i like hearing myself talk. it is one of my greatest pleasures. i often have long conversations all by myself, and i am so clever that sometimes i don't understand a single word of what i am saying. (the remarkable rocket)

This is the first long ago high school (and community college) mandated reminiscent read that I've done since I decided to start the new year with, among other things, lifting my self imposed ban on all the white male hoards that used to claw so presumptuously for my attention. I wasn't amazed or anything by this one, but it was deeply nostalgic to read something so forthright in its ethos and aesthetics, oftentimes soaring to glorious heights whilst utilizing the sorts of seductive overtones of both socialist compassion and abject bigotry: all in all, the best and worst of 19th c. Anglo rolled into a single work. Still, Wilde being Wilde gives a deeper meaning to it all, and while I don't deny the more horrid aspects of his character, I also acknowledge how he was essentially murdered by a country that claims him, as well as many other of his kind that are bled to this day, as artistic heritage, much as Turing would later on be sacrificed on the altar of WWII. A fraught queer history, then, but while I do not glorify, I still find worth in even these children's, supposedly, tales with their firm "Oriental" delineations and insistence on asking the hard questions long before le Guin posed the question of Omelas; often, to boot, in the form of bountiful, beautiful prose.

Every rare instance that I read a collection like this, I find myself picking and choosing which stories I would conceivably read to a child. Censorship and all that, but childhoods are not created equal, and I run into enough non-WASP people on a daily basis that Wilde's tales, however lustrous they are, easily outstay their welcome in certain places, and I'll not be the one to start any child's course in the history of dehumanization unless it be absolutely necessary. In light of that, then, the ones I find to be the most appropriate would be "The Selfish Giant" and "The Young King", while the ones I find to be of the highest craft would be "The Young King" yet again and "The Fisherman and His Soul". The rest follow similar trends of alternating moralizing and satire, "The Happy Prince" following more in the first category, "The Remarkable Rocket" in the second, and "The Nightingale and the Rose" firmly in the middle. The afterword for this edition goes plenty into the queer undertones of this collection as a whole, as well as notes Wilde's subversion of a few of fellow fairy tale writer Andersen's tales, which I find interesting due to the fact that said precursor was hardly on the straight and narrow himself, albeit less gay and more equal opportunity instead. I'm sure at least one person's delved more into the interweaving of fairy tales and queerdom: the negative connotations of the term "fairies" have to have been picked apart by now. All in all, a relatively unprepossessing part of literary history, as well as likely one of the less painful ways I could reintroduce myself back to the white male fiefdom of literature. Definitely a lot less heterosexual nonsense to deal with, at least.

After this trial run, I have some Hugo, Shakespeare, and Poe lined up for this year, all returns to these authors through mostly new material. I haven't touched most of them in almost a decade, and as I'm doing my usual go big or go home with Poe in taking on some form of his complete works, I can see myself getting frustrated at one point or another. Or, I may find myself as taken in as I was back then by an author who, the more I learn about him through tangents and opportune moments, the more I realize how truly singularly significant he was. In essence, I'm settling into a median frame between one extreme and another, the complete status quo and the completely not, and it's admittedly very nice to be able to stretch a bit and take on some of those many white whales I see on many a "Best of" lists. Only about a tenth of my planned 2020 challenge qualifies as such, and I'd be comfortable with that ratio staying between that and 25% at any given juncture. I've outgrown every list of reading advisement I've run into so far, and just as how I'm satisfied with Wilde after three works (although a reread of Dorian Gray, this time the uncensored version, is in order), I seek a similar level of satisfaction with other esteemed greats; if only to get the persistent niggle in my brain off my back.

Surprisingly mediocre for Oscar Wilde. Some of the fairy tales were sweet, little things, but most of them were overly long and convoluted with trite moralistic centers. Even though this is a short read, I wouldn't recommend it.

I very much loved the writing style and the meaning of every tale

For seven years I've kept a tradition of reading "The Happy Prince" at Christmas, and never have I read it without weeping. When anyone asks me why I am a Christian, I tell them to read this tale, even before the Gospels.
Not every tale in this book is so perfect. Occasionally, Wilde's own famous wit works against him. "The Remarkable Rocket" is altogether too arch. Yet, had he given us only "The Happy Prince" and "The Star-Child", I would count him as a writer of literary fairy tales second only to Andersen.

such a lovely read - as always oscar wilde’s prose is rich and magical and just wonderful, and the messages behind these tales are important for younger readers and adults alike.

my favourite story was probably the happy prince!

I remember a Happy Prince doll animation from my childhood which was incredibly sad and always made me depressed. Yet it was so beautiful and when I now found out it was Wilde's story I was awed. I liked all of them for their bittersweetness but this particularly is close at my heart.

Beautifully written. Occasionally Wilde's wit shone through, but often the tales (full of powerful imagery) were quite sad.

Just finished with the stories; now reading the Afterword.

Very entertaining read. Wilde's prose is a little tedious to read sometimes; a couple of times I felt like I had to slog my way through a few paragraphs.

Moreover, Wilde anthropomorphized unlikely subjects; I found "The Remarkable Rocket" to be particularly amusing.

I have never read fairy tales quite like these. The structure and premise of each story is fairly traditional, but oh, the stories do not lead you to the familiar fairy tale ending. These stories are drenched with satirical commentary on Wilde's society, and I thoroughly enjoyed his ironic twists of fate. I could never tell when a story would end in the protagonist's favor, and this uncertainty was more than a little bit refreshing.