Los cuentos de Oscar Wilde desde una perspectiva folclórica: Búsqueda de la esencia irlandesa.

Abstract

In 1888 and 1891 Oscar Wilde published his two volumes of tales: The Happy Prince and Other Tales and A House of Pomegranates. In these two books Wilde combines traditional folk literature, which was in fashion in the 19th century, together with Irish folklore, an area which had already attracted the interest of his parents. This folklore can be seen in the use of characters that are typical of the myths and legends of the island Wilde came from.

This article takes one tale from each book, “The Selfish Giant” and “The Fisherman and his Soul”, and analyses their main characters in the light of the Irish folk tradition. The aim is to discover whether Wilde used them as a reflection of the environment he had lived in as well as a means to vindicate his own Irishness.