House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde

House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde with Illustrations by Jessie Marion King

House of Pomegranates is the second (and last) book of fairy tales written by Oscar Wilde. The first book was titled The Happy Prince and Other Tales and was published in 1888. House of Pomegranates was first published three years later by Methuen & Co but we'll dig into the sixth edition by Crown, illustrated by Jessie Marion King in 1915.

Cover of British edition

Cover of American edition

The book contains four fairy tales. They are longer than most classic fairy tales which very likely had negative impact on their popularity. Wilde's fairy tales are of extreme quality. They are comparable to Hans Christian Andersen's, yet due to their length never became so popular. Other reasons for less commercial success are dark tones and sarcasm present in most of the stories. Strong r eligious allusions didn't help either.

Here is the list:

• The Young King
• The Birthday of Infanta
• The Fisherman and His Soul
• The Star-Child

Decorative capital letter

Let's check each one of them and enjoy Jessie M. King's spectacular illustrations with their numerous details and decorative elements.

The Young King

The story starts with a poor boy who was raised as a shepherd's but was actually a prince. On his sixteenth birthday, he is told that the dying king, his real grandfather acknowledges him as an heir to the throne. For some time, he is obsessed with luxury but in his dreams, the price of his demands is revealed. A lot of poor people have to suffer for his jewelry and allure. He decides to be crowned in his old shepherd's clothes but folk around him don't like the idea. Then, in the church, a magical transformation happens. From that strongly religious moment, he is accepted as a kind of saint.

The Birthday of Infanta

Infanta is a Spanish princess. She has a birthday and all kinds of amusements are prepared for her. The main attraction is a dancing dwarf, raised in the woods, who doesn't know everyone laughs at him for his ugliness. He even starts to believe Infanta loves him because she gave him a rose. Then he sees his own reflection for the first time. Struck by the truth his heart stops and soon after he dies. After that, Infanta orders that from then on she should be entertained only by people without hearts.

The Fisherman and His Soul

One day a fisherman caught a mermaid. She convinces him to set her free. In return, she has to come every time he calls her and sings so he can catch more fish. Soon he falls in love with her. But he can't marry a mermaid because he has a soul and she doesn't. So he does everything to get rid of the soul which really leaves him as a personified entity. Fisherman lives with the mermaid for some time but Soul tries to get him back. With patience and a streak of tricks finally succeeds in reuniting with the fisherman but he notices that Soul is now evil. He can't get back to his mermaid and he can't get rid of his soul for the second time. After years of weeping on the shore a body of mermaid appears on the sand. reuFisherman dies soon after seeing it. They are buried together and the most beautiful flowers grow on their grave.

The Star-Child

One night, a boy with a star on his forehead is found in the woods. He is raised by a woodcutter. He becomes very handsome but his actions are evil. When he offended a beggar, his looks changed. He becomes very ugly. His friends abandon him and he is sold as a slave. He is then given several dangerous tasks and is beaten a few times. He learns to sacrifice himself for others. The challenges made him a better person and his look is restored. He finally meets his real father and mother who are royalties. The Star-Child becomes a very good king but not for long.

That's it. One of the masterpieces by Oscar Wilde we are not always aware of, with exceptional illustrations by Jessie Marion King.