STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF A SHORT STORY “THE HAPPY

PRINCE”
Abstract
Stylistics is a combination of style and linguistics. Style deals with distinctive style of
characterization, language use and setting. The author makes his choice to become different from
others and foregrounds new devices to enhance his text. „The happy prince „has been written in
fairy tale mode through which he has exposed the exploitation, materialism and corruption of
Victorian society. It has been analyzed on lexical, grammatical and stylistic levels.

Key Words
Stylistics, Short Story. Metaphor, Simile, Personification, Satire, Imagery, Irony, Allegory,
Symbolism.

Research questions

Research objectives
To analyze the stylistic devices in the poem.

To identify different stylistics patterns.

To explain how real world is related to abstract idea.

Introduction
Stylistics is a literary discourse from a linguistic alignment. It involves both literary criticism and
linguistics, as its morphological characteristics suggest, the style component relating it to the
former and the „istics‟ component to the later [15]. Stylistics is traditionally regarded the study
of literary texts in which formal linguistic tools are used. This analysis is also done through
sophisticated computer based application. It is a branch of applied linguistics in which literary
texts are analyzed, the main aim is to explain the formal features and also describe the functional
significance of the text and the relation of literary effects to the causes of linguistics where they
seem important and relevant [1]. Paul Simpson [10] has given the reference of Lecercle, a
renowned linguist who attacked stylistics as an ambiguous term that cannot be defined exactly.
Paul has explained its methods and principles of contemporary stylistics and has given him right
answer. 1.1 Description of Modern Stylistics In [10] states that it is acknowledged as a dynamic
discipline in the early twenty-first century. It is not only studied and taught but also researched in
the departments of literature linguistics and language in all over the world. It is progressing with
the passage of time and is being updated by the theories of discourse, society and culture.
Contemporary stylistics has enriched itself and developed three main fields as feministic
stylistics, discourse stylistics and cognitive stylistics and also acclaimed in the field of language
learning. The main purpose is to interpret language in the texts. Language is regarded vital
because of its patterns, forms and levels that combine a structure of language. The functional
importance of text provides a way to interpret it; Linguistic features are not meaningful in
isolation. 1.2 Myths about Contemporary Stylistics It is taken as useless pursuits which spend too
much time on counting verbs, nouns in the text. This myth has emerged by lack of understanding
as what is the function of it. It is more interested in the function of a language of a text.
Moreover it analyses those utterances which are produced at different occasions, places, time and
culture [12]. 1.3 Difference between Close Reading and Stylistics Stylistics is known as rhetoric
in the ancient times which teaches its students how to build and arrange an argument how to
enlarge successful exercise of figures of speech, and how to Formulate a piece or speech of
writing so as to generate the total effect of stylistic analysis [2]. The specific difference between
close reading and stylistics analysis:

General language is spoken in community while stylistics is a connection between general and
literary language. 2. Specialized technical terms and concepts which were acquired from science
of linguistics as cohesion, collocation, under-lexicalation and transitivity. 3. Scientific objectivity
is the hallmark of stylistics.

The Author
In [14] has been discussed about Oscar Wilde (1554-1900) that he was son of a reputed doctor.
He was born in Dublin. He got his early education at Portora Royale School, where he was
known as a dynamic classical scholar with intellect and deep observation towards life and human
psyche. He was rewarded by Berkeley Gold medal for Greek in 1874. He also won scholarship to
Megdolen college, oxford, and then he went to England. He was a brilliant speaks and put his at
it‟s his lifestyle. His literary work is meager than flamboyant son. We can see serious emotions
in his early poems and fictions. Alexander [3] states that Wilde was a provocative critic and is
widely recognized due to his comedies as “A woman of No importance, an ideal husband, and
the importance of being Earnest. Which was staged in 1892-5 it is considered the highly
acclaimed at play the outstanding English comedy since Sheridan, Goldsmith or even Congreve,
and it is most quoted play which has not been written by Shakespeare [12]. Evans [4] states in
his book that wilde was ridiculed by Gilbert In patience, but as an excellent writes of wit and
verbal comedy he shared the status of excellence with Gilbert which was on the verge of death
after Sheridan. His imprisonment proved disastrous not for him but also for the theatre. Mullik
[5] writes about aesthetic movement and says that the pre Raphaelite movement in English
poetry was practiced by decadent on Aesthetic movement. Wilde was also an upholder of this
thinking that art is just for art‟s sake not to propagate morality, wiled was the beginner who
influenced by the ideas of Walter Dates. Wilde writes on the themes of religious and spiritual
experience, as in the in New Helen he called himself as the Votary of Beauty [11]. The happy
prince has been written in fairy tale mode of expression. It shows a world which is ideal and non-
imitative, Wilde has also declared it an imaginary work which was created to amuse his little son
but he transformed it into a great satiric piece. He is known because of his fable short Stories.
This short story is not an ordinary story of a prince who is trying to remove the miseries of his
people with the help of a little swallow but it also shows a pathetic picture of Victorian age in
which poor were living a land to month life

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and rich people were exploiting all the privileges. It is a static document on the realities of
Victorian age; he unveiled the hypocrisy of ruling class, poverty and exploitation. Wilde himself
says that these stories are like mirror which mirror the modern life in a form of remote from
reality. “The happy prince” is a story about the spiritual beauty of prince and the sacrifice of a
little swallow which alters its life for the love of the prince. In each case love and sacrifice are
the saving and ruling forces. Cuddon [6] says in the penguin Dictionary of Literary terms that
Fairy tale is known as kind of traditional literature and also of verbal tradition. In written form
the fairy tale is a narrative and in prose it is about the dooms and destinies of a heroin or hero in
which he has to gone through unbelievable circumstances and supernatural adventures, but in the
end enjoys a life of festivity forever. Enchanted places, disguise situations and supernatural
machinery are the pivotal in elements of fairy tale there is a nice study of human psychology.
The character is imaginative and unreal. Onda [8] has talked about the background of Oscar
Wilde that he got literary talent and educational interests form his parents. His mother Jane was
passionate to have a baby girl as her second child but on the birth of Oscar she was very dejected
and in most of the pictures we can see him in girlish outlook with curly and long hair and lace
frilled skirt. When Oscar was in jail he said that on two occasions when he was forced in his life
as his father sent him to Oxford University, and when civil society sent him to jail. In the
biographies Elleman [7] says that Oxford University was a very prestigious institution as well as
a was very notorious place to nourish hidden false feelings as wilde got attraction in
homosexuality at oxford. He says that Greek and Latin classics were the cause of homosexuality
and vices; another important point is that when Wilde quiet oxford university he had claimed as
the professor of Aesthetics and became the descendant of that movement. Sampson writes about
Wilde that indeed he is known as the outstanding playwright of mid-twentieth century and that
age is also called „The Age of T.S Eliot‟. Drama flourished in the hands of Wilde, Yeats, synge,
shaw and O‟Neill. Furthermore DAiches [11] says that Wilde in spite of being a famous
dramatist he could not generate a true sense of satiric tone. He belonged to the „fin de si‟ecle‟
famous as esthetic movement and he ardently followed Ezra pound and suffered a tragic life like
his other contemporaries who committed suicide and destroyed their literary career. Though his
plays were not direct reflection yet he added these elements in his fairy tales and in the symbolic
story „The picture of Dorian Gray‟. He treated dialogues with polished wit and unveiled the
society by foregrounding it in distinctive style. Mitsuru [8] further says that Wilde first published
the series of juvenile literatures, titled The Happy Prince and other tales in 1888 and A House of
Pomegranates, in 1889. He was clearly happy at that time with his family and reader can relate
the happiness with his work but according to Onda the relationship between Swallow and Prince
make him realize the homosexual element but as an artist his glory cannot be ignored due to that
element. Many poetical expressions are found in this story as he had been writing stories since
university life. Wilde has not used commonplace sentences and expressions as “Once upon a
time” there was a happy prince, but he placed adverbial phrase. Beside this, he has used couplets
such as: “So I lived, so I died, these are couplets and rhyme as well and these expressions sound
pleasing to the ear. There are similes and metaphors which are not conventional but unique and
different as he described happy prince as a he is as beautiful as a weather lock. The story is an
allegory; it is about the usefulness of doing well. Love and sacrifice lead us towards God. The
prince is not enjoying life but the statue of a dead prince is coated with diamond, rubies and
sapphires. The prince is considered happy because of smile on face. But he lost his smile cannot
stop his tears. Swallow comes as a Mersin gel and he gives his all wealth to poor people through
swallow. When swallow die with cold the heart of prince breaks, their love and sacrifice makes
them immortal.

Short Story
Short story is a brief focused fictitious piece and the term short story has relationship in form
with the French conte and nouvelle the Italian novella and the German Novelle [6] that covers at
minimum the following key elements: 3.1 Length of the Short Story  They can be read in a
single sitting  Shorter from a novel and the changes between.  At least 5000 words SS and
Novel are as... o It deals with one big occasion or issue o Have one or two main characters o It
creates single specific effect o It does not have sub plots. 3.2 Kinds of SS:  Short stories are
innovative like novel and related to distinct genres as fears imaginary, romance, erotica venture
and science of fiction.  Statistical, clinical, bleak or optimistic .These is philosophical,
introspective and action packed so far as the literacy short stories are concerned they focus on
character and tone than plot and mostly avoid other genres. “The Happy Prince” is also an
allegory as far as the definition of allegory is concerned Cuddon [6] has defined it in the
dictionary of literacy theory as: “The term derives from Greek allegories, besides it is a story in
poetry or prose with a twofold meaning a primary or surface meaning. It is story that can be read,
interpreted and understood at two levels, some cases it is dealt at three or four levels. It is closely
related with fable and parable. It has not determined length. He further explains it by saying that
did Arab fable can help to understand it in which these are the characters one is from and other is
scorpion. Both met on the river Nile, Frog and Scorpion wanted the Cross it the Frog offered
scorpion that he came help scorpion in crossing the river but he will have that‟s make a promise
that he would not sting him. Frog fulfills his promise but scorpion stings him after crossing the
river. Why did you do that croaked the Frog, as it lay dying? Why replied the Scorpion. We are
both Fraps are not we? The happy is studied moral and social allegory. it is fantastic allege by
Oscar Wilde typical example of 19th century fiction

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social injustice, the redemptive power of love, and the loss of indented are those themes which
were addressed by Wilde and Dickens. An allegory has double meaning and he has dealt with it
skill fully. The surface meaning is explicit and under surface meaning there is deep and
allegorical meaning. The allegorical significance and universal theme make it a masterpiece; it
has social religious and political allegory at many levels. The use of words like reward and
paradise are of Christian significances, that God will reward those who will do good with people
swallow follows the commands of prince and prince is allegorical representation of “Christ”
Oscar has used words like “command» instead of “order” and the word command has been used
several times in Bible further he writes as: “A region of surpassing beauty and delight on of
supreme bliss and a peaceful point place the judge? Christian revere, abode of God and his
angles and the final abode of the redeemed” Wilde has used the word “Egypt” which is symbol
of surpassing and speechless beauty and swallow appreciates that place as in Egypt the sun is
warm the green palm trees and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily about them it seems
that swallow is in reach of paradise in the whole story. Wilde also shows his love for beauty and
esthetic sense. The happy prince is also interpreted as a fable and according to Cuddon it is short
and found in prose and verse and deals with a moral. Inanimate creatures are main characters.
The exhibition of persons as animals is basic distinguishing fable. Characterization of the happy
prince and swallow show the feminist virtues of adjustment, acceptance, compromise and self-
sacrifice are demonstrated The happy prince is social satire prudence says that “the true purpose
of satire is the modification of vices by correction‟‟ Dryden adds by saying that the satirist is no
more an enemy to the offender than the physician to the patient when he prescribes harsh
remedies to an inveterate disease”. Satire is defined in Columbia encyclopedia that this term
applied to any work of literature or all whose objective is to create laughter. From ancient time
uncover thoughtlessness in all its apparent pride, duplicity, pedantry, worship, sloppiness, and to
take initiative for improvement by explosive.

Summary of the Happy Prince

The story of “The Happy Prince” has three major themes, firstly it shows that apparent beauty is
nothing and the real beauty is to bestow love and sacrifice. Secondly, it discusses that love and
sacrifice are two saving forces. Thirdly, it shows that there is a large gap between rich and poor
people the rulers and the masses. When the happy prince is alive he lives a happy life without
sorrows, he is living a care free life but after his death he sees through a tall Colum that life has
another view except happiness and that is helplessness poverty, hypocrisy and corruption of elite
and ruling class. When a bird swallow comes and stays under the feet of prince he begs for his
helps match girl, poor writer. He is apparently happy but is weeping bitterly after seeing all the
down trodden people. At the end, the swallow dies frost once; the mayor passes through that way
and sees prince in ugly

plight. They are perplexed to see that the prince has not all the precious stuff on his body now
they pulled it down and decide to mark another statue. The statue does not soften in the furnace
and workers threw it on the dust heap, the dead body of swallow was also there. An angle comes
towards God and takes both precious things which are now of no use for the worldly people but
has great importance in eternal life in paradise [9].

Literary devices
Personification Burns and McNamara [13] define It is as kind of metaphor in which the non-
human qualities are attributed to a person, its use makes a fiction more expressive and real and
theme becomes more explicit. Personification also used in those stories, the writer personified
the statue of happy prince and swallow, as living human beings major and councilor symbolize
the hypocrisy of Victorian age. They talk with each other like human because they feed the
misery of living Creature which human being is ignoring.

Use of Simile: In simile one object is likened to the other to enrich an image, the comparison is
explicit as:  „His hands are like withered leaves‟.  „Lips are red as pomegranate‟.  „As
blue as the great sea‟.  Who is as black as abony‟.  They have eyes like green beryl‟ Wilde
has set different visions or visual imagery as: „the streets looked as if they were made of silver,
they were so bright, and glistering long icicles like crystal daggers………,

Symbolic Character: In this story the writer used symbolic tones and all the character of this
story has symbolic significance. Statue of happy prince is a charity figure like Christ crucified
himself for humanity like that happy prince Sacrifice his beauty for the humanity swallow also
sacrifice his life for the humanity. Woman, match girl, writer and poor boys symbolize the
poverty of Victorian age.

Fairy Tale or Fiction: A fairy tale is imaginary story that may feature imaginary characters
such as gnomes „spirits, pixies, fairies monsters and talking animals and usually charm often
including incredible order of actions. The happy prince is a narrative story this is not real story
while used the literary term fairy tale tend to be a narrative in prose about the lucks and
calamities of a hero and heroine, who having experience numerous exploit of a bizarre kind then
stay happy. Enchanted camouflage and spell are the main ingredient of such stories while are
delicate in their interpretation about environment and thinking of men.
 Language Description: Oscar wild has used very simple language in this story and reader can
easily interpret the hidden meaning of the story. The writer has never used long description in his
short stories. He used very précised and short description that every reader can understand the
real meaning of the story.

Symbolic Title: This story also has symbolic title, the title of the story is “The Happy Prince”
but inwardly he is not happy. He feels sorrow, pity for the common people so, he is not happy as
title is symbolic.

Inference: The author exhibits the importance of charity, humanity, love, good will and
sacrifice. The main characters have been endowed with all these marvelous characteristics and
have been presented as mark, symbol and upholder of these angelic qualities. In the end good
deeds are rewarded by the GOD.

Some stylistic features

Characterization: The main characters are flat and simple because we do not see any sudden,
drastic change or reversal in their characteristic features.  The characterization is direct and
writer talks about them directly.  There is third-person narration, the author gives through and
detailed information about characters and their feelings.

Irony: Oscar Wilde has used their term irony in this story. He has shown the contrast between
rich and poor people “Swallow flew over the city, and saw the rich taking merry in their
beautiful houses while the beggars were sitting at the gates”. These lines show that rich people
do not care about the poor people. They were enjoying their site. They living in their palace and
do not know about the conditions of poor people “what is the use of a states if it cannot keep the
rain off?”

Satire: Oscar wild used the literary term satire in this story. Satire on educational system and
satire on social injustices in “the happy prince” Wilde mentions a professor who was surprised
by seeing a swallow in the writer and he wrote a long letter about it to the local newspaper.
Everyone quoted it that it was full of so many words that they could not understand”. Though
this fairy tale was written on the demand of his son yet it is full of satiric characters, situations
and issues. In this wild satirized the writers who produce literature for the sake of production
without any kind of necessity and compulsion always exaggerating the thirty‟s without any
particular aims just hankering after earning name and fame. Even absurdity is there long
insufficiently written articles that nobody is also to understand. In fact the writers liked these do
not know, themselves what they are imparting in their writings. 9.4 Social Injustice Oscar Wilde
shows the double standard of society the rich people of society are in the enjoyment of all
luxuries but people are devoid of basic necessities. This social injustice is best satirized in the
happy prince the first victim of this injustice is poor seamstress who is in poor conditions and is
not able to do something for her child. She is helpless waiting for the time to take its turn. With
her hands she can stitch the gown of queen yet with these hands she cannot cure her child.

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The writer‟s state of depression makes our hearts rebel against this unfair distinction and the
pleasures of the rich are more valuable than the life of individuals. The second victim we see is
the young man in the garret, who had large and dreamy eyes‟. But the cruel society had snatched
the dreams from eyes and stuffed them with gloominess of poverty. He had to complete the play
but his empty belly had molded his creativity towards ideas of poverty. As it is said that “The
empty stomach is the grave, of great ideas”.

Grammatical Categories

Sentences type: The author uses questions, imperatives, and exclamation and declarative
sentences. This short story is rich in case of syntactic features.

Sentence complexity: This story has been written in simple mode but the writer has written
some complex lines as:  What is the use for states if it cannot keep the rain off  But I feel
quite warm now although it is so cold, Clause types: Ah but we have in our dreams answer the
children and the mathematical master frowned and look very sever, for he did not approve of
children Word clauses: There is usage of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverb, and articles.
 “He is a beautiful as a weathercock”  “The happy prince never dreams of crying for
anything”.

Lexical categories

Although this short story is full of details and imagery yet the choice of vocabulary is simple
and unique, it not only gives vibrancy to the text but also makes it deeper and explicit at a same
time. The language and expression is colloquial and belong to everyday language and it contains
a natural usage of language. Use of Allusions: There is also use of allusions like, God Memnon,
Sphinx, Pigmies, Pyramids and Ibises. The words like „sans souci‟ „a place of extravagance and
festivity‟ as beautiful as weathercock‟ show his command on words and their application. The
words as „happy prince‟ and Little swallow „conveys the messages that swallow is greater in
grandeur than any human being due to his act of sacrifice while the prince is no more happy
when he sees the plight of poor people. Frequency of Words: Swallow, happy, prince, has, had,
the, and, he, it. Nouns: Generally nouns are concrete but there are also abstract ones. The settings
have been pointed out by concrete nouns and abstract nouns have been employed to show the
state of mind and emotional circumstances. The use of proper names is very obvious as prince,
swallow, mayor, girl boy writer beggar Egypt, Nile and councilor. These nouns express the
theme in vivid manner. Adjectives: The story is reflection of emotional situations of the
characters and also about their physical outlooks. The usage of adjectives makes the text more
attractive and writer reveals most of the themes and the Physical conditions through adjectives.
The examples are like hot, warmer, shabby, white marble angels, beautiful girl, happy, writer,
chill and lazily. Verbs: Verbs play conspicuous role in giving sense to various events and
circumstances which have been used in this short story .Stative verbs are helpful to know the
moods of main characters. Verbs are mostly about doings and physical movements. The use of
auxiliaries is also apparent. Transitive verbs and helping verbs are as: „So he flew round and
round her, touching the water with his wings and making silver ripples‟. Adverbs: The adverbs
are as really, lazily, listlessly and slowly, agility. Conjunction: It means joining together, a word
which is used to connect sentences as then, and, but, if as, as soon as, though –yet, neither-nor
etc... (a) oordinating  „I must look for a good chimney –pot and he determined to fly away‟ 
His friend had gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind....‟ (b)
Subordinating  „their roar is louder than the roar of contracts‟  „Ruby shall be red than a red
rose‟  „Her father will beat her if she does not…‟ Important quotations  “And how powerful
is the power of love”.  “I am going to the house of Death; death is the brother of sleep”. 
“You have rightly chosen”.  “Said God for in my garden of paradise this little bird shall sing
for everyone and in my city of Gold the happy prince shall praise me”.  The livings always
think that gold can make them happy‟.  There is no Mystery as great as Misery‟.

Conclusion
To sum up all the above discussion, we can say that “The Happy Prince” is a masterpiece which
shows so many aspects of life Oscar wild has shown the fancy and imagination one side while on
the other side he has unveiled the hypocrisy, Poverty, greed and temptation of people. This is a
satiric document on the Victorian society; love and innocence are the living forces. Scare Wilde
has manifested so many stylistic devices and they have transformed it into a great literary work
he has been deviant among all the writers as how he foregrounded fairy tale to convey his
message under the subtle layers of fancy and imagination.
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Penguin, UK (1975).

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