May 31, 2018 - the 'moral economy' of a middle-class London family. Kelulu (radio drama) which adapted traditional Iban storytelling. Nya pengabis pengachau Iban dalam Sarawak. Udah bekau tu nadai agi orang deka ngaga. Launching of Sunday programmes in Iban and two more hours in the evening from. Berikut ini adalah sebuah contoh naskah drama persahabatan yang diperankan oleh 6 orang. Drama ini mengisahkan tentang seorang gadis yang sedang kerepotan membantu pernikahan kakaknya, kemudian teman-teman dari gadis itu berinisiatif untuk menolongnya. Mari kita mulai dari, skenario drama terlebih dahulu. Skenario Drama 1. Tema: Indahnya.
The popular author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak aptly says in his introduction of this book: 'There's something in these fairy tales that reminds me why any of us would want to be readers and writers in the first place, and that is that, the more amazing the stories become, the more I believe them, and the more I realize that I won't forget them.' For me, these stories are truly unforgettable! The Happy Prince: 5 stars (Amazing!) A formerly rich and only child prince is now a regal statue. The The popular author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak aptly says in his introduction of this book: 'There's something in these fairy tales that reminds me why any of us would want to be readers and writers in the first place, and that is that, the more amazing the stories become, the more I believe them, and the more I realize that I won't forget them.' For me, these stories are truly unforgettable! The Happy Prince: 5 stars (Amazing!) A formerly rich and only child prince is now a regal statue.
The town people look up at him and marvel at his beauty. One day, a swallow gets separated from his fellow birds going to Egypt since winter is forthcoming. While the swallow is about to sleep at the foot of the statue, a tear falls from the weeping statue and a series of 'Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow' follows. Heartbreakingly nice. Good deeds get their paybacks in the end. The Selfish Giant: 3 stars (I liked it!) A Giant is so selfish that he does not want children to play in his yard with a beautiful garden so Nature (the Wind, Hail, Snow) work against him.
Winter stays forever in his yard even if, outside its wall, is already at the height of summer. The Giant becomes lonely (I know, winter could be depressing) so he breaks down the wall and let the children play again in his garden.
What happens towards the end is a fitting story for the Holy Week as a character reveals His true identity. The Devoted Friend: 1 star (I did not like it!) I almost really liked this except that there is no redeeming value in the end.
The good Little Hans seemed to have died in vain. He was fooled by Miller into believing that the latter was his friend and he would get his damaged wheelbarrow. I am okay with being friendly but not to the extent of sacrificing myself or going hungry just to make my friend happy.
That's balderdash! The Remarkable Rocket: 2 stars (It's okay) The naive self-centered rocket thinks highly of himself.
He is the drama king so he wets himself crying of joy thinking that he is being reserved by the palace for special occasion. So, he just stays there unlighted and eventually left and thrown out in the gutter.
We all know about these people. Sad but true. There are rockets around us. The Nightingale and the Rose: 4 stars (I really liked it!) I agree with Zusak: this is so sad, so brave of a nightingale to give her own life so that the daughter of the Professor would dance with the young student. But the nightingale is just too naive with the ways of the heart for the girl does not reciprocate the student's love. The nightingale ends up on the gutter: unappreciated and dead. Sad, Zusak but no redeeming value.
Wasted heroism. The Young King: 3 stars (I liked it!) An illegitimate shepherd's son ends up as the only heir of a dead king. Not used to riches, he is very excited about living in the palace and wearing his robe.
One night, he dreams of the poor people who work hard to come up with the gems that are to be put on his robe as decors. On the coronation day, he refuses to wear the robe so he is disowned by the nobilities.
The Christlike coronation and references to Jesus should rank this tale higher than the rest of fairy tales. The Birthday of the Infanta: 2 stars (It's okay.) A hunchback dwarf is given as a gift to princess Infanta only to end up neglected in the end. Reminded me of The Velveteen Rabbit who thought that his master loved him. Sad but just like the Devoted Friend story there is no redeeming value. The princess says in the end 'For the future, let those who come to play with me have no hearts.'
The Star-Child: 4 stars (I really liked it!) Reminds us, once again, that what goes around, comes around. That beauty is just skin-deep. What is more important is what's in our hearts. The star-child is found in the forest by two woodcutters. The first one says that they leave the poor child on the snow because, poor as they are, they don't enough food for their families to survive the winter. The other one says no and takes pity to the child.
The child grows up to be a handsome man but heartless to the extent of disowning his own mother who disguises as a beggar. The Fisherman and his Soul: 5 stars (It's amazing!) A young man is in love with a mermaid who says that they cannot live together under the sea if the young man will not leave his soul.
So, the young man asks the witch to separate himself from his soul. The soul is afraid and asks for the fisherman's heart. The fisherman cannot give his heart away since he needs it to love the mermaid. I don't know what happened to me. This is my first time to read this story so probably that made a greater impact to me than the Happy Prince (first story). This story reminds me of Murakami's Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World where the man and his shadow are separated. Like the other stories, this is still a sad one.
But Wilde's storytelling is truly remarkable that you feel with the characters even how implausible, this being a fairy tale, the plot is. This is my second book (first was De Profundis) by Oscar Wilde and I have only one word for him: genius. Oscar Wilde does fairy tales-a kind of strange mixture. The title story, The Happy Prince, and its successor, The Nightingale and the Rose, are a bit sorrowful and bleak. I dare say the main takeaway might be that love brings death and is much unappreciated. The Selfish Giant is an almost religious tale in which an act of kindness is rewarded.the sort of tale in which the main character does not realize who he is aiding but proves his worth by his unselfish act. The fourth story was my favorite Oscar Wilde does fairy tales-a kind of strange mixture.
The title story, The Happy Prince, and its successor, The Nightingale and the Rose, are a bit sorrowful and bleak. I dare say the main takeaway might be that love brings death and is much unappreciated. The Selfish Giant is an almost religious tale in which an act of kindness is rewarded.the sort of tale in which the main character does not realize who he is aiding but proves his worth by his unselfish act. The fourth story was my favorite. The Devoted Friend is a story of exploitation in the name of friendship and hypocrisy. I could imagine Wilde basing it on his on personal experience.
The final story seemed to be a study in pomposity, another subject Wilde knew a bit about. His signature wit surfaced from time to time. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited. And ’What is a sensitive person?’ said the Cracker to the Roman Candle. ‘A person who, because he has corns himself, always treads on other people’s toes,’ answered the Roman Candle in a low whisper The stories are cynical, with Wilde poking fun at himself, society, and possibly Aesop’s Fables. I doubt he would have enjoyed his current reputation if this had been all he had written, but as an addition to his works, they are interesting enough.
I do really like Oscar Wilde, so giving this collectiont three stars pains me somewhat. It's not that they aren't well written, they're just incredibly sad and frustrating. 'The Devoted Friend', for example, just annoyed me. There are no happy endings and, call me old fashioned, but I think happy endings in children's stories are a necessity. That being said I read 'The Selfish Giant' many times as a child. Whether it did me any good or not remains to be seen! From an analytical point of view I c I do really like Oscar Wilde, so giving this collectiont three stars pains me somewhat.
It's not that they aren't well written, they're just incredibly sad and frustrating. 'The Devoted Friend', for example, just annoyed me. There are no happy endings and, call me old fashioned, but I think happy endings in children's stories are a necessity. That being said I read 'The Selfish Giant' many times as a child. Whether it did me any good or not remains to be seen! From an analytical point of view I could talk until the cows come home about the religious content, the views of the aristocracy, Wilde's cynicism, the role of women etc etc etc.
But the only thing I'm going to say is, they're good, they're not happy and I wouldn't read them to any future children I have, but they're not awful. Is my first read for, and it won't be the last.
It's combined of 5 short stories, each story carries a moral at the end of it. I'm not sure if this book is appropriate to be narrated for kids at bedtime, because. the stories are not the 'and-they-lived-happily-ever-after' type of fairy tales.
The endings may be disturbing for the little fellows. How did I like each story? The Happy Prince: 3 stars, liked it. The Nightin is my first read for, and it won't be the last. It's combined of 5 short stories, each story carries a moral at the end of it.
I'm not sure if this book is appropriate to be narrated for kids at bedtime, because. the stories are not the 'and-they-lived-happily-ever-after' type of fairy tales. The endings may be disturbing for the little fellows.
How did I like each story? The Happy Prince: 3 stars, liked it. The Nightingale and the Rose: 4 stars, really really liked it and it was my favorite. The Selfish Giant: 3 stars, liked it.
The Devoted Friend: 3 stars, liked it. The Remarkable Rocket: 2 stars, didn't get the moral behind the story but it was OK. The overall rating is just a result of a simple mathematical division. The only rating that really matters is the one for The Happy Prince. And it is a pure 5 stars! I have read The Happy Price countless times and cried my eyes out again and again. But I would/will do it again, it's worth the pain!
As for the other stories, I encountered them for the first time. My ratings go like this: The Happy Prince. Infinitely sad, infinitely perfect. Ultimate sacrifice made for the good of others, repaid The overall rating is just a result of a simple mathematical division.
The only rating that really matters is the one for The Happy Prince. And it is a pure 5 stars! I have read The Happy Price countless times and cried my eyes out again and again. But I would/will do it again, it's worth the pain! As for the other stories, I encountered them for the first time. My ratings go like this: The Happy Prince.
Infinitely sad, infinitely perfect. Ultimate sacrifice made for the good of others, repaid in another life.
The Nightingale and the Rose. Almost as beautiful. Reminded me of The Thorn Birds (what a blast from the past; go figure.) The Selfish Giant. The selfish giant won't allow village children to play in his beautiful garden. Gets punished for it.
Realizes his mistake an make amends. All ends well.
The Devoted Friend. Sacrifice to the point of stupidity.
And for what? The Remarkable Rocket. The dialogues were great, the story pretty much ordinary. The Young King. An orphan young shepherd ends up the heir to the throne. He is instantly enchanted by his new way of life, his palace, his clothes. Only after a series of dreams does he realize life outside the wealth of his castle is excruciatingly hard and painful.
Which makes no sense because he lived that same life for fourteen years! Anyway, he renounces his wealth and is crowned as King in his shepherd's outfit, holding a wooden stick an wearing a crown of branches.
At points, it sounded more like a Sunday school moral story, than a fairy tale. The Birthday of the Infanta. Infanta is inconsiderate and spoiled little bitch. End of story. The Fisherman and his Soul.
Tough to judge. A story of the power of love with a not so happy ending? Again, Christian influence is extremely strong, but overall I liked the story very much.
The Star-Child. Beautiful premise and amazing writing at the beginning. A Star-Child fell from the sky wrapped in a cloak of gold embedded with stars and chain of amber around his neck. The rest of the story follows the predicable pattern; a happy ending after the child (now a young man) repents for his sins and rights his wrongs. I'm repeating myself but: strong Christian influence.
Being a Christian myself it didn't exactly bother me, but annoyed me a little because it's not what I've bargained far. I wanted fairy tales, as simple as that. Talk about moral stories. These one are blatantly obvious. There are many nice quotes. I think I should re-read and mark them.
Stories inside: The Happy Prince (despite the title, the story is sad) The Nightingale and The Rose (tragic; a sacrifice in vain) The Selfish Giant (heart-warming) The Devoted Friend (this one makes me really mad!) The Remarkable Rocket (don't be a hypocrite and be egocentric, obviously) The Sphinx Without a Secret (not sure I understand what happened here) Th Talk about moral stories. These one are blatantly obvious. There are many nice quotes. I think I should re-read and mark them.
Stories inside: The Happy Prince (despite the title, the story is sad) The Nightingale and The Rose (tragic; a sacrifice in vain) The Selfish Giant (heart-warming) The Devoted Friend (this one makes me really mad!) The Remarkable Rocket (don't be a hypocrite and be egocentric, obviously) The Sphinx Without a Secret (not sure I understand what happened here) The Birthday of the Infanta (kinda lengthy and boring, with tragic ending). We think of Oscar Wilde as the suave, slightly naughty urbanite, skewering British polite society in deft epigrams, or as a gay man prosecuted and persecuted for his sexual orientation. But that doesn’t tell half the story.
He was also a cultural critic with wide-ranging expertise, and he published essays, poetry, and more in addition to his famous plays and novels. In 1884 he married and became the father of two boys. The marriage did not last, but perhaps his time with his children inspired him We think of Oscar Wilde as the suave, slightly naughty urbanite, skewering British polite society in deft epigrams, or as a gay man prosecuted and persecuted for his sexual orientation. But that doesn’t tell half the story. He was also a cultural critic with wide-ranging expertise, and he published essays, poetry, and more in addition to his famous plays and novels. In 1884 he married and became the father of two boys. The marriage did not last, but perhaps his time with his children inspired him to add fairy tales to the diverse list of his publications.
It was the golden age of literature for children, and many other writers were incorporating myth and magic into their writing. So perhaps it is less surprising than it might seem that Wilde should publish a small collection of fantastical morality tales for children, The Happy Prince and other Tales (titles are various). There are five stories in the collection, in my edition graced with pretty drawings and paintings in the style of the era. I would have expected a lot of wit and double entendres, and some may be found in the last two stories; but overall the tone is serious, even dark.
Good characters die, evil characters thrive, some are driven to Christlike levels of self-sacrifice, and justice is nowhere to be found. There is uplift and inspiration, and moral lessons aplenty (despite the general absence of a preachy tone), but overall the impression left by the book is one of intense sadness. It’s tempting to read into these uncomfortable tales an author uncomfortable in his skin; but perhaps Wilde was simply reflecting the mood of his own childhood, or his own ideas of how children should be prepared for the world. I would not read these stories to one of the pampered children of today, shielded as they mostly are from any possible setback or trauma.
But for an adult reader who enjoys children’s literature, they hold deeper pleasures that make them worthwhile. “If you want a red rose,” said the Tree, “you must build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart’s-blood.
You must sing to me with your breast against a thorn. All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine.” “Death is a great price to pay for a red rose,” cried the Nightingale, “and Life is very dear to all. It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot o “If you want a red rose,” said the Tree, “you must build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart’s-blood. You must sing to me with your breast against a thorn.
All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine.” “Death is a great price to pay for a red rose,” cried the Nightingale, “and Life is very dear to all. It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of pearl. Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn, and sweet are the bluebells that hide in the valley, and the heather that blows on the hill.
Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?” Wilde has such a way with words, they really reach off of the paper to grip your heart. This is a collect of sad, but moral and beautiful stories for children. The Happy Prince and the Nightengale and the Rose would both get 5 stars from me. (Review of The Happy Prince as part of the.) Another morality tale brought to you from the hand of Oscar Wilde. The Happy Prince is a statue housing the soul of the prince who had been happy in his life because unhappiness was not allowed, and he didn't know what lay outside his own walls - ignorance is bliss.
As a statue, he was able to look out over the land and see all the misery that actually existed. He asks a swallow to take jewels from his statue to different p (Review of The Happy Prince as part of the.) Another morality tale brought to you from the hand of Oscar Wilde. The Happy Prince is a statue housing the soul of the prince who had been happy in his life because unhappiness was not allowed, and he didn't know what lay outside his own walls - ignorance is bliss. As a statue, he was able to look out over the land and see all the misery that actually existed. He asks a swallow to take jewels from his statue to different people in the land who need them more than he, teaching the swallow about selflessness.
Whatever, it's cute and all, but a bit heavy-handed. 3.5 stars This is a hard one to rate. The writing is masterful. Truly exquisite. It's the kind of prose you want to read aloud because the words are like jewels dropping from your tongue.
They are beautiful stories, and I've seen many reviews here comparing them to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales because, yes, both have a tendency toward tragedy. But the reason I'm ranking these stories so low is because of how they differ from those tales. Andersen gave us tragedy tinged with hope - the l 3.5 stars This is a hard one to rate. The writing is masterful.
Truly exquisite. It's the kind of prose you want to read aloud because the words are like jewels dropping from your tongue. They are beautiful stories, and I've seen many reviews here comparing them to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales because, yes, both have a tendency toward tragedy. But the reason I'm ranking these stories so low is because of how they differ from those tales.
Andersen gave us tragedy tinged with hope - the little match girl dies but is reunited with her grandmother in heaven, the soldier and ballerina fall into the fire but are fused together as one. Not so with this collection. There was an underlying feeling of cynicism to most of Wilde's tales that seems at odds with the kind of fairy stories he was trying to tell. These tales are too flowery to be like the Grimms' tales, which are straightforward and stripped-down from many retellings, often brutal, and with a keen sense of justice. And yet they are also unlike Andersen - there is too much of a despairing wink and a nod about the failing state of the world. Which is fine - after all, he has his own style, which really succeeds in other contexts, and is applied to great effect as satire in his other works or witticisms. But in attempting to tell fairy tales, Wilde seems to have entirely missed the point - caught in a limbo of hollow sentiment and harsh despondency.
One can see Wilde's wit and wisdom in here. But sometimes I have had a problem with keeping my attention on. 'The Happy Prince' - 3/4 stars - Some parts very wise, some satirical, some just sad (I was truly sad). 'The Nightingale and the Rose' - 3 stars - I was a bit bored at some point but the end was brilliant. 'The Selfish Giant' - 2 stars - The most boring of all five stories (at least to me). 'The Devoted Friend' - 3/4 stars - A good tale for children One can see Wilde's wit and wisdom in here.
But sometimes I have had a problem with keeping my attention on. 'The Happy Prince' - 3/4 stars - Some parts very wise, some satirical, some just sad (I was truly sad). 'The Nightingale and the Rose' - 3 stars - I was a bit bored at some point but the end was brilliant. 'The Selfish Giant' - 2 stars - The most boring of all five stories (at least to me). 'The Devoted Friend' - 3/4 stars - A good tale for children, totally predictable, with known (but never old) moral. (I would have liked to slap Miller. I was so angry with him.) - 'The Remarkable Rocket' - 4/5 stars - Almost perfect because of the wit.
And let's face it, there are so many people like the Rocket. Buku Pangeran Nan Bahagia ini adalah kumpulan dongeng klasik, yang mempunyai gaya bertutur yang unik, tapi penuh dengan pesan. Di dalamnya terdapat 5 cerita pendek, antara lain: Pangeran Nan Bahagia (The Happy Prince), Burung Bulbul dan Bunga Mawar (The Nightingale and the Rose), Raksasa yang Suka Mementingkan Diri Sendiri (The Selfish Giant), Teman Yang Setia (The Devoted Friend), dan Roket yang Hebat (The Remarkable Rocket). Pangeran Nan Bahagia bercerita tentang sebuah patung yang dikenal deng Buku Pangeran Nan Bahagia ini adalah kumpulan dongeng klasik, yang mempunyai gaya bertutur yang unik, tapi penuh dengan pesan. Di dalamnya terdapat 5 cerita pendek, antara lain: Pangeran Nan Bahagia (The Happy Prince), Burung Bulbul dan Bunga Mawar (The Nightingale and the Rose), Raksasa yang Suka Mementingkan Diri Sendiri (The Selfish Giant), Teman Yang Setia (The Devoted Friend), dan Roket yang Hebat (The Remarkable Rocket). Pangeran Nan Bahagia bercerita tentang sebuah patung yang dikenal dengan nama Pangeran Nan Bahagia.
Tubuh patung bersalut emas, dengan mata dari batu nilam langka dan pedang yang memili hiasan permata delima. Semua orang mengagumi patung itu.
Suatu waktu ada seekor burung layang-layang yang tertinggal dari kawanannya menumpang di kaki patung itu untuk beristirahat. Ternyata patung yang bahagia itu sedang menangisi berbagai kemalangan yang dialami oleh masyarakat kota. Dia ingin membantu, tetapi tidak bisa berpindah tempat.
Dia meminta burung layang-layang membantunya, meskipun itu membuat penampilan si patung akan berubah. Banyak yang mengatakan bahwa kisah Pangeran Nan Bahagia ditujukan kepada pemerintah dan ketidaksetaraan yang terjadi di dalam masyarakat. Seharusnya pemerintah mampu membantu masyakarat yang kekurangan dan membutuhkan pertolongan. Burung Bulbul dan Bunga Mawar bercerita tentang kesetiaan dan pengorbanan. Demi seorang pemuda yang ingin mempersembahkan setangkai mawar merah kepada seorang gadis, seekor burung bulbul rela mengorbankan nyawanya.
Tetapi ketika gadis itu menolak bunga pemberian pemuda tadi, bunga mawar tadi berakhir di jalan dan terinjak-injak oleh kendaraan yang lewat. Raksasa yang Suka Mementingkan Diri Sendiri mempunyai sebuah taman dengan bunga-bunga yang cantik. Anak-anak suka bermain di sana. Tetapi raksasa itu tidak ingin tamannya rusak sehingga dia mengusir anak-anak itu dari tamannya. Musim dingin pun datang dan tidak mau pergi, tamannya menjadi tidak indah lagi.
Raksasa merindukan musim semi. Suatu waktu dia mendengar ada nyanyian yang datang dari tamannya. Raksasa berpikir musim semi sudah datang.
Ternyata disana ada banyak anak-anak. Raksasa kemudian menyadari keegoisannya dan menyadari bahwa anak-anaklah yang akan datang membawa musim semi. Kisah ini mengajarkan tentang berbagi dan tidak menutup diri dari orang lain. Karena kebahagiaan bisa saja berasal dari orang-orang di sekitar kita. Teman yang Setia adalah kisah yang paling saya sukai. Menceritakan tentang seorang lelaki kecil yang jujur bernama Hans dan seorang juragan giling. Juragan giling ini sering sekali bercerita tentang persahabatan, dan semua ceritanya dinikmati oleh Hans.
Hans sampai percaya akan kebaikan tuan juragan giling. Sayangnya Hans selalu diperdaya oleh juragan giling yang sifatnya tidak bersahabat sama sekali. Kisah ini mengajarkan bahwa sifat baik itu bukanlah dari kata-kata tetapi dari tindakan sekecil apapun itu. Roket yang Hebat adalah kisah terakhir yang menceritakan tentang sebuah roket yang sombong.
Di antara kembang api dan mercon lainnya, roket ini paling banyak bicara. Tetapi pada malam pertunjukan dia tidak digunakan karena bubuk mesiu-nya basah. Hingga akhirnya dia hanya menjadi mainan anak-anak dan bukan digunakan untuk pertunjukan akbar. Pesan moralnya adalah bahwa banyak bicara tanpa melakukan tugas adalah hal yang sia-sia. Kisah-kisah dari Oscar Wilde adalah contoh tentang bagaimana sastra anak tidak harus kekanak-kanakan. Oscar Wilde mampu menanamkan pesan moral dalam ceritanya, tapi tidak secara terbuka. Bahkan ketika telah berusia ratusan tahun, kisah-kisah ini tetap populer dan bisa terus hadir dari generasi ke generasi.
I've been an Oscar Wilde fan for years and have read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' several times, and 'The Importance of Being Ernest' so many times I practically have it memorized. But this collection of little stories is so unlike Wilde's other work that I wouldn't have believed he wrote this if his name hadn't been on the cover. The stories are written in an almost liturgical style, like they're old stories left out of the Bible.
They're beautiful, they're dry, they're preachy, they're overly I've been an Oscar Wilde fan for years and have read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' several times, and 'The Importance of Being Ernest' so many times I practically have it memorized. But this collection of little stories is so unlike Wilde's other work that I wouldn't have believed he wrote this if his name hadn't been on the cover.
The stories are written in an almost liturgical style, like they're old stories left out of the Bible. They're beautiful, they're dry, they're preachy, they're overly emotionally charged. They're about charity and compassion and love and selflessness, and they're just so heavy-handed about it. Plus, it's weird to see Wilde write so grandly of such things when he spent all of Dorian Gray and Ernest making fun of everything. 'The Happy Prince' is actually quite beautiful, and reads to me like something out of Arabian Nights. I was surprised by the tone and content, because it's so starkly fixed on compassion and charity, morals and values I don't normally associate with Wilde, and the end is dramatic and Biblical, but not so much as to make me roll my eyes. It was acceptable.
'The Nightingale and the Rose' was terrible. And far too realistic. And also justified all the side-eyes I've always given to the idea of love. 'The Selfish Giant' just plain made me angry. These children are trespassing on the Giant's land.
He was absolutely right to put up the NO TRESPASSING SIGN and threaten legal action. It is HIS garden. He can do whatever he wants with it, even let it just sit there. Those little bastard children would have stayed off his land if they had any manners. GET OFF HIS LAWN YOU LITTLE TROLLS.
I have to wonder, though, if my feelings here are strongly influenced by the fact that I am an American. Our legal system allows for adverse possession, where if you don't use your land and someone else comes onto it and puts it to better use, the land is there after a given number of uninterrupted years. In America, we have always prized putting land to use. In England, historically, there was no such thing as adverse possession: even if land sat unoccupied and untended to for decades, that was just fine, because the owner had a right to do what he wanted with it, even if didn't want to do anything with it. So I was thinking halfway through the story that maybe Wilde was criticizing that policy and advocating a more American treatment of land use.
But then it turned out to be a story about Christ, so that shut me up. 'The Devoted Friend' just made me angry. It's basically why I don't associate with people. People are jackwagons. And I've seen the scenario in the story play out far too many times in my life (not involving me) to be anything but jaded about it.
'The Remarkable Rocket' was amazing. I hated the rocket so much, but this story is full of great little turns of phrase that are so typical of the Wilde I always thought I knew. It was a satisfying read if you are given to notions about karma and comeuppance, as I often am. Not always, but often enough.
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you're interested in seeing a new side of Wilde that's a bit removed from the perverse and dejected brilliance of 'Dorian Gray' and not so sly and sprightly as 'Ernest.' Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories, and one novel.
Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories, and one novel. Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.
As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years hard labour after being convicted of 'gross indecency' with other men. After Wilde was released from prison he set sail for Dieppe by the night ferry. He never returned to Ireland or Britain, and died in poverty.