The firm of David Nutt published Oscar Wilde's first volume of prose fiction,
The Happy Prince and Other Tales, in May 1888. The collection, containing five original fairy tales illustrated by Walter Crane and Jacob Hood, met with a muted but generally favourable critical response, but did not initially sell well. Since then, the stories have become classics, being reprinted in various anthologies and newly-illustrated popular and annotated scholarly editions. Long neglected by critics, the volume is increasingly attracting academic attention as the stories provide the focus for analysis of Wilde's developing aesthetic theories, sexuality, and practices as a commercial writer.
“The Happy Prince”, which Wilde first told to an appreciative group of Cambridge undergraduates in 1885,
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Citation: Markey, Anne. "The Happy Prince and Other Tales". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 February 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=653, accessed 25 November 2024.]
