Teacher Guide

The Happy Prince and Other Tales Lesson Plan

Introduction to The Happy Prince and Other Tales

The Happy Prince and Other Tales, a collection of fairy tales that consists of the titular piece, “The Selfish Giant,” “The Devoted Friend,” “The Young King,” “The Nightingale and the Rose,” “The Fisherman and His Soul,” “The Star-Child,” “The Remarkable Rocket," and “The Birthday of the Infanta,” was written by Oscar Wilde and first published in 1888. Wilde was notorious for promoting “art for art’s sake,” but chose to write these tales in the didactic form of the fairy tale. This form allowed Wilde to explore themes of importance to him, such as homosexuality, morality, aestheticism, English socioeconomic realities, and more.

The tales seem to have been modeled after Hans Christian...

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2368 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11018 literature essays, 2792 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in