Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde is a fairy-tale. The events described in fairy-tales generally take place during an unspecified time, in an unspecified location. In “The Selfish Giant”, the author does not mention the time and place of the events. Fairy-tales also introduce fantastic elements, a feature which is found in “The Selfish Giant”. Here, natural phenomena become characters through personification. There are also other fantastic creatures, like the Giant or the Ogre. 

In fairy-tales, the hero usually has to pass a test to be rewarded. This feature is also seen in Wilde’s story, where the Giant redeems himself by helping the crying boy. Finally, fairy-tales generally have a happy ending and deliver a pos...