The Devoted Friend

by Oscar Wilde

Overview

"The Devoted Friend" is a short fairy tale written by Oscar Wilde. The tale concerns Big Hugh, the miller, and his best friend Hans. The story is told by a linnet to a water-rat following a conversation about what it means to be a devoted friend. Like many other stories by Wilde, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen are considered to be the primary literary influences for "The Devoted Friend". The story begins by a pond where a water-rat has just awoken and a mother duck is teaching her ducklings to stand on their heads. The rat observes how incompetent the young ducklings are at the task and remarks that "they really deserved to be drowned". The mother duck responds that parents must be patient, but the water-rat states he knows nothing of love and finds devoted friendship to be far more valuable. Several other creatures begin asking the water-rat what he means by devoted friendship, to which the water-rat replies: "a devoted friend is one that is devoted to him." This inspires a green linnet to tell the water-rat a tale about a devoted friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788726598773
Publisher:	Saga Egmont International
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
Pages:	8
File size:	226 KB

About the Author

Born in Ireland in 1856, Oscar Wilde was a noted essayist, playwright, fairy tale writer and poet, as well as an early leader of the Aesthetic Movement. His plays include: An Ideal Husband, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, and Lady Windermere's Fan. Among his best known stories are The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost.

Date of Birth:

October 16, 1854

Date of Death:

November 30, 1900

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Place of Death:

Paris, France

Education:

The Royal School in Enniskillen, Dublin, 1864; Trinity College, Dublin, 1871; Magdalen College, Oxford, England, 1874