智趣和戲劇性是王爾德童話中最吸引人的特性。智趣源於華麗的筆法和生動的比喻；而戲劇性來自善良與美麗的形像所經歷的變遷——心靈的磨礪與成長，這總能緊緊扣住讀者的心弦。王爾德將人性的美歸於至愛，他作品中的角色無不體現著他追求理想藝術的初衷。同時，他也追求語言的表達效果。他的童話全部瑯瑯上口，韻律悠揚。讀他的童話，會覺得這位維多利亞時代的偉大作家至今仍可以透過文字與我們娓娓交談。

《快樂王子和其他故事》（The Happy Prince and Other Tales）與《石榴屋》（A House of Pomegranates），共9篇童話，全部收錄在《夜鶯與玫瑰：王爾德童話集》中。《快樂王子和其他故事》出版於1888年，問世後立即引起轟動，可以說是王爾德事業起飛和創作風格形成的起點。英國《典雅》雜志將他和安徒生相提並論，稱贊整本童話集是純正英語的結晶。《石榴屋》於1891年出版，與上一部作品不同，《石榴屋》是逐漸地、特別是在作者去世後纔變得家喻戶曉。這兩部童話集均已載入英國兒童文學史冊，至今仍受到孩子們乃至成年人的歡迎。
智趣和戲劇性是王爾德童話中最吸引人的特性。智趣源於華麗的筆法和生動的比喻；而戲劇性來自善良與美麗的形像所經歷的變遷——心靈的磨礪與成長，這總能緊緊扣住讀者的心弦。王爾德將人性的美歸於至愛，他作品中的角色無不體現著他追求理想藝術的初衷。同時，他也追求語言的表達效果。他的童話全部瑯瑯上口，韻律悠揚。讀他的童話，會覺得這位維多利亞時代的偉大作家至今仍可以透過文字與我們娓娓交談。

奧斯卡·王爾德，（Oscar Wilde，1854－1900）愛爾蘭作家、詩人、戲劇家，19世紀末英國唯美主義運動的主要代表。
王爾德出生於愛爾蘭都柏林，畢業於都柏林聖三一學院和牛津大學馬格達倫學院。讀書時即展露文學纔華，屢獲獎勵。19世紀80年代初定居倫敦，當時已在文壇小有名氣。1882年前往美國和加拿大講學，頗受歡迎。1884年與康斯坦絲·勞埃德結婚，後育有二子。
王爾德在多種文學體裁上均有成就，主要作品包括：童話集《快樂王子和其他故事》、《石榴屋》，小說《道林·格雷的畫像》，戲劇《少奶奶的扇子》、《莎樂美》、《不可兒戲》，書信集《獄中記》，詩歌《裡丁監獄之歌》等，其中戲劇在當時為他贏得了最多贊譽。王爾德的創作辭藻炫麗、立意新穎、觀點鮮明；他本人也衣著華美、談吐機智，其文其人都體現著唯美主義風格。難怪博爾赫斯評價他說：“千年文學產生了遠比王爾德復雜或更有想像力的作者，但沒有一個人比他更有魅力。”
1895年，王爾德因“有傷風化”被判入獄服勞役兩年，獲釋後定居巴黎。1900年因病在巴黎去世。

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小夜鶯讓玫瑰花刺深深地刺入胸膛，直抵心髒，一陣劇痛將她擊中。痛楚越來越強烈，而她的歌聲卻越來越嘹亮，因為她歌唱的是因犧牲而完美的愛情，這種愛情不會在墳墓中消亡。
——《夜鶯與玫瑰》

The Happy Prince.
The Nightingale and the Rose
The Selfish Giant
The Devoted Friend
The Remarkable Rocket
The Young King
The Birthday of the Infanta
The Fisherman and His Soul
The Star-Child

What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off？ he said. I must look for a good chimney-pot, and he determined to fly away.
But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw Ah！ what did he see？
The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little swallow was filled with pity.
Who are you？ he said.
I am the Happy Prince.
Why are you weeping then？ asked the swallow; you have quite drenched me.
When I was alive and had a human heart, answered the statue, I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening ！ led the dance in the great hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everyth！ng about me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.
What！ is he not solid gold？ said the swallow to himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.
Far away,continued the statue in a low musical voice, far away in a little street there is a poor house. One of the windows is open, and through it I can see a woman seated at a table. Her face is thin and worn and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for she is a seamstress. She is embroidering passion-flowers on a satin gown for the loveliest of the queens maids-of-honour to wear at the next court-ball. In a bed in the corner of the room her little boy is lying ill. He has a fever and is asking for oranges. His mother has nothing to give him but river water, so he is crying. Swallow, swallow, little swallow, will you not bring her the ruby out of my sword-hilt？ My feet are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.