Wilde published frequently in these magazines, he knew their editors and readerships well, and he was himself a magazine editor for much of the period (1887-91) when he published this fiction. In some ways, their publication was analogous to that of short fiction in The New Yorker today. In what format were the stories in this collection stories originally published? Who was the intended audience?įive of the nine stories in this collection were first published in popular magazines aimed at highly literate, adult readerships - two of them with North American circulation as well as British - usually with a “society” component. Moreover, stories such as “The Model Millionaire” and “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” (the latter a comic dress rehearsal for “The Picture of Dorian Gray”) are clearly aimed at adult readers: they are filled with mischief and have strong veins of social satire and conversational wit, much like “The Importance of Being Earnest” and Wilde’s other plays. They have certainly been overlooked by adult readers, who have been quick to label as “children’s literature” stories that have long proven popular with children and young adults, such as “The Happy Prince” and “The Selfish Giant.”īut Wilde - who was schooled in the folklore of Ireland, where he was born and grew up - insisted that such stories were written “not for children, but for childlike people from 18 to 80” and that they would appeal to “all those who have kept the childlike faculty of wonder and joy.” In fact, as my VCU students could tell you, there are some decidedly adult themes in these stories, and some early reviewers argued that they aren’t appropriate for children at all. How influential have these stories been alongside some of his other works? Are they overlooked by modern readers? Years before his groundbreaking novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” we can see Wilde utilizing his fiction, subtly and very carefully, as a vehicle for expressing his social and sexual dissidence.
They contain some of the most beautiful prose he ever wrote, and he had great ambitions for them, using them as a means of articulating his often caustic criticism of the crude mercantilism and injustice of Victorian Britain.
He brought great artistry to his short stories.
Nicholas Frankel, Ph.Dīut I want my readers also to see that Wilde took his fiction very seriously too. Consequently, many of his stories have the easygoing conversational style and incisive verbal wit we associate with Wilde himself. Only later was he persuaded to write down his stories and publish them. He first told many of his stories impromptu and aloud, with no expectations of a financial reward, to open-mouthed listeners who never forgot the experience. (Wilde’s greatest plays were actually commissions.) Storytelling, by contrast, came naturally to him, possibly because of his upbringing in the oral traditions of his native Ireland. He had to work hard at playwriting, which he came to relatively late in his short life. Wilde is best known for “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.” For readers who aren't as familiar with his other works, what do you hope they get from this collection of short stories?įirst and foremost that Wilde was an extremely gifted storyteller. “ The Short Stories of Oscar Wilde: An Annotated Selection,” published by Harvard University Press, features nine short stories published between 18 that highlight “Wilde’s trademark wit, style, and sharp social criticism,” according to the publisher, which adds that they are “the perfect distillation of one of the Victorian era’s most remarkable writers.”įrankel, a professor in the Department of English in the College of Humanities and Sciences, is also the author or editor of five previous volumes related to Wilde, including “ The Annotated Prison Writings of Oscar Wilde,” “Oscar Wilde: The Unrepentant Years” and “ The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition.” Frankel recently discussed his latest collection with VCU News. Virginia Commonwealth University professor and Oscar Wilde biographer and scholar Nicholas Frankel, Ph.D., has edited a new collection of short stories by Wilde that reflects the legendary Irish author, poet and playwright’s storytelling mastery.
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