The Complete Short Stories

Oscar Wilde was already famous as a brilliant wit and raconteur when he first began to publish his short stories in the late 1880s. Admired by George Orwell and W. B. Yeats, the stories include poignant fairy-tales such as`The Happy Prince`and`The Selfish Giant`the extravagant comedy of`Lord Arthur Savile`s Crime`and`The Canterville Ghost`and the daring narrative experiments of`The Portrait of Mr. W. H.`Wilde`s fictional investigation into the identity of the dedicatee of Shakespeare`s sonnets. John Sloan`s Introduction argues for Wilde`s originality and literary achievement as a short-story writer, emphasizing his literary skill and sophistication, and arguing for the centrality of Wilde`s shorter fiction in his literary career. The collection includes a useful and up-to-date bibliography and extensive and helpful explanatory notes, and an Appendix reprints an important passage from the book-length version of`The Portrait of Mr. W. H.`on the Neo-Platonic ideal of friendship between men, an important key to the short story`s meaning. ISBN:978-0-19-953506-4