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“The Star Child” is one of two texts in The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, Vol. 1. The Star Child, the adopted son of a poor woodcutter, is the beneficiary of charity and kindness. Ironically, his better nature is sullied by a sense of entitlement that stems from a vain love of his own good looks. Upon meeting an old tattered mendicant who claims to be his mother, he casts her aside and withholds his love. Consequently, he is punished by the powers that be, stripped of the attractiveness of which he is so proud, and set upon the path to redemption. Henceforth, the Star Child wanders the earth seeking his mother and her forgiveness until he unknowingly happens upon his birthplace and is forced to perform a series of Herculean labors. Accomplishing these tasks while learning the true meaning of self-sacrifice, charity, and kindness earns the Star Child the forgiveness that he seeks and solves the mystery of his origin. Throughout the tale, Russell’s charicatural style simultaneously reinforces the story’s elements of fantasy while bolstering the audience’s suspension of disbelief as the Star Child is cloaked in a heinous visage that reflects the inner blackness of his heart until he comes to know humility. This tale would serve as a wonderful introduction to the literary genre of Fairy Tales or to the work of Oscar Wilde. Similarly, it is an excellent exemplar of the hero cycle as explained by Peter R. Stillman in Introduction to Myth.
- “The Star Child” by Oscar Wilde; illus. and adapted by P. Craig Russell
- High School
- Nantier Bill Minoustchine
- 28pp.
- Published 1992
- ISBN 1-56163-056-x
- $15.95
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