Abstract: Oscar Wilde, one of the most famous playwrights in the 19th century, is well-known all over the world for his plays, poems, novels and fairy tales. Wilde has rich confidence and full talents. Although he lives a miserable life in his remaining years, his amazing artistic achievements are still enough to make him to be the world’s classic artist. His fairy tales are very popular among the vast numbers of readers, thus, Oscar Wilde is known as “the prince of fairy tales”. This article focuses on various aspects, including Oscar Wilde’s life experience, the change of his faith and different things he experienced in different times, in order to draw out the origin and content of aestheticism; and discusses the specific meaning of aestheticism and its impact to the world by the specific analysis of The Happy Prince and The Fisherman and His Soul

Key words: Oscar Wilde; fairy tales; aestheticism; origin; impact

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction to Oscar Wilde-1

2. Introduction to Aestheticism-2

2.1 The Concept of Aestheticism

2.2 The Development of Aestheticism

3. Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s Two Fairy Tales-3

3.1 Analysis of The Happy Prince

3.2 Analysis of The Fisherman and His Soul

4. Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s Aestheticism in Fairy Tales-5

4.1 The Overturn of Traditional Fairy Tales

4.2 Social Background

4.3 Influence on Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales

5. Conclusion-8

Bibliography-9

Acknowledgements-10