lily in his hand. Larger than life, he
was constantly onstage even when he was offstage, cariacatured and casting his
own characters as a master playwright, providing society with hits such as: Lady Windemere's Fan, The Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest.
In 1884, Wilde married Constance Lloyd. The
Happy Prince was written
for his sons, long before the terrible demise of his popularity, social
recognition and success. Wilde's life
ended tragically, magnifying the bittersweet nature of the some of his most
beautiful and lyrical writing contained in his
stories for children. Even when the endings are happy, the stories
reveal serious inner conflict, angst and intense grief. The Happy Prince
was never truly happy. A public model, the city erects a statue of him, gilded
and set with precious jewels., dedicated
to the superficial values and expectations that society imposes on its leaders. In order to bring joy to the suffering Happy
Prince, a swallow sacrifices its life. Stripped of its fine ornamentation, only
base metal remains.
The stories are ethereal, haunting the reader with their
deathless messages, appearing as
simple moral tales. Wilde's mastery of
literature and allusion
weaves together old stories we once knew with new forms to constantly reread
and examine in new light. A Selfish Giant shuts and locks his gates,
isolating himself from the rest of known world.
Summer and Spring are too intimidated to knock upon his ramparts and
depart where only Winter dares to call. Simple, but elegant narrative ensnares us in a
simple plot. Wilde uses biblical
allusions to strengthen his tale and
make it unforgettable. Wilde's writing is timeless and withstands scrutiny time
and time again.
Well-educated and author of the Aesthetic, Art for Art's
Sake, Wilde drew inspiration from every aspect of the Arts. The
Birthday of the Infanta recalls the famous painting and hateur of Velasquez
that hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum
in Vienna. Wilde, well-read in the literature of his age,
incorporates romanticism from the continent. Some say that Goethe never died
since his soul transmigrates through the verse and songs of German Romanticism and enters into other literature. No surprise then that the
Infanta is surrounded by pomegranate and lemon trees, scenting of the Mignon Lieder and the hinting
of the tribulations of Young Werther.
Lemon trees symbolize earthly
paradise, but Wilde, like Milton,
knew that all is not perfect in Paradise and man is
mortally flawed.
More reviews about the The Happy Prince and Other Tales