O.

WILDE "THE HAPPY PRINCE"

The aim of the lesson is to teach you to deal with such a genre of literature as fairy-tales.
You’ll try to find your own approach to reading & understanding of fairy-tales. You will also
analyse the interconnections of various narrative details within a story in order to account
for the image created by the author.

1. Read the following definitions of a fairy-tale, legend and

myth. Define in your own words what a fairy-tale is, so that
your listeners wouldn’t confuse it with a legend or a myth.
Fairy-tale (fairy-story) is a tale about fairies – small imaginary
beings with supernatural powers, able to help or harm human beings,
or other small magic people. Fairy-tale is a story or an account,
which is hard to believe. Fairy-tale is a kind of narrative passed on
through generations, retold and never written down. It was closely
connected with folklore legends & mythology. Fantastic inventions &
fiction became an essential part of every fairy-tale. The first attempts
to collect, publish & to analyze fairy-tales are connected with the
epoch of Romanticism. The first collections of fairy-tales appeared in
Russia & Germany at the beginning & in the middle of the 19 th
century. Together with the collections of folk tales there began to
appear classical literary tales (e.g. by A.S.Pushkin, Hans Andersen,
etc.).
Legend – an old story handed from the past, especially one of
doubtful truths; one of folklore genres; a narration based on real
events. There exist historical, religious & every-day legends.
Myth – a story, handed down from olden times, ideas or beliefs about the early history of a race,
explanations of natural & historical events. These stories can also contain religious or magical ideas.
Myths reflect the desire of people to understand the reasons for & the meaning of calamities, wars,
death, as well as their helplessness to resist these forces. Gods are the necessary characters of myths.
Unlike fairy-tales things are simply narrated but not explained in the myth. Unlike legends, which are
based on real facts, the things that happen in myths are invented.
My answer:
Fairy-tale is a traditional story for children which involves magical things and unusual
creatures. Such stories are invented by somebody and contain items in which it is difficult to
believe.

2. BRAINSTORMING. Look through the given features of fairy-tales, arrange them in the order
of their importance, and add some more features:

1) there are supernatural creatures & things in fairy-tales;

2) goodness always wins a victory over evil;
3) good forces join together;
4) animals talk as well as people;
5) animals & people may help each other under different circumstances;
6) begin with “once upon a time”; “long ago”;
7) royalty is usually present (prince, princess, kings);
8) have happy endigs “They all lived happily ever”;
9) fairytales are significant because they teach children and people in general some lessons;
10) there are casteles, thick woods, magical forestes;
11) magical creatures...

3. As you know, fairy-tales didn’t exist in a written or published form till the 19 th century (at least they
were not meant to). They were retold by people & in this way became known to succeeding
generations. In this case the narrator of folk-tales was of great importance.
1) What did fairy-tales lose after being published? 2) Was it necessary to have some story-
teller? 3) Was it possible to compensate for the absence of the narrator? 4) In what way? 5)
Did publication of fairy-tales have some advantages? Explain in detail.
My answer:
After being published fairy-tales lost their authenticity [ ɔːθen ˈt ɪs ɪt ɪ]. I mean different  compendium
[kəmˈpendɪəm] of folk tales were compiled and printed by people who were little prepared for this
business. In fairy tales, people saw one fun worthy of the lower social strata or childhood, and
everyone considered himself or herself to have the full right to remake fairy-tales in his or her own
way. His or her role is mediated (опосредованная).
The absense of the narrator is possible to compensate. The narration can be conducted from a
certain third person and the narrator will not play any role.
Publication of faity-tales has some advanteges. Tales are available to any person and child thanks
to this. They represent a moral idea preserved by the memory of the people and embodied in a clear
word.

4. In the fairy tale by O. Wilde we have some allusions [əˈluːʒən] to Egypt, Pyramids, tombs with
bodies of Kings. Imagine that some years later the swallows came to Egypt again to spend the
winter there and once when the moon rose they heard one of the stories told by the Sphinx.
Make up a summary of the story as if it were told by the Sphinx.
My answer:
Some time later, in Egypt, where the swallows spent the winter, they heard a story from the Sphinx
about his brother. The omniscient mythical creature told how the swallow's brother initially stayed in
a small town because of a Reed. Soon he finally decided to fly to Egypt, but before that he spent the
night under an unusual statue [ˈstæʧuː] of Happy Prince. The prince's tears fell on the swallow and he
spoke to him. The prince told him about his life and asked him to stay overnight as an assistant to
help the poor residents of the town. The prince asked to take out the jewels from which he was made
and take them to certain people. The swallow was ready to act at his behest. The swallow stayed with
the prince forever because the prince gave away all his most precious things and became blind. The
swallow and the prince fell in love and died together.

5. The Swallow tells the Happy Prince a lot of things about Egypt. Sometimes his descriptions are very
detailed. He mentions some phenomena of nature and some myths, etc. Get ready to explain all the
facts and realia in the text. Sum up the things you've come to know about Egypt and explain
why the author alludes to them.
My answer:
The swallow constantly talks about Egypt as a happy and rich country. It is obvious analysing the
quotes: “The King is there himself in his painted coffin. He is wrapped in yellow linen,and embalmed
[ɪmˈbɑːmd] with spices. Round his neck is a chain of pale green jade [ʤeɪd], and his hands are like
withered leaves.”; “The river-horse couches there among the bulrushes [ˈbʊlrʌʃ], and on a great
granite throne sits the God Memnon. All night long he watches the stars...”; “In Egypt the sun is warm
on the green palm-trees, and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily about them.”
The author does this\alludes to them to contrast |kənˈtrɑːst| life (on the one hand we have scenes
that are full of poverty and misery, and on the other - the beauty and luxury of Egypt). The author
shows that life isn't pleasure only, there are a lot of people who suffer and most of them don't have
enough the prizes of life to survive.

6. Describe the life of the Prince in his Palace and as a statue. What is the difference between
these two states of his? You may speak about his comprehension of things, attitude to others and to
himself... What is that they have in common, if they have anything? Explain supporting your
utterance by THE EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT.
My answer:
When the prince was alive, he lived in a palace where grief is forbidden to enter. During the day he
had fun with his comrades, and in the evening he danced in the main hall. The prince did not know
life outside his castle, that's why he thought that there were only pleasures in people's life. With this
conviction, he died. Now, when the whole city is visible to him from the height [ha ɪt] of the column, he
knows that there is sorrow [ˈsɒrəʊ] and poverty in the world, now he really knows the world. The
happy prince, becoming a statue [ˈstæʧuː], transforms from the indifferent person he was during his
life into a generous hero who gives his precious stones to those in need.
“When I was alive and had a human heart I did not know whattears were...In the day time I played
with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance... Round the garden ran a very
lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful.”; “So I
lived, and so I died. And now...I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my
heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.”

7. Characterize the Swallow and name the reasons for his staying with the Happy Prince.
My answer:
The swallow is a character of the fairy tale who becomes a symbol of a person changing under the
influence of love, who is ready for self-sacrifice.
Speaking about the reasons, first off, the swallow felt sorry for the Prince, because he wanted to
help people so much, but he was motionless and helpless, and he had a "kind heart". ( “Swallow, who
really had a good heart.”) And then, when the Prince gave everything he had, and even his eyes,
becoming blind, the swallow decided to stay with him forever. ( “Then the Swallow came back to the
Prince. “You are blind now,” he said, “so I will stay with you always.”; “He would not leave the Prince,
he loved him too well.”)

8. Besides the Happy Prince and the Swallow there are many other characters in the fairy tale. They
are all quite different, but still they happen to be together. Why did O. Wilde introduce them into
his tale? Was it possible to do without any of them?
My answer:
The role of other characters in the fairy tale is extremely crucial. For example, thanks to poor people,
the Prince rethought the life around him, wanted to be useful and help others.
After observing the behavior of Town Councillors [ˈkaʊnsələrz], readers realized most of the human
vices.

9. What impression has the tale produced upon you? What was the attitude of the writer to the world
and to the reader? How would you interpret the two last passages of the tale?
My answer:
The tale produced extremely great impression upon me.
The writer teaches not to forget that there is someone who is experiencing life difficulties while
others are having fun, also teaches to be merciful and responsive to someone else's grief and teaches
sacrifice.
As for the interpretation of the last passages, in which said that after death the angels [ ˈe ɪn ʤəlz]
brought the Swallow to the gardens of paradise, and the Happy Prince was in the golden palace of
God, I can say that good deals and kind intentions are not forgotten, they are rewarded.