The Happy Prince and Other Tales
Oscar Wilde
The Happy Prince and Other Tales
Five literary fairy tales about generosity, vanity, friendship, poverty, and the cost of seeing other people's suffering.
Read our takePoems in Prose
Oscar Wilde
Poems in Prose
by Oscar Wilde
Six very short parables that use biblical language to unsettle simple lessons about miracles, suffering, knowledge, and desire.
- 1894
- Atmospheric
- lyrical
- funny
- voice-driven
About Oscar Wilde
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freePoems in Prose is a group of six short prose parables: 'The Artist,' 'The Doer of Good,' 'The Disciple,' 'The Master,' 'The House of Judgment,' and 'The Teacher of Wisdom.' Wilde borrows the rhythm and setting of religious teaching, then removes the expected moral or makes it turn against the person seeking certainty.
The story, in more detail
The six pieces appeared together in The Fortnightly Review in July 1894. They are called poems because their compression, repetition, and symbolic structure matter more than plot.
Several return to Christian stories after the miracle has happened. The healed person or forgiven person does not necessarily become good, which prevents suffering and salvation from being reduced to a formula.
The stories
Each piece is only a few pages or paragraphs long and stands alone.
Read 'The Doer of Good' and 'The House of Judgment' first: both begin with a familiar moral structure and refuse the answer a reader expects.
Why we recommend it
Why it matters
The miniature form shows how Wilde's paradox works without the machinery of a full play.
Where it fits
It belongs beside the fairy tales and De Profundis, where religious language is used for different purposes.
What this book explores
Timeline
1894
The Fortnightly Review published Poems in Prose in 1894.
Modern editions
Editors continue to publish the work alone and in collections; introductions and notes explain the relevant performance or textual history.
Book editions
Hardcover
- Hardcover
- The Fortnightly Review
- 1894
Reader reviews
Readers may also like
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde's long prison letter to Lord Alfred Douglas, combining accusation, self-criticism, memory, suffering, art, and a new interpretation of Christ.
Read our takePoems in Prose: frequently asked questions
What is Poems in Prose by Oscar Wilde about?
Poems in Prose is a group of six short prose parables: 'The Artist,' 'The Doer of Good,' 'The Disciple,' 'The Master,' 'The House of Judgment,' and 'The Teacher of Wisdom.' Wilde borrows the rhythm and setting of religious teaching, then removes the expected moral or makes it turn against the person seeking certainty.
When was Poems in Prose published?
The Fortnightly Review published Poems in Prose in 1894.
Should I read Poems in Prose first?
Usually not. Start with The Importance of Being Earnest for comedy, The Picture of Dorian Gray for fiction, or The Happy Prince and Other Tales for short stories, then return to Poems in Prose.