Discuss the element of humour and irony in “The Happy Prince”
The element of humour and irony in “The Happy Prince", is that it satirises the false standards of the modem society.
“The Happy Prince” has fairy-tale mode of 7 expression. It creates a world which is “ideal and non- immitative” as Oscar Wilde himself says and is known for. But this ideal fairy-tale world is. not separated from the , surrounding realities of the Victorian age. It rather brings in j all the problems of the Victorian life, such as poverty, hypocrisy and exploitation. It also comments on the shattering privileges and art for the sake of its purity. These stories were written as he himself says, “to mirror] modem life in a form remote from reality.”
Modern critics have expressed their opinion on the dark psychological motives of these stories. However, “The Happy Prince” and the other stories of its tribe have been appreciated alsotfor their “reading to nice people and] even to,not so much nice people to make them nice.” “Thej Happy Prince” is particularly a neat and clean story which spells out its themes: the statue becomes outwardly uglier as the Prince achieves spiritual beauty. The swallow also* achieves perfect beauty by sacrificing his life for the love of the Prince. In each case, love and sacrifice are the saving forces.
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