The Happy Prince & OTHER Fairy tales Oscar Wilde

Summer Reading Bonus - 2014

Oscar Wilde first published these elegantly written stories in 1888. For those that know the life story of this controversial writer, these tales may seem out of place. A close analyis of these fairy stories, however, reveals Wilde's deft touch at satirizing Victorian Age society.  

 

Oscar Wilde& HIS WORKS

Tales like "The Happy Prince" & "The Selfish Giant" contain marvelous symbolism and strong thematic messages. They have been favorites for many generations. Oscar Wilde's life and writings today evoke many reactions. His genius eclipsed the many genres at which he tried his hand.  His famous plays like The Importance of Being Earnest along with his prose works such as The Canterville Ghost and The Picture of Dorian Gray or his poetry like "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" are still performed, studied, and enjoyed. 

BASIC READING EXPECTATIONS

1.  Know & recognize the story titles & key characters by name.

 

2.  Be able to summarize the plots of the fairy tales.  

3.  Be ready to discuss the impli- cations of Wilde’s satire of the Victorian Age in these tales.  

4.   Christian analysis: what Biblical truths or values did you find expressed in this piece?. 

READING ASSIGNMENT

1. Use a pink highlighter to mark the name of every key character.

2. Use a yellow highlighter to mark important symbols you find in each story.

3. You are responsible to read every tale except “The Happy Prince” & “The Selfish Giant” which we will read in class. For each tale hand-write a 10-sentence summary. Each summary must include character names, setting(s), and major plot events. Be sure to write in sentence form, spell the characters' names accurately, and accurately reflect the facts of the stories.4. After each story summary, write a brief explanation in your words of what aspect of Victorian society you see Wilde satirizing in each tale.  

WILDE ASSIGNMENT

DUE DATEThis assignment is

worth 100 points. It is due on the first

Monday of the school year--AUGUST 25--at

the beginning of class.