Analysis of Morality in Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales

本本本本本本本本

document.docChapter I Introduction

Oscar Wilde is a famous playwright and aesthete of the

late Victorian society. In addition to his plays, novel

and essays, he had published nine fairy tales included in

two volumes: Happy Prince and Other Tales and A House of

Pomegranates. According to the previous studies, Wilde’s

fairy tales contain various moral themes. These moral

themes contradict Wilde’s Aesthetic views. This thesis

adopts historical-biographical approach to analyze two

moral themes.

1.1 Wilde and Aestheticism

Wilde has been an important representative of

Aestheticism, an art movement popular at the end of the

19th century in Britain. “Art for art’s sake” is one of

Aestheticism’s famous slogans. Also, Wilde said, “No

1


artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an

artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style” (Wilde,

2007:3). “Any element of morals or implied reference to a

standard of good or evil in art is often a sign of a

certain incompleteness of vision, often a note of discord

in the harmony of an imaginative creation; for all good

works aim at a purely artistic effect” (Wilde, 2013).

Wilde believed that art called for artists’ imagination

and creativity. Art should not be bound by other things,

which could damage art. Artists’ task was not to prove

anything but to reveal art.

1.2 The researches on the contradictions in Wilde’s works

Although Wilde objected to relate morality to literary

works, in his fairy tales, moral themes are obvious,

which contradicts his previous comments on literary

2


works. Actually, not only his fairy tales, but also his

novel, plays and artistic views consist of

contradictions. Before the 1950s, most of the studies of

Oscar Wilde focused on his biography, scandal and trial.

Later, people paid more attention to his artistic views

and literary works. Previous studies on his

contradictions had begun as soon as his works were

published. In June, 1891, a review published on The

Athenaeun said that the contradictions had negative impact

on Wilde’s works. Arthur Symons, a writer and critic of

the Victorian period, spoke highly of the contradictions

in Wilde’s works. He thought the contradictions consisted

of Wilde’s wit ( 周，1994 ： 95-96). However, most of the

studies were about his plays and novel while fairy tales

were just mentioned as part of his works. Few of studies

3


aim at his fairy tales or their moral themes. By

analyzing moral themes in Wilde’s fairy tales, the thesis

explores the reasons for the contradiction between

Wilde’s Aesthetic views and the moral themes in his fairy

tales. This thesis is divided into six chapters. The

first chapter is an introduction to Wilde, Aestheticism

and researches on the contradiction between Wilde’s

Aesthetic views and the content of his works. The second

chapter reviews the foreign and domestic studies on

Wilde. The third chapter introduces the historical-

biographical approach and research procedure. The forth

chapter defines the contradiction in this thesis. Wilde’s

Aesthetic theories are based on his teachers’ theories.

His teachers’ theories contradict each other. This

chapter analyzes the influence of his teachers, which is

4


the root of the contradiction defined in this thesis. The

fifth chapter analyzes two moral themes in Wilde’s fairy

tales. The sixth chapter is the conclusion of this

thesis.

5


Chapter II Literature review

Foreign Studies on Oscar Wilde began as soon as his

works were published. Domestic Studies on Wilde date back

to Zhou Zuoren’s translation of Wilde’s works in 1909.

Today’s studies on Wilde are multi-approach. This chapter

reviews the studies on Wilde at home and abroad.

2.1 Foreign studies on Oscar Wilde

In 1993, Thomas A. Mikolyzk published Oscar Wilde: An

Annotated Bibliography, which sorted books and periodical

articles about Wilde between 1900 and 1990. During these

ninety years, there were 416 books entirely about Wilde,

6


1023 books partially about Wilde, 1742 articles on Wilde.

(周, 2004: 8-9)

Based on Mikolyzk’s book, Professor Zhang Jieming

divided foreign studies on Wilde into three periods in

his Contemporary Western Study on Oscar Wilde,(Qtd. in Zhong 2011:

8): the early period (before 1950), the middle period

(1951-1980) and the late period (after1980).

2.1.1 The early period

During this period, most of the studies were from

Wilde’s friends and acquaintances. They compiled Wilde’s

works and wrote about his life. Wilde’s close friend,

Robert Baldwin Ross, published Wilde’s long letter from

jail and compiled Miscellanies by Oscar Wilde in 1908. Robert

Harborough Sherard published Life of Oscar Wilde and The Real

Oscar Wilde. Frank Harris published Oscar Wilde: His life and

7


Confession. However, their studies were mainly about Wilde’s

biography and anecdotes, which “lack depth on his

thoughts and creations” (Zhong 2011: 8).

2.1.2 The middle period

Under the influence of new criticism, the researches

on Wilde laid stress on text and artistic form. In 1967,

Epifanio Jr San Juan published The Art of Oscar Wilde which was

based on textual analysis. Richard Ellamn had used modern

critical approaches to study Wilde’s works since the

early 1960s. As time goes by, people tended to see

Wilde’s works in the background of Victorian society

(Zhong 2011: 8-9).

2.1.3 The late period

In this period, people gradually realized the impact

of contemporary society and culture on Wilde’s works. The

8


representative studies in this period are Regenia

Gagnier’s Idylls of the Marketplace: O.W. and the Victorian Public and

Critical Essays on Oscar Wilde, Curtis Marez’s The Other Addict:

Reflections on Colonialism and Oscar Wilde’s Opium Smoke Screen. At the

end of the twentieth century, the centenary of Wilde’s

death, an increasing number of books, articles and

periodicals about Wilde were published (Zhong 2011: 9-

10).

2.2 Domestic studies on Oscar Wilde

In 1909, Zhou Zuoren was the first person who

introduced Wilde’s works to China. He translated Wilde’s

“The Happy Prince”. Later, Ba Jin translated all the nine

fairy tales. Wilde’s plays and novels were also

translated in succession. Since then, “Wilde seemed

forgotten for almost more than 40 years due to various

9


reasons in China” (Zhong 2011: 11). In the 1990s, the

studies on Wilde “flourished” in China (ibid). Ju

Wuxuan’s Aestheticism and The Picture of Dorian Gray evaluated

Wilde’s works and Aestheticism. Professor Zhou Xiaoyi

believed that “as a social man, Wilde could not help the

penetration of the consumer culture into the subtext of

his Aesthetic works” (Qtd. in Zhong 2011: 12). Apart from

Zhou Xiaoyi, there were “more critical studies emerged

during the 1990s as cultural approach in Wilde research”

(Zhong 2011: 12). These studies include: Alternatives’ Ghost

Tale--- Cultural View on Wilde's The Canterville Ghost by Lang Xiaoling,

Wilde’s Salome and Its Cultural Impact by He Zhenbiao, On Aesthetic

Culture View of Wilde’s Comedies by Chen Aimin. The researches on

Wilde’s works showed a tendency of studying the influence

of culture and society (Zhong 2011: 10-12).

10


Chapter III Methodology

This thesis adopts historical-biographical approach to

analyze the moral themes in Wilde’s fairy tales. Two

moral themes are chosen in this thesis: the blend of

Christianity and artistic life, the critique of upper

class people’s exploitation of the poor.

3.1 Introduction to the historical-biographical approach

and traditional literary criticism

Historical-biographical approach is one of the

11


traditional critical approaches to literature. “This

approach sees a literary work chiefly, if not

exclusively, as a reflection of its author’s life and

times or the life and times of the characters in the

work” (Guerin 2004: 22). Before analyzing literary works,

people should use textual criticism to try to establish

an authentic text. Next, to analyze the literary works,

the first step is to ascertain the literary genre,

because “different literary genres are judged according

to different standards” (Guerin 2004: 28). For example,

a love lyric will not have “the sweep and grandeur of an

epic” (ibid). Moreover, if it is a novel or a short

story, it is necessary to introduce the situation, the

rising action, the climax and the dénouement of the plot.

Then, people can use historical and biographical

12


information to “feel the full impact of this story,

aesthetically and intellectually” (Guerin 2004: 38).

3.2 Research question

Aestheticism is an art movement happened in the late

nineteenth century. “Art for art’s sake” is the most

famous slogan of Aestheticism. The slogan means that “art

should avoid social, political, and moral themes and

concentrate instead on creating beauty, so it really

means ‘art for the sake of beauty and its elevating

effects’” (Landow, 2012). Wilde is a representative of

Aestheticism. However, his fairy tales are full of moral

themes, which contradicts the slogan of Aestheticism.

The research question of this thesis is: Why did Wilde

add moral themes in his fairy tales?

3.3 Research procedure

13


Historical-biographical approach is widely accepted in

contemporary studies on Wilde’s works. In order to meet

the requirement of historical-biographical approach, this

thesis focuses on two moral themes which are supported by

solid evidence about Wilde’s life and times: The blend of



3.3.1 The selection of moral themes

●The abandoned moral themes

The moral themes in Wilde’s fairy tales are various.

According to Professor Jack Zipes, Happy Prince and Other Tales

is “an anthology about British civilization and its

discontents” (Wilde 2008: 211). He believes that “The

Happy Prince” and “The Nightingale and The Rose”

implicitly expresses Wilde’s idea that the society is not

14


able to appreciate the noble role of artists. “The

Devoted Friend” and “The Remarkable Rocket” are about

people’s unawareness of ruthlessness. Wilde’s another

volume of fairy tales, A House of Pomegranates, “explores the

connection between love, art and sacrifice” (Wilde 2008:

212). Apart from Professor Jack Zipes’s researches, some

other researches focus on the suffering, deaths of

characters and charity. However, this thesis adopts the

historical-biographical approach which calls for solid

evidence. The moral themes above lack evidence from

Wild’s life and times, so they are not appropriate for

this thesis.

●“The blend of Christianity and artistic life”

Professor Christopher Nassar pointed out that Wilde

was deeply influenced by Walter Pater’s Studies in the History of

15


the Renaissance. Pater emphasized the artistic form and

artistic life, which was also valued by Wilde. Pater once

tried to mix Christianity and artistic life in his Marius

the Epicurean. Wilde borrowed this idea in some of his

tales. Nevertheless, Wilde added more emotional facts

than Pater did. This theme can be found in five of his

fairy tales. All the protagonists in these five tales

develop from an aesthete to a Christ-like figure.

(Nassaar, 2012) This thesis focuses on this moral theme

because it can be found in most of Wilde’s tales and have

compelling evidence.

●“The critique of upper class people’s exploitation of

the poor”

One of Wilde’s tales, “The Devoted Friend”, is

distinguished from other tales. Wilde did not add any

16


fantasy into this tale and showed the social class gap

between two protagonists clearly. Wilde satirized “social

obedience between the rich and poor” in Victorian

society, “the institutionalized religion” and

“exaggerated altruism” (Marsh 2008: 72-87). One of the

protagonists, Miller, represented the rich working-class.

He showed no pity to poor little Hans and even exploited

Hans. Two years after publishing this fairy tale, Wilde

published an essay “The Soul of Man under Socialism”

where he elaborated on the ideas expressed in “The

Devoted Friend” (Marsh 2008: 76). The evidence of this

theme is closely related to social class and the Church

in Victorian society. Besides, his essay, “The Soul of

Man under Socialism” strengthened this theme. Therefore,

this theme is chosen in this thesis.

17


3.3.2 The reasons for choosing historical-biographical

approach

Historical-biographical approach emphasizes the life

and times of the author or the character. Modern studies

on Wilde’s works tend to relate his works to his life and

times. Also, Wilde is not the founder of Aestheticism.

His theories are based on the theories of forerunners of

Aestheticism. However, his theories are not totally the

same as others’. For example, he added moral themes in

his fairy tales. By using historical-biographical

approach, Wilde’s works are closely connected with the

overall social environment and his own experience, which

can reveal and explain the distinct features of his

works. Therefore, historical-biographical approach is

appropriate for this thesis.

18


3.3.3 The specific process of the analysis

The first step is to explore why Wilde chose the fairy

tale, a genre “known for its moralistic nature”

(Wijingaart, 2012) to express his ideas. Aesthetes

emphasized the artistic form and separated art from

morality. Wilde objected to attach literary works to

morality too. Fairy tales contradict Wilde’s Aesthetic

ideas. Therefore, it is worthwhile to analyze the reasons

for choosing this genre.

The analysis of the first moral theme, the blend of

Christianity and artistic life, started with a table. The

table analyzes the protagonists and their features in all

nine tales. According to the table, five tales have the

protagonists who can embody this moral theme. Then, the

analysis of the first theme centers on these five

19


protagonists.

The second moral theme is about two protagonists in

one tale: “The Devoted Friend”. The first step is to

analyze the plot about these two protagonists. Next, this

tale reflects the theme in three aspects: “social

obedience between the rich and poor”, “the

institutionalized religion” and “exaggerated altruism”

(Marsh 2008: 72-87). The research of this theme is

carried out in these three aspects.

By analyzing these two moral themes, this thesis

substantiates and explains the contradiction between

Wilde’s Aesthetic views and moral themes in fairy tales.

20


21


Chapter IV The contradiction between Wilde’s Aesthetic

views and moral themes in fairy tales

The contradiction studied in this thesis is about

Wilde’s Aesthetic views and moral themes in his fairy

tales. Wilde’s Aesthetic views were deeply influenced by

the theories of his mentors: John Pentland Mahaffy, John

Ruskin and Walter Pater. The theories of his three

teachers are different. What is more, Ruskin’s theories

are opposite to Pater’s theories, which is the root of

Wilde’s contradiction.

4.1 The definition of the contradiction in this thesis

In many of Wilde’s essays like “The English

22


Renaissance of Art”, “The Decay of Lying” and the preface

of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde expressed his Aesthetic

views that good works aim at a purely artistic effect and

art should not be bound by morality. However, his fairy

tales contain morality themes, which contradicts his

Aesthetic views claimed in his essays. This contradiction

is what this thesis focuses on.

4.2 Three mentors’ influence on the development of

Wilde’s Aesthetic views

Mahaffy, Ruskin and Pater are the three people who

impacted greatly on Wilde. Mahaffy was Wilde’s teacher

when he was in Dublin. Mahaffy was the first person who

introduced Aestheticism to Wilde. Ruskin and Pater were

Wilde’s teachers in Oxford. Their contrary opinions

towards art are the origin of Wilde’s contradiction.

23


4.2.1 The artistic views of Wilde’s three mentors

When Wilde was at Trinity College in Dublin, his

professor Mahaffy was fond of ancient Greek and Roman

literature. Mahaffy had been Wilde’s friend for many

years and had a great influence on Wilde. Wilde highly

praised ancient Greek and Roman culture, which can be

seen in his essays, novel and fictions. Mahaffy said that

“there can be no strict mathematical definition of beauty

in nature, art, poetry or music” and that “beauty was

relative to taste” (Qtd. in Wijingaart, 2012). He

introduced Wilde the tradition of Aestheticism.

Later, when Wilde was at Oxford, two professors had a

great influence on him: John Ruskin and Walter Pater.

Ruskin developed a theory that “art justifies its own

existence through beauty”. He stated that:

24


Ideas of beauty are among the noblest which can

be presented to the human mind, invariably

exalting and purifying it according to their

degree; and it would appear that we are

intended by the Deity to be constantly under

their influence...” Because God infuses all

things in nature with himself, which are

disproportionately more beautiful than

deformed, any experience of beauty relates to

God. (Qtd. in Wong, 2008)

This is similar to the Aesthetic idea that “Art never

expresses anything but itself’. However, Ruskin was

also concerned with “society’s relations to art” and

believed that “the force of good pervaded from

beautiful objects” (Qtd. in Wong, 2008). Therefore,

25


Ruskin’s artistic views are not absolutely typical

Aestheticism views, which is one of the explanations to

contradictions in Wilde’s works.

By contrast, Pater’s Aestheticism views are freed

from Victorian conventionalities. He thought that art

can provide people with moments of high quality. He

published a collection titled Studies in the History of the

Renaissance. The book challenged “conventional codes of

religion, morality, sexuality, and scholarship”

(Teukolsky, 2009). During Wilde’s Oxford years, he read

the Renaissance for many times. Also, Pater held the

opinion that critics themselves were artists too,

because they saw artistic works in unique ways and

created literary theories. Wilde has expressed the

similar opinion in his essay The Critic as Artist.

26


4.2.2 Wilde’s Aesthetic views

In 1889, Wilde published an essay “The Decay of

Lying”. In this essay, he criticized realism and said

that art should be beautiful. Artistic values were more

important than moralistic values. He believed that

imagination was the source of all art (Wilde, 2003). This

essay contains ideas similar to Mahaffy’s “beauty is a

matter of taste” and Pater’s art for its own sake rather

than for morality. In the preface of The Picture of Dorian

Gray, Wilde articulated his Aestheticism views thoroughly:

“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things

are the cultivated…They are the elect to whom beautiful

things mean only beauty” (Wilde, 2007: 4). “Vice and

virtue are to the artist a materials for an art” (ibid).

He believed that art was superior to morality. Morality

27


could be the source of art instead of the aim of art.

What is more, in “The English Renaissance of Art”, Wilde

showed his attitude towards moral themes in literary

works clearly: “…all good work aims at a purely artistic

effect” (Wilde, 2007: 3). Even in his De Profundis written

in prison, he said that “Morality does not help me. I am

a born antinomian” (Wilde, 1999: 46). However, in Wilde’s

fairy tales, he valued Christianity and satirized the

inequality in different social classes. These moral

themes contradict Wilde’s Aesthetic views expressed in

essays.

28


29


Chapter V Analyzing the moral themes in Wilde’s fairy

tales

Based on Professor Christopher Nassar and Sarah

Marsh’s studies on Wilde’s fairy tales, this thesis

analyzes two moral themes that are suitable for

historical-biographical approach: the blend of



5.1 The genre of the story: the fairy tale

The fairy tale is a genre “known for its moralistic

nature” (Wijingaart, 2012), which contradicts Wilde’s

claims that art should not contain any element of

morality. During 1865 to 1900, some famous writers like

John Ruskin and Lewis Carroll made contribution to the

30


development of fairy tales. In 1889, Wilde reviewed

William B. Yeats’s Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (Qtd.

in Wilde, 2008) and showed great interest in this genre.

Wilde’s wife also published some children stories. His

mother edited two books on Irish Folklore. Also, in some

of his tales, Wilde unsettled the traditional structure

of fairy tales in order to satirize some social

phenomenon. For example, “The Devoted Friend” is quite

similar to Hans Christian Andersen’s “Little Claus and

Big Claus”. However, Wilde’s tale ends with the good

person’s death while Andersen’s tale ends with the bad

person’s death. Therefore, it is quite natural for Wilde

to choose this genre. Besides, the settings of fairy

tales can let writers wield their imagination which was

valued by aesthetes including Wilde.

31


5.2 Moral themes and reasons for the contradiction

The first moral theme this thesis analyzes is the

blend of Christianity and the artistic life advised by

Walter Pater in his Studies in the History of Renaissance. This

theme can be found in “The Happy Prince”, “The Selfish

Giant”, “The Young King”, “The Fisherman and His Soul”

and “The Star-Child”. The second moral theme is Wilde’s

critique of upper class people’s exploitation of the poor

which is obvious in “The Devoted Friend”.

5.2.1The blend of Christianity and artistic life

Wilde’s mentor, Walter Pater, once tried to add both

Christianity and the artistic life or Aestheticism in his

Marius the Epicurean. In many of Wilde’s fairy tales, “Wilde's

concern is exactly that of Pater's in Marius — to blend

Christianity and the artistic life or Aestheticism”

32


(Nassaar, 2012). Nevertheless, in Wilde’s tales, “the

emotional content is higher” (ibid).

5.2.1.1The influence of Walter Pater’s Aesthetic views

In the conclusion to Pater’s The Renaissance, he advised

that people should devote their lives to the private

enjoyment of the best objects of art (Qtd. in Nassaar,

2012). Wilde spoke highly of Pater’s Aesthetic views.

When Wilde was in prison, Pater’s works were among the

few books that he wanted to read.

In De Profundis, Wilde wrote that:

In Marius the Epicurean Pater seeks to reconcile the

artistic life with the life of religion…But

Marius is…perhaps a little too much occupied with

the comeliness of the vessels of the Sanctuary to

notice that it is the Sanctuary of Sorrow that he

33


is gazing at” (Wilde, 1999: 55).

Wilde thought Pater’s works still lacked emotional

factors: Marius failed to “notice that it is the

Sanctuary of Sorrow that he is gazing at”. In Wilde’s

fairy tales, he emphasized emotional factors more

strongly than Pater did, which is just like what

Professor Christopher Nassaar said, “(Wilde) impresses us

more strongly that we are in ‘the Sanctuary of Sorrow’”

(Nassaar, 2012).

5.2.1.2 The blend of Christianity and artistic life in

fairy tales

In Wilde’s fairy tales, many protagonists only lived

for pleasure at first. Later, they became unselfish and

ready to help others. They embody the blend of

Christianity and artistic life. The following table

34


analyzes all the protagonists in nine fairy tales.

Table: The Analysis of Protagonists in Wilde’s

Tales

The tale The

protagoni

st(s)

The feature(s) of

the protagonist(s)

Can

he/she

embody

“The

blend of

Christian

ity and

artistic

life”? The HappyPrince

HappyPrince

He used to indulge inthe objects of art andenjoyment. Afterbecoming a statue onthe mountain, he wasaware of people’ssuffering.

Yes

TheNightingale andthe Rose

TheNightingale

The Nightingalepierced his heart on athorn to bleed onto awhite rose so that theyoung student couldget a red rose andinvite a girl to dancewith.

No (Thereis nochange ontheNightingale. He kepton helpingthe youngstudentuntil his

35

本本本本本本本本death.)

TheSelfishGiant

The Giant At first, he wasselfish. Later, hebecame selfless andlet children play inhis garden.

Yes

TheDevotedFriend

The MillerLittle Hans

The Miller kept ontelling little Hansthe beautiful wordsabout friendship.However, Miller hadnever helped Hans andeven caused Hans’sdeath.

No (Thereis nochange ontheprotagonists. MilleralwaysexploitedHans andHans wasstilldevoted toMiller)

TheRemarkable Rocket

The Rocket He thought he wasremarkable and came ofremarkable parents.Therefore, he was veryconceited.

No (Thereis nochange onthe rocket.He wasarrogantfrom thebeginningto the end.)

The YoungKing

The YoungKing

When the lad wasacknowledged as theheir to the throne, hewas fascinated by thepalace, pictures andstatues. At the nightbefore his coronation,he dreamt that hisluxury robe, ruby andpearl came fromlaborers’ blood andsweat. At thecoronation, he refusedto use these luxuries.

Yes

36

本本本本本本本本TheBirthdayof theInfanta

The Infanta During the celebrationof Infanta’s birthday,she threw a white roseto the Dwarf from theforest. Nevertheless,she just thought theDwarf was funny. Evenif the Dwarf was dead,she did not feel sadat all.

No (Thereis nochange ontheInfanta.She hadalways beencruel tothe Dwarf)

TheFishermanand HisSoul

TheFisherman

Initially, theFisherman wasfascinated by thebeautiful Mermaid. Hisheart had no place forhis Soul. At the endof the tale, his heartbecame large enough toembrace in love boththe Mermaid and hisSoul

Yes

The Star-Child

The Star-Child

He used to be arrogantbecause of hisbeautiful appearance.After becomingphysically ugly, hesuffered a lot andbecame aware ofothers’ suffering.

Yes

This table shows that five protagonists can embody this

moral theme: Happy Prince, the Giant, Young King, the

Fisherman and the Star-Child. The analysis of these five

characters is as follows:

●“The Happy Prince”

37


At the beginning of this tale, the Happy Prince 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” (Wilde 2008:9). He used to “live in

the Palace of Sans-Souci” and “did not know what tears

were” (Wilde 2008: 12). Every evening, he “led the dance

in the Great Hall” (ibid). He existed as an aesthete and

a follower of Pater’s advice that is “to burn always

with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this

ecstasy, is success in life”. He used to devote his life

to the objects of art and enjoyment. However, after

becoming a statue, he gradually recognized all the pain

and sorrow in the city. “He developed into a Christian”

(Nassaar, 2012) and sacrificed his aesthetic decorations

to help others. In this tale, Wilde treated Pater’s

38


advice as “an early, selfish stage that human beings

should develop beyond” (Nassaar, 2012). The Happy Prince

used to live in a typical Aesthetic way. After becoming

a statue, he developed his love and pity for others’

misery. Meanwhile, Wilde mixed the artistic life with

Christianity in other tales.

●“The Selfish Giant”

At first, the Giant, just like the Happy Prince, only

concerned about himself and lived an artistic life as

Pater advised. The Happy Prince lived in a magnificent

palace and the Giant lived in his beautiful garden. The

difference between the Giant and the Happy Prince is that

the Giant could enjoy his garden while children were

playing there, but the Happy Prince sacrificed his gold

and jewels to help the poor. In this regard, Wilde

39


blended Christianity and artistic life fully in “The

Selfish Giant”. This blend can also be found in other

tales.

●“The Young King”

In this tale, Christianity and the Aesthetic life

blend perfectly. The young King indulged himself in

objects of art like a disciple of Pater’s advices: be in

a state of “ecstasy”, “the poetic passion, the desire of

beauty, the love of art for its own sake” (Nassaar,

2012). Nevertheless, the young King’s nature developed.

He became aware of his people’s life. When he was

finally on the altar in rags, “the sunbeams wove round

him a tissued robe that was fairer than the robe that

had been fashioned for his pleasure” (Wilde, 2008: 96).

“Whiter than fine pearls were the lilies…Redder than

40


male rubies were the roses” (ibid). The Bishop said, “A

greater than I hath crowned thee” (ibid), which implied

that God had crowned the young King. Thus, the young

King had entered a new Aesthetic world where “the pure

and indescribably beautiful” Christianity is “the

highest form of Aestheticism” (Nassaar, 2012).

●“The Fisherman and His Soul”

Initially, the Fisherman was fascinated by the

beautiful Mermaid who sang marvelous songs and lived

beneath the sea. His heart had no place for his Soul. At

the end of the tale, his heart became “large enough to

embrace in love both the Mermaid and his Soul: without

abandoning Aestheticism, he becomes a Christian, and his

grave blooms, prompting a change in the wrathful priest,

who speaks of all-embracing love and blesses all of

41


God's creatures” (Nassaar, 2012). Therefore, at the end

of the tale, the Fisherman is a figure that represents

the blend of Christianity and the beauty valued by

aesthetes.

●“The Star-Child”

The Star-Child used to be obsessed with his beautiful

appearance, which led to his arrogance. After becoming

physically ugly, although he suffered a lot, he became

spiritually beautiful. At the end of the story, he kissed

the wounds on his mother’s feet for forgiveness. He also

“clasped the white feet of the leper, and said to him:

‘Thrice did I give thee of my mercy. Bid my mother speaks

to me once’” (Wilde, 2008: 203). Star-Child’s experience

was quite similar to Saint Francis of Assisi, a venerated

religious figure in history. St. Francis embraced a leper

42


on the road. Then, the leper turned out to be Christ “who

come down to earth in the form of a leper in order to

test Francis” (Landow, 2005). Star-Child’s mother and the

leper turned out to be the Queen and the King. Therefore,

the Star-Child is also a blend of Christianity and

Aesthetic life.

5.2.2 The critique of upper class people’s exploitation

of the poor

Wilde criticized the exploitation of the poor by

capitalist society and advocated Fabian Socialism. This

idea can be found in his essay “The Soul of Man under

Socialism”. One of Wilde’s fairy tales, “The Devoted

Friend”, represents the ideas in “The Soul of Man under

Socialism”. In this tale, Wilde satirized “social

obedience between the rich and the poor”, the

43


“institutionalized religion” and “exaggerated altruism”

(Marsh, 2008: 72-87).

5.2.2.1 Wilde’s ideas in “The Soul of Man under

Socialism”

At the last quarter of the nineteenth century in

Britain, there was “an upsurge of interest in socialist

ideas” (Net 1) “The British socialist movement grew

particularly strong in the period between the 1880s and

1914 and included Christian and libertarian socialists,

Fabians, and Marxists” (Teukolsky, 2009). The Fabian

Society was established in 1884 in London. It aimed to

“level the gulf between the rich and the poor” (Net 1).

The difference between Fabians and Marxists was that

Fabians advocated a transition to socialism without

revolution. In “The Soul of Man under Socialism”, Wilde

44


said that “Under Socialism…There will be no people living

in fetid dens and fetid rags, and bringing up unhealthy,

hunger-pinched children in the midst of impossible and

absolutely repulsive surroundings” (Wilde, 1997). He

thought that under Socialism everyone could share “the

general prosperity and happiness” because the private

property was “converted into public wealth”. In this

regard, Socialism could lead to “Individualism” since

people could “choose the sphere of activity that is

really congenial to them”. He also said that:

Just as the worst slave-owners were those who

were kind to their slaves, and so prevented the

horror of the system being realized by those who

suffered from it, and understood by those who

contemplated it, so, in the present state of

45


things in England, the people who do most harm

are the people who try to do most good. (Wilde,

1997)

Wilde explained that the charity taught the poor to feel

grateful and content while in fact the charity just used

part of their private property to prevent riots.

5.2.2.2 The plot of “The Devoted Friend”

Wilde’s tale “The Devoted Friend” reflects his views

in “The Soul of Man under Socialism”. The situation of

this tale is that little Hans and the rich Miller were

friends. Miller taught little Hans some “noble ideas”.

Miller said “real friend should have everything in

common” (Wilde, 2008: 42), so he “would never go by

little Hans’s garden without plucking a large nosegay, or

a handful of sweet herbs” (ibid). However, Miller never

46


gave little Hans anything in return, though Miller was

very rich. Little Hans’s neighbors thought it was

strange, but little Hans “never troubled his heads about

these things” (Wilde, 2008: 43). He felt happy to listen

to “all the wonderful things” (ibid). Miller said about

the unselfishness of true friendship. The rising action

is this: During the winter, little Hans had neither

flowers nor fruits to sell, so he had to sell his

wheelbarrow. Miller never visited little Hans in winter.

He explained that “when people are in trouble they should

be left alone and not be bothered by visitors” (Wilde,

2008: 43). When spring came, Miller went to little Hans’s

garden. He found that little Hans had sold the

wheelbarrow, so he told little Hans that he could lend

little Hans his broken wheelbarrow. However, to Miller,

47


lending the wheelbarrow became an excuse for asking

little Hans to do many things for him. Besides, little

Hans was willing to do anything for Miller because Miller

was his “best friend”. “So little Hans worked away for

the Miller, and the Miller said all kinds of beautiful

things about friendship, which Hans took down in a note-

book, and used to read over at night, for he was a very

good scholar” (Wilde, 2008: 52). What is more, little

Hans was too busy helping Miller to take care of his own

garden, the source of his income. He lived in miserable

conditions. The climax comes when Miller asked little

Hans to find a Doctor for his son in a stormy night.

However, Miller did not lend Hans the lantern. Miller

said, “It is my new lantern, and it would be a great loss

to me if anything happened to it” (Wilde, 2008: 53).

48


Since little Hans did not have the lantern, he lost his

way and was drown in a deep hole. The dénouement is that

Miller was the chief mourner of little Hans’s funeral.

Miller said little Hans was his best friend whose death

was a great loss to him because he could not lend his

wheelbarrow to little Hans anymore. Actually, his

wheelbarrow was in bad repair. He could not sell it. No

one else wanted his wheelbarrow.

5.2.2.3 The social obedience between the rich and the

poor

Through the two protagonists, Miller and little Hans,

“Wilde drew attention to the growing problems of class

politics across late nineteenth-century Britain” (Marsh,

2008: 82). Miller belonged to the rich working class. He

and his family always had more than enough to eat. Little

49


Hans belonged to the impoverished class. He constantly

faced the danger of starvation. In a book What Then Must We

Do? published two years before Wilde’s fairy tales was

published, the author Tolstoy described “the relationship

between upper-class greed and lower-class deprivation”

(Qtd. in Marsh, 2008: 82). Although Miller was richer

than Hans, Miller asked Hans to do many things for him in

the name of friendship. Miller kept on telling little

Hans the “beautiful things about friendship” and “Hans

believed that Miller possessed a higher truth about

friendship and he practiced it by submitting to Miller’s

every request” (Marsh, 2008: 83). Here, “Wilde implies

that the upper classes victimize the poor not only by

withholding material wealth but also by withholding

knowledge” (Marsh, 2008: 83). The poor spiritually obeyed

50


to the upper classes. The same idea was expressed in “The

Soul of Man under Socialism”: Charity “uses private

property to alleviate the horrible evils that result from

the institution of private property” (Wilde, 1997). “We

are often told that the poor are grateful for charity”

(ibid). Wilde believed “the best amongst the poor are

never grateful”. He advocated Socialism which could

relieve the poor of heavy burden and develop their

personalities; otherwise the poor might have the same

miserable ending as little Hans did.

5.2.2.4 The satire on the institutionalized religion

Wilde also critiqued the greedy upper class people who

used institutionalized religion to take advantage of

others by “situating Miller as a dubious agent of

Christian patriarchy” (Marsh, 2008: 83). When Miller

51


explained to his wife why he did not help Hans during the

winter, his wife said, “You are certainly very thoughtful

about others…I am sure the clergyman himself could not

say such beautiful things as you do, though he does live

in a three-storied house, and wears a gold ring on his

finger” (Wilde, 2008: 43). Wilde connected “material

wealth and heartlessness to agents of institutionalized

religion” (Marsh, 2008: 84). Besides, Miller’s wife said

to Miller, “How well you talk...really I feel quite

drowsy. It is just like being in church” (Wilde 2008:

44). To Wilde, “such platitudes were convenient blinders

for the British upper classes” (Marsh 2008: 84). They

avoided responding to the suffering of the poor

seriously. A similar idea can be found in “The Soul of

Man under Socialism”. Wilde thought that the upper class

52


used part of their money to pacify the poor instead of

transforming the social system.

5.2.2.5 The ideas about the exaggerated altruism

“The Devoted Friend” is quite similar to Andersen’s

“Little Claus and Big Claus”. However, unlike Andersen’s

tale, Hans, the kind person, died because of helping the

bad Miller. By unsettling the traditional fairy tale,

Wilde warned that exaggerated altruism could make the

poor lose everything, even their lives (Marsh, 2008: 86).

The phrase “exaggerated altruism” first appeared in

Wilde’s “The Soul of Man under Socialism”: “majority of

people spoil their lives by an unhealthy and exaggerated

altruism…They find themselves surrounded by hideous

poverty, by hideous ugliness, by hideous starvation”

(Wilde, 1997). Little Hans is a representative of

53


exaggerated altruism. He was taught by Miller that

friends should help each other. Although Miller had never

helped Hans, Hans kept on helping Miller until his death.

Little Hans used to have a garden and some flowers to

sell. After sending flowers to Miller, he lost his

livelihood. At the end of the tale, he lost his life. In

“The Soul of Man under Socialism”, Wilde advocated

Socialism under which “poverty will be impossible”

(Wilde, 1997). He thought altruism “prevented the

carrying out of this aim” (Wilde, 1997). Therefore, Wilde

satirized little Hans’s helping Miller without

considering himself.

54


55


Chapter VI Conclusion

Oscar Wilde, a famous representative of

Aestheticism, added morality in his fairy tales, which

contradicts Aestheticism theories and some of his own

ideas expressed in essays. This thesis studies two

moral themes, namely: the blend of Christianity and

artistic life, the critique of upper class people’s

exploitation of the poor. By analyzing the moral

themes, this thesis gives reasons for the

contradiction. Firstly, Wilde added Christianity and

56


artistic life in fairy tales because his mentor, Walter

Pater, tried to do so in Marius the Epicurean. What is

more, Wilde added more emotional factors than that in

Pater’s works. Secondly, Wilde blamed the upper class

for their greed and apathy to the poor. He expressed

this idea in his essay: “The Soul of Man under

Socialism”. His fairy tale, “The Devoted Friend”,

embodies the views in “The Soul of Man under

Socialism”. In this tale, he satirized “social

obedience between the rich and the poor”, “the

institutionalized religion” and “exaggerated altruism”

(Marsh, 2008: 72-87). To conclude, Wilde added the

first moral theme in his fairy tales because he was

impacted by Pater’s Marius the Epicurean. The second moral

theme exists because Wilde was concerned with the

57


problems between the rich and the poor. In some of his

essays, he expressed his ideas on theses problems.

Bibliography

Cohen, Philip. 2012. A Critical Biography: Poetry, Anarchism, and

Mental Illness in Late-Victorian Britain. Buckinghamshire,

58


England: Rivendale Press. (OL)

Guerin, Wilfred L. 2004. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to

Literature. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and

Research Press.

Landow, George P. 2012. “Aesthetes, Decadents, and the

Idea of Art for Art's Sake”. Rhode Island: Brown

University.

---. 2005. “Chapter Two, Section III: Ruskin's

Theories Beauty — Vital Beauty”. Rhode Island:

Brown University.

Marsh, Sarah. 2008. “Twice Upon a Time: The Importance

of Rereading ‘The Devoted Friend’”. Children’s

Literature, Volume 36, 72-87.

Nassaar Christopher S. 2002. “Pater in Wilde's The

Happy Prince and Other Tales and A House of

59


Pomegranates”. Beirut: American University of

Beirut.

Teukolsky, Rachel. 2009. “Walter Pater’s Renaissance

and the British Aesthetic Movement”. Nashville,

Tennessee: Vanderbilt University.

Wijingaart, Koen. 2012. “Oscar Wilde’s Essays and Fairy

Tales: Aesthetic Morality”. Utrecht, Netherlands:

University of Utrecht.

Wilde, Oscar. 2008. Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde. New

York: Penguin Group(USA) Inc.

---. 1999. De Profundis. Wordsworth Classics.

Hertfordshire, England: Wordsworth Editions Ltd.

---. 2003. “The Decay of Lying”, Intentions. The

Gutenberg Project e-Book. (OL)

---. 2013. “The English Renaissance of Art”, Essays and

60


Lectures. The Gutenberg Project e-Book. (OL)

---. 1997. “The Soul of Man under Socialism”. The

Gutenberg Project e-Book. (OL)

---. 2007. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Penguin

Group (USA) Inc.

Wong ,Ryan. 2008. “Ruskin, Wilde, Satire, and the Birth

of Aestheticism”. Rhode Island: Brown University.

Zhong Yanping. 2011. “Aesthetical Orientation of Oscar

Wilde’s Novels and Plays”. Shanghai: Shanghai

International Studies University.

周周周, 2004, 周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，：，8-9 周。

周周周， 1994 周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，：，《

周周周周周周周周周》，， 95-96 周。

Net 1. Mary Magoulick. Folklore Connections

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/

fairy_tales.htm

61

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/fairy_tales.htm

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/fairy_tales.htm


Net 2. A Sermon for the Feast of St. Francis

http://www.stfrancisdunellen.org/

sermon_10_5_08.htm

Net 3. Fabian Society

http://www.fabians.org.uk/

Net 4. The Fabian Society in Late Victorian Britain

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/fabian.html

62

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/fabian.html

http://www.fabians.org.uk/

http://www.stfrancisdunellen.org/sermon_10_5_08.htm

http://www.stfrancisdunellen.org/sermon_10_5_08.htm


Reflections

周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，。，。

周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，，。，。

周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周一，一，。，，一，，、。，，。一一。，，，一，。

周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周一，。，，一。，一。一一，，一。一、，。，。，一一，，周周周周周周周周

周周周周周周周。周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，，。，，一，。

周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，，，，

周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周。一，。，，。，一一，一。，，。一、，一，，。一。一，，周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周周，

63

Analysis of Morality in Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales

Documents

Transcript of Analysis of Morality in Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales