Oscar Wilde's Tales

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Oscar Wilde's Tales

Stylistic Peculiarities of Oscar Wilde's Tales Describing Man's World and People's 

Introduction

Oscar Wilde or Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Willis Wilde is an author famous during the 19^th century. He was born in the year 1854 and died in 1900 as Irish poet.  He wrote in different forms in the whole of 1880s, he was to become one of the most popular playwrights in the beginning of 1890s, and therefore it can be said that death robbed the world one of the greatest writers in the world in the beginning of the 20^th century.  This writer is remembered specifically for the epigrams, the plays as well as the circumstances of the early imprisonment.  Some of his work and especially in the 1890s were refined to revolve around supremacy of the art and more so they were noted to have the themes of decadence, beauty and duplicity.

The writings of this person are of shorter fiction and some other stylistic approaches, and these can be praised as well as criticized.  In essence, and as it would be noted in this paper, his linguistic prowess paid some considerable attention and especially in the ways he was expressing his emphasis.  This character is portrayed as a brilliant dramatist during his time, and therefore a successful person in the art of writing, and across his all works, this sense is brought out in large.  He tried to be the Victorian aesthetes and actually tried to write the books or the works that are beautiful both in color and in cadence and all of his writings are highly wrought.  This great writer was to find the space to show his literary prowess in his fairy tales as well as the fables in stories such as The Happy Prince, which was written in the year 1888, and A House of Pomegranates, which was written in the year 1891.

Definition of terms

Metaphor- this is a concept of understanding something in the terms of another; that is, something can e used to represent the other

Irony- this is the use of words to pass the message across but means the opposite of what is shown in the text

Personification- this is the use of inanimate bodies to present people; however, the use of animals to represent people is also personification

Simile­- this is a term in figures of speech that is used in comparing one thing to another or showing its similarities and mostly, it utilizes the use of “as” and “like”

Alliteration- this refers to repeating a particular sound and mostly in the first syllables of a line of words in a sentence, and it is mostly used in analyzing poems.

Repetition- this is the writing of a similar word severally (more than one) in a sentence, and it helps in bringing in a kind of rhythm

Imagery- this involves more of the five senses namely hearing, touch, smell, taste and site and these are used in literature in stimulating some memories of another thing.

The aim

The aim of this paper is to look at the stylistic devices that have been employed by the author; Oscar Wilde in a number of books that he wrote during his literary reign in the world.  This author has written a number of books and the famous of them all are the ones that are categorized into two major groups a house of Pomegranates and The Happy Prince and Other Tales.  The category of a house of Pomegranates has the following short tales the young king, the birthday of the infant, the angler and his soul and the star child.  On the other hand, the category of the happy prince and other tales has the following short tales the happy prince, the nightingale and the rose, the selfish giant, the devoted friend and the remarkable rocket.  All of these short stories come with their own stylistic devices.  However, as somebody who has widely used the literary recognized stylistic devices, the following form the block of the ones that are highly employed in his short stories, personification, repetition, similes, metaphors and the epithets.

From the analysis, the author is seen as a person who has given a monologue kind of work, and therefore, the works of personification, and other literary forms are coming out very clearly and with precision, and this makes him as one of the most celebrated person in the 19^th century.  For example, as would be discussed later on one of his short stories, the young prince, he will be seen as taking sides especially when he utilizes the first person singular to show out the characteristics of his people.  This is where the literary works of this great person are seen perhaps making him as a person who will go in history as a celebrated author.

Reflections on literary style and Oscar Wilde’s Language

Beckson (1998) writes that Oscar Wilde has used his brilliance and the wittiness to go to the levels that he has gone; and mostly, he has come to be known as a person who was lighting in some satirical veins.  He was cultured, of good taste and very much refined; and all of these attributes serve to make in enunciating his exquisite funny remarks, which makes about the society at large in virtually all of his short stories.  Oscar has employed many of the artistic matters, and that has outweighed the substance as well as the sincerity, but in writing, this is usually expected and accepted since some of the literature books employ the humor, entertainment and general artistry.  For example, in one of his novel called the picture of Dorian Gray, the author employs many of these artistic matters and this forms some nuances of the wording in this novel.

In general, there is a lot of perfection in his art, which forms the block of his writing carrier, use of some beautiful words, which match or overpower some of the modern writers.  The definition of the style in literature is given as writing that shows some aesthetic value or effect in a text; but has to be done in a linguistic manner.  Some of these include personifications, allegories repetitions, similes and metaphors among other things.  As a person who started writing at the age of 17 years, he was palpable of developing high English at the height of his writing, and seen in virtually all of the short stories and the novels that he has written.  The author has a real phenomenal ability of bringing out matters that may not be of real interest in a most funny way, and this brings in both the fantasy as well as realism in his work.

However, some people tend to criticize what he has written, and mostly in bringing in some over bred boredom and some kind of elegant desperation and the leisure class.  However, what is clear is that his writing style which he did in the 19^th century is still relevant in the present world as what he wrote and the styles he used in his writing are very much similar to the kind of the writings that are used in the present day by the modern writers.  Garner (2009) previews that this author was used in using some rich descriptive writing which also comprised of the dialogic kind of writing.  Even though these are at times seen as though they are most self contradictory, the self-contradiction is kept aside and the relevance of what he wrote and what was copied from him praised.  Reading one of the authors book can make one want to read more and more of his books, and this is because they are similar in nature; not in content but in style of writing that makes one get glued to reading to the last line.

What is also noted of this person is a kind of incredible talent for evil and morbidity where, he has a kind of astonishing grasp of some realities of the human nature as well as the darkness that hovers in everyone’s life or soul (Garner, 2009).  This is different from all of the other writers, and even though every other writer has his or her own style of writing, what matters most is how the style that is used by somebody gets to make the readers want to see more of the authors work. Specifically, very few writers have made to be as successful in writing as Oscar Wilde is and taking a person like Stephen King, he had mastered the morbidity just like Oscar; however, he fails to grasp the kind of rhetoric and eloquence that is seen in the style of writing of Oscar Wilde.

Frankel, Nicholas (2000) writes that Oscar Wilde as an author employs some other tactics that makes good ripples across his readership and the audience and these are in the way he puts the words, the abbreviations among other elements of writing.  For example, He beat his dog with a steel rod and He beat his dog, with a steel rod. The two sentences are similar in nature; however, the placement of a comma makes the whole difference in the sentence; and specifically, what is brought out of these sentences is that one sentence has some emphasis than the other.  The sentence with a comma is seen to be of more emphasis than that without a comma, and this is what makes the difference.  It perhaps strikes with the eloquence of the text and even though it is not good to match with any other writer, the eloquence of his text can only be compared with the kind of texts that were written by Charles Dickens. However, when it comes to the use of imagery and other kinds of rich stylistic devices, Oscar is by far successful.

In the analysis of this writer, a number of things would be put into consideration or they would be heavily used:

1. The language means especially in the way the text becomes social, aesthetic and has some kinds of expression to form a rich pool of information.
2. The variations of the language, that is, the genres, the functional style and the types of texts which on the overall makes a rich linguistic expression that encompasses the circumstances that needs high communication.
3. The styles of writing that have been employed.
4. The overall arrangement of the text, which makes him not comparable.

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The stylistic peculiarities of Oscar Wilde

Richardson (2009) writes that what is most important in writing is to communicate a message across to the audience or the readers of text and in doing so there are some things, which should be borne in mind in writing to differentiate high absorption of the message and low absorption of the intended message.  Some of the stylistic peculiarities tend to isolate the punch line and to make everything as different; that is, the texts are different from the punch line and to some extent, this makes a rich kind of text.  This is what Oscar Wilde has done in a number of the text as noted by Richardson (2009), and in this doing, the author makes sure that major distinctions as desired are made.  This is also true of other stylistic devices and mostly in the way, it makes a monologue and a dialogue in his writing, and when he is making some dialogue the author gets to understand the kind of conversation that he is trying to make with the other and presumably the audience.  On the monologue and inner talking, we get his full thinking.  Therefore, when analyzing the stylistic peculiarities in the texts of Oscar Wilde, this kind of rich analysis would be looked at and how it contributes in distinguishing the writers from the common kind of writing that everybody is used in writing.

If a writer employs styles such as irony in the writing, what is shown of such kind of a writer is the way he can change the text, which may look stale to appear appreciated and in essence make the reader go all the way to finishing the reading.  If a writer compels the reader to go all the way to the last word of the book, then, the writings are to be appreciated.  Looking at the irony, it is when the text tends to mean different from what can be read on a most casual kind of reading, and if the reader makes to read in and out; that is, reading between the lines, then, the reader would make to come out with the real meaning.  This analysis would select a few of the short stories that he has written namely:

1. The Devoted Friend
2. The happy prince
3. The Nightingale and the Rose
4. The remarkable Rocket
5. The selfish giant

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The Devoted Friend

According to Egerton (2010), this story by Oscar Wilde is one of the stories that are of the British policies about colonization.  However, above all else, it is an interesting story about two friends who have different temperaments as well as differing conceptions of how devoted friendship should be.  This story is tender as well as profound in not only how it sends the overall message but also how it employs comic and especially on a one sided friendship that is between the rich Miller and the poor Hans.  In analyzing this text, certain things would have to be put into consideration and mostly, the reader is made to know that Miller is a rich person while Han is a poor person.  In this therefore, their characteristics comes as most different from each other, and are things that Oscar Wilde utilizes in making the texts rich.  The plot summary is that the rich friend Miller takes advantage of the little Hans and his innocence in doing something that is good for himself and more so overworking little Hans.

One of the style that is employed is its narrative style which comes in characters narration in all parts of the text; that is, the beginning of the text, the middle part and the ending structure.  Wilson company (2006) previews that this book in the 19^th century is one of the most celebrated in how it employs the narrative nature, which makes on the overall a book that can be dedicated for the children in school.  The following are some of the writings that show the narrative nature in the book: “But could we not ask Little Hans up here?” said the Miller’s youngest son.  “If poor Hans is in trouble I will give him half my porridge, and show him my white rabbits.” The above is a kind of a narration that is given by the son of the rich person, Miller and from this we get that there was a conversation going on which contributes to the overall message of the book; for example, the oppression of poor Hans by the family of Miller.

However, same story uses the third person kind of writing and where, Linnet is seen to be the third person narrator and this character is used to tell a real story in a most effective manner.  This gets the reader to be fully involved in what was happening and because of this strategy employed by the writer, the readers get to be associated with the messages and have an animal conversation.  This brings us to another style that is employed; that is of personification. The animals are involved and they are seen to take the places of people.  This is a rich way of bringing the needed message to the readers and which gives the needed appreciation in the best way the author could garner.  At times, the use of personification is equated to the use of the metaphors or other related styles and as Wilde (2000) writes, water rat was a kind of personification in the story.

The happy prince

This story is actually an allegory by itself and a story of a kind of a statue, which is covered in gold as well as jewels; and it, is seen to be admired by virtually anyone in the story.  Generally, it is a wonderful story written by an accomplished author and it is typical of the 19^th century fiction in English, which highlights themes such as redemptive power of love, social justice and loss of innocence.  The statue as analyzed above just stands as is expected of him.  However, a bird came to nest at its feet and he is seen to ask the bird to help him so that he can help others especially those he evaluates that they are in dire need.  He gives away everything he has until he is left with nothing else and here, the bird dies and falls in love with the statue.  Personification in this story is seen to come with the conversation of the bird and the statue that is admired by everybody since it is not expected in normal way for a bird to talk to another lifeless thing; the statue.  Overall, what is brought out is rich form of analyzing a text for appreciation and for use in other forms. For example, this text can feature for kids in schools, as they need to be fascinated by such analysis.

The statue is known as the prince, and it is most ironical that people can adore a statue as the prince but this comes because it is rich in jewels and the gold on it.  Writing about this, Killeen (2007) notes that the coming up with the happy prince was purely for appreciation.  For example, the prince earns some salvation because of the kind of faith he had in the spiritual rather than the materials.  The prince was after salvaging the people or removing them from evils that they were.  In a way that can be said to be ironical but more of personification, the statue is seen to cry over the kind of misery that was happening in the lives of people who were admiring it. He decided to help them by the use of the gold and the jewels that he had through the bird.  The little swallow also dies in the process, and perhaps is seen here which is put out by the kind of styles that are employed in this story.  The story has lots of teaching and has true lessons and one of it is that the readers come to learn of the love that God gives to the persons who love others.

There are a number of similes and metaphors that are brought out in this story by Oscar Wilde and these are seen in some of the dialogues that are outlined in the story.  These are not conventional but they are interesting and unique in nature and even though the story was written more than a hundred years ago, what is given in the story rivets out very well.  For example, He is a beautiful as a weathercock. The use of the weathercock is not deep as it is an instrument in indicating the direction and here it is not useful or suitable in expressing the kind of marvelousness of the happy prince.  However, the way the sentence is written brings out the simile especially in the use of “as”.  There are others such as, He looks just like an angel and this is compared to the use of “as” as shown above, which symbolizes the use of similes.  The happy prince is also compared to an angel and although this majorly sounds like strange, it helps in bringing out the rich sense that is intended by the writer.  Imagery is also brought out in the story; for example, there is visualization of the feminine image especially that of happy prince or the statue when he cries.  Crying is usually associated with the feminine, and therefore, he depicts of some femininity.

The Nightingale and the Rose

This story starts in a most narrative nature and a feminine kind of starting where it is starts with the sentence; “She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses,” cried the young student, “but in my entire garden there is no red rose.” From here there, we see that the story would revolve some love between the young student and the mentioned girl with some other mentioning of the true love.  Narrative therefore can be said to be one of the styles that are employed in the story with some first person point of views, the second and the third used to give some analysis of other things.  The story is rich with other styles; for example, symbolism is brought out in the story and especially with the association of the red rose to mean love or for dedication to a person who is dear in the heart.  That is why the young student in the above quote mentions that in his garden, there is no red rose and the girl would not agree to dance with the boy until he brings her a red rose. This kind of symbolism is good in any kind of story and in combination with other kinds of styles; the stories right from the start attracts much appreciation and richness in how it puts its message.

Feminism is utilized to high extent, and it does not only come from the analysis of the girl but also the young man as well who tends to bring out the strangeness of a man acting like a woman.  For example, “No red rose in my entire garden!” he cried, and his beautiful eyes filled with tears. “Ah, on what little things does happiness depend? I have read all that the wise men have written and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched.” Feminism brought out in this; for example, it is not expected of a man to cry over some things, which can be solved amicably, yet we find the man crying over what appears to be a cry for a loved one who has refused to be attracted to the young man.  In fact, we read Little Green Lizard asking, “Why is he weeping?” and this shows that everybody was astonished to the feminism acting the young man was portraying.

There is personification in the story where, some things which can generally be said to be lifeless are shown to have life.  For example, death is said to be a price, and this shows that death is a kind of living thing which can revenge.  What is generally known is that death cannot talk or cannot decide the fate of a person, but in this story, we see death playing a part and that is why it is said to be paying he price.  There is also lots of personification in the story, and actually, the Green Lizard, the Daisy and the butterfly are all personified as though they can talk or converse.  But we see the Green lizard asking the question why the student is crying, and this shows that he, as a person, can see all what human beings see.  This is one of the rich forms of writing, and they generally show that the writer is one of the accomplished ones in the history of writing (Brevda, 1986).  He intertwines the human beings with animals and with the working of the two living things; the great message is brought to the fore.  According to Wilde (2005), the personification in this story as written by Oscar Wilde had intentions, and one of it is that he wants to bring out the other side of thinking that may not be common in other kinds of writing.  That is why he intertwines the acting of human beings like the student and the animals such as the butterfly and the lizard.  In general, personification as one of the style in writing is used in highlighting what is not normal.

The remarkable rocket

To some extent, this story can be said to be a wedding tale and some self important fireworks.  This story starts with the marriage of the king’s son and therefore there were great rejoicing and the joy was because he had waited for a whole year to have this wedding come to be true (Wilson, 2003).  In this story, there are figures of speech that are used which here are referred to as the stylistic devices.  There is the use of similes and especially in the uses of words such as “like” and “as”. for example, The sledge was shaped like a great golden swan…she was a pale as the snow palace in she had…These examples in the way similes are used and how they help in bringing out the overall message as may be intended by the author.  As well, there are personifications that are used by this author in this book, the remarkable rocket and just like the use of similes, the use of these as well brings out a rich kind of text or message as intended by the author.  The rocket is personified and the way it is brought like person and that is why the story goes like remarkable rocket.

Just like other stories that we have looked at earlier, there is also use of narratives in this story, and these have helped in bringing out a kind of information sharing and by the use of the first person in these conversation, we get the real meaning.  However, the second person does not alter the intended message by the author.  For example, the author writes, “She was like a white rose before…but she is like a red rose now”. In this sentence, we see the use of the second person singular where there is constant reference of her and this brings the richness that the author has in use of figurative languages.

The selfish giant

This is also like a film and talks more of the giants where they are brought like people; and is a common genre in the stories of the past especially the stories that were meant to entertain the kids and other people.  The giants were mostly seen to be cruel people and therefore, we can see that one of the ironies in this story is that the giant is said to be selfish.  The giants never used to spare anyone, they are generally known to be selfish in general, and therefore, when the title states that the giants were selfish, it makes clear that the author intended to bring a contradiction of what is known.  This is animated short film, adapted from the short story of Oscar Wilde, and is full of symbolic religious values of the values and therefore it can be put as one of the allegories in the Christian literature.  In this story, a giant puts up a wall to keep the children out of his garden to reap the consequences of the continuous winter. The fact that the writer has put it in the stories is all about giants; the expectation would be that the giants would eat up the kids when they come near.  However, the selfishness is seen in his electing of a wall just to secure the harvest (Wilde, 1948).

In general, the giants exist in abstract, and therefore what cannot fail to be noted is that the author wants to bring out that they exist as persons, and since this is against the popular notion, it can only be celebrated that he has employed lots of personification.  Personification is usually rich in comparison of what we are supposed to do and what we ought not to do.  The electing of a wall to bar children is itself a selfish act and therefore, selfishness is being casted out by the author and wants to educate that when we become selfish, we become undeserving in the real life, or generally, we should not put selfishness above everything else.  The selfishness is not only in the electing of the wall, but also in the way he fails to notice one of the boys that he had helped.  There is lots of imagery is used in this book and the film, and actually virtually all of the characters including the giants come in some imagery where they represent something else.

Statistical analysis of stylistic devices of language of man’s world and people relations description in tales of devoted friend and the selfish giant

The styles in Devoted Friend

Irony

“The devoted friend”

“I would much sooner have your good opinion than my silver buttons”

Alliteration

“Hans, I am surprised at you,” said the Miller, “friendship never forgets. That is the wonderful thing about it, but I am afraid you do not understand the poetry of life. How lovely your primroses are looking, by-the-bye”…

Personification

“I am not a family man”

“I have never been married”

“What disobedient children! Cried the old water-rat”

“I am not a family man”

“But the little ducks paid no attention to her”

“Lots of people acts well, but very few people talk well”

“How well you talk”

Imagery

“Scarlet”

“Silver buttons”

“Poor Hans”

“Rich Miller”

Metaphors

“I think that generosity is the essence of friendship”

“Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me to let him have some flour on credit, and that I could not do. Flour is one thing, friendship is another, and they should not be confused. Why, the words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things. Everybody can see that”

Simile

“Looking just like a lot of yellow canaries”

“His tail was like a long bit of black India-rubber”

“The little ducts were swimming about in the pond”

“Looking just like a lot of yellow canaries”

“It is just like being in church”

“I am not like the rest of the world”

The styles in the Selfish giant

Personification

“My own garden is my own garden,” said the Giant

“spring has forgotten this garden,” they (The snow and the frost) cried

“Climb up! Little boy” said the Tree

Repetition

“…The children’s play ground for ever and ever

“…he ran round and round.”

Metaphor

“Spring has forgotten…”

“Frost painted all the trees silver.”

“…Wounds of love.”

Simile

“…beautiful flowers like stars…”

“…snow like a white cloak…”

Alliteration

“Here and there”

“Pink and Pearl”

“Green grass”

Analysis of the figures of speech

According to Galperin (1981), there are some objectives and pronouncements of adjacent disciplines; for example, the theory of information, psychology, literature, logic and some statistics that go together in the analysis of figures or speech of the stylistic peculiarities. The figures of speech have been used extensively in other areas to give a good touch to the text and on the overall; they make it be appreciated by the readers for the overall understanding of the message. As was discussed earlier, the use of stylistic devices makes it rich for all of the readers to understand clearly, what is meant in the story.  For example, in the use of the devices that have been analyzed above, it becomes clear that the animals are chatting and giving a story; that is the, the mother is giving the story to the young ones, and from these conversation and third person point of view, we get a number of the stylistic devices.  They are done in a most beautiful way that makes it possible for the readers to get the core of the messages The Devoted friend. Poor Hans and the rich Miller are themselves like symbols or images that are supposed to give a meaning to the reader on what was meant in the story.  Poor Hans represent the marginalized or the persons who may not be appreciated in the society no matter how much efforts they put in the society.  On the other hand, we get from the story that rich Miller mistreats poor Hans yet Hans does a lot for him and the family, and not even his son would intervene.

From the story the clearest styles that are used are like personification, similes, the imagery, metaphors and irony, and the combination of these helps in bring out a very rich message, and even though the story is seemingly for the children, it is clear that adults can get a message or two.  This combination makes it possible to discern that poor Hans was mistreated by rich Miller. On the overall, poor Hans did not deserve to be mistreated or given the hardship that he got from the rich Miller.  The ducks were conversing on what the society should do or should not do and even though the young ones did not seem to get the relevance of the story, the readers clearly understand the real meaning as intended by the author.  Majorly, this story is directed to the people where, people are not supposed to mistreat others and even though poverty could be a barrier to achieve the fullest life, it should not be used as a means of acquiring something from another in a most crude way.

Conclusion

When stories are written or told, the most important thing is to try to get the message behind the story, and writers have evolved to use major stylistic devices and their peculiarities to bring out these message.  In this paper, we have looked at the writings of one of the most celebrated writers not only in Europe but the whole world; Oscar Wilde in the 19^th century, but what is noted is that his work has come to have relevance even in the present day.  This paper looks at major short stories; some of which are meant for children in school but still have major relevance for the adults.  Majorly, the concentration is on the kinds of stylistic devices that have been incorporated in the texts, and taking one of his short stories, The Devoted Friend, we see that a number of these have been used.  Mostly, there are lots of personification, imagery, irony, similes and metaphors, and in their analysis, it can be noted that they have been used specifically to bring out a strong message as may be intended by the author.  The author does not specify that this is a personification or imagery, but from reading the text, the readers can get clearly, what the author means by one style to another.

References

Beckson, K. (1998). Oscar Wilde: The critical heritage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Brevda, W. (1986). Harry Kemp, the last Bohemian. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons

Egerton, H. (2010). A short history of British colonial policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Frankel, N. (2000). Oscar Wilde’s decorated books. University of Michigan Press

Galperin, I.R (1981). Stylistics. Moscow: Aura publishers

Garner, B. (2009). Garner language and writing. Chicago: American Bar Association

Killeen J. (2007). The fairy tales of Oscar Wilde. New York: Ashgate Publishing

Raby, P. (1997). The Cambridge companion to Oscar Wilde. Cambridge: Cambridge University press

Richardson, P. (2009). Life stories: Original works by Russian writers. Montpelier: Russian Information Service, Inc

Wilde, O. (2005). The Nightingale and the Rose. London: The Electric Book Company

Wilde, O. (1948). Works of Oscar Wilde. Oxford: Oxford University press

Wilde, O. (2000). Oscar Wilde: The major works. Oxford: Oxford University press

Wilson, E. (2003). Turkish Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

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