Complete Short Fiction

by Oscar Wilde

Book Overview

The complete short stories of the masterful Irish writer

Fairy tales, ghost stories, detective fiction and comedies of manners--the stories collected in this volume made Oscar Wilde's name as a writer of fiction, showing breathtaking dexterity in a wide range of literary styles. Victorian moral justice is comically inverted in "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime" and "The Canterville Ghost," and society's materialism comes under sharp, humorous...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141439696
• ISBN13: 9780141439693
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Oscar Wilde's genius is in full flower in this eclectic collection of ghost stories, fairy tales and

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is best known for such dramatic plays as "Salome": "Lady Windemere's Fan" and his masterpiece "The Importance of Being Earnest." In this new Penguin collection, though, the spotlight is on his considerable abilities as a short story author of genius and wit. The selections are taken from three short story collections produced by Wilde. The Happy Prince and Other Tales from 1888: The Happy Prince is a statue who along with a swallow teaches children the importance of kindness. The statue and the bird are good samaritans who are not understood by the cynical world around them. The Nightingale and the Rose is a sad story of a nightingale who dies so that a young lover might have a red rose to present to his lady love. She rejects the suitor for a rich man. The Selfish Giant deals with a greedy giant who is won over by the laughter of children. One of the children is the Christ. The Devoted Friend tells of a young loving boy and a callous and insensitive miller friend who only wants to be served and not share with others. The Remarkable Rocket deals with the hubris of a rocket who wants to be the star of the show only to come a cropper. The Portrait of Mr. W.H. is a literary exploration as to the identity of the man Shakespeare dedicated the sonnets to in the sixteenth century. In these fairy tales we see Wilde's satire of late Victorian life. A House of Pomengranates from 1891 The Young King shows how a prince becomes aware of suffering in society. The Birthday of the Infanta reveals the cruelty inflicted on a dwarf. The Fisherman and His Soul is a clever tale of the dichotomy between the needs of the body and the soul. The Star Child deals with the education of a child who fell from the stars. He learns the importance of kindness to animals and human beings in need. Lord Arthur Saville's Crime and Other Stories from 1891 Lord Arthur Saville is told by a palm reader that he is fated to murder someone. This is an intriguing story which also contains many humorous and witty parts. The Sphinx Without a Secret is a short story about a woman who invents a past to become more intriguing. The Canterville Ghost is the best story in the collection. It deals with an American family who live in an old English mansion inhabited by an Elizabethan ghost who murdered his wife and was starved to death by the victim's siblings. The Model Millionaire is an O Henry type tale in which a kind man is rewarded for a good deed. Peoms in Prose in 1894 are one page reflections on a variety of topics from the Last Judgement to ruminations on an Elder Tree. Oscar Wilde's kindness and love of humanity shine in this incandescent stories from fin de siecle London. They will entertain and instruct.

Oscar In Bits

People tend to remember Oscar Wilde for one, or two things, or both - his homosexuality and his cutting wit. His witticism is displayed mostly in his better known works such as "The importance of Being Earnest" in which one would find his established gems like "Never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that will tell one anything." Another of his well known work was his "De Profundis" a melodramatic letter written from his imprisonment after his disastrous defamation trial involving his homosexuality. Penguin Classic's "Complete Short Fiction" is a collection of short stories written with typical Wildean care-free abandon. But the stories, short and sweet, carry a sting. "The Devoted Friend" tells a charming tale with a moral, only for the reader to be told in the end that people don't like stories with a moral. This and other stories in the first part of the book are fairy tales that parents will enjoy the subtleties that Wilde injects into each story, and still find the stories simple enough to read to their children. Readers will enjoy the rest of the book, which consist of a mixture of tales, and some, like "Lord Arthur Saville's Crime", for the dashes of Wildean wit: "I do not work for money; I live entirely for my art." And do ghosts do when the people they haunt do not believe in ghosts? That's "The Canterville Ghost". The variety in this collection best exhibits the true heart of Oscar Wilde. It is a fine introduction to a newcomer to Wilde's literary work. It is refreshing and leaves one in a pleasant and musing, mood. His "De profundis" tends to leave the reader drained; "The Importance of Being Earnest" may leave one with high expectations, and "Dorian Gray" might leave one exhilarated, exhausted, and scarred.

A must have for any collection

I only came to this page to mark that I loved this book using the star system. Seeing that there is only one other review for this book I feel an obligation to write something more in its support. Maybe just telling you, the potential reader, this fact will tell at how much I like this book. First off, if you've never read anything by Oscar Wilde before, this is a great place to start. He is a man who wrote in two extremes, though with many dimensions of those two: the very high and the very low. This book covers both of those poles in a complete way, giving the reader a feel of what the author can do with words. Take the low pole, for example. The story 'The Nightingale and the Rose' will move you to tears if you're not careful to read it from a 'happy place'. It is a sad tale that observes love in a seemingly juvenile way (being that it is written as a fairy tale, something most modern audiences are not used to reading as adult literature and find themselves approaching with all their defenses down) but that handles it in such a way as to tilt our ready emotions into an abyss we are probably not ready to handle. Fairy tales are supposed to be about princesses, horses, and godmothers, right? "So what is this..?" We find ourselves asking at the end. It is genius. To go to the other extreme of his work, try out 'Lord Arthur Saville's Crime' a story that begins with the title character finding himself caught up with a chiromancer (palm reader) who tells him that he is going to murder someone. The poor fellow, feeling that he cannot go forward with his engagement to a woman until this task is taken care of, goes about attempting to murder several unsuspecting characters. He does this knowing that it is his obligation, that he cannot possibly be happy until he has done what he must. I challenge you to read this and not laugh until you are red in the face. Either extreme makes you think. The first story will have you questioning what love really is made of, looking inside of yourself to see to which extreme you gravitate. The latter story will have you wondering at fate versus destiny; which played its role in this story? I will not give away the ending but will tell you that you should spend some time pondering its conclusion. Yet even in touching on these two stories I have but skimmed ever so lightly across what delights this book holds. Try the sinister implications found in the repetitions of 'The Fisherman and His Soul'. Laugh at the idiotic characterizations of Americans (I'm an American, for the record on this- yet it was still funny) in 'The Canterville Ghost'. Ponder on the parallels in the 'Poems Written in Prose' at the back of the book, each of which is like a short, succinct question to the reader. Bottom line: I cannot recommend this book enough. I cannot recommend Oscar Wilde and his works enough. -LP

A must for lovers of Oscar and great literature

Oscar Wilde is my favorite author and in my opinion one of the greatest writers to have ever lived.His magnificent stories can make you laugh out loud but they can also move you to tears.No library is complete without the writings of Oscar Wilde.And I highly recommend this book and anything else by Oscar Wilde.Oscar Wilde complete shorter fiction contains all of Oscar Wildes fairy tales.And it also contains his short stories and some poems.The fairy tales collected in this volume are "The Nightingale and The Rose" and "The Selfish Giant" and "The Happy Prince".The aforementioned tales happen to be my absolute favorites.The are among the most beautiful stories I have ever read and they will truly touch your heart.Other fairy tales in this book are "The Devoted Friend" and "The Remarkable Rocket".The short stories in this collection include" Lord Arthur Savile`s Crime "and "The Sphinx Without a Secret".And also "The Canterville Ghost" and "The Model Millionaire"."The Canterville Ghost" is absolutely hilarious and yet at the same time very touching.Other stories contained in this book are "The Young King" "The Birthday Of Infanta" and "The Fisherman and his Soul "and also "The Star Child"."The Birthday Of Infanta" will truly break your heart and "The Fisherman and his Soul" is also a very touching story.The poems in this book include The Artist, The Doer of Good,The Disciple, "The Master" and "The House Of Judgement" and "The Teacher of Wisdom".I highly recommend this book and if you haven`t read any of these stories treat yourself to this book you won`t be sorry.

One of the best books ever!

Oscar Wilde is a fantastic writer and person. In this book he devolops his thinking about the world so extrememly good, that he deveserves 5stars. I read a lot of plays by Wilde and some of his short stories and I can only come to one conclusion: This is the best writer ever with Shelley, Keats and Fitzgerald. You have got to love this one.