The Nightingale and The Rose : Short Story

Hello Readers! 

Now I'm going to share my B. A studies blog with you. We studied many novel's, drama, poetry, Short Story etc... Now I'm sharing with you the Short Story of The Nightingale and the Rose", one of the famous story written by Oscar Wilde. Let's we look in deep.

• Oscar Wilde 

Author, playwright and poet Oscar Wilde was a popular literary figure in late Victorian England. After graduating from Oxford University, he lectured as a poet, art critic and a leading proponent of the principles of aestheticism. In 1891, he published The Picture of Dorian Gray, his only novel which was panned as immoral by Victorian critics, but is now considered one of his most notable works. As a dramatist, many of Wilde’s plays were well received including his satirical comedies Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), his most famous play. Unconventional in his writing and life, Wilde’s affair with a young man led to his arrest on charges of "gross indecency" in 1895. He was imprisoned for two years and died in poverty three years after his release at the age of 46. Click here for know more about Oscar Wilde.

The Nightingale and Rose 

The Nightingale and Rose written by Oscar Wilde. It is very interesting Short story. Let's we look analysis of the story "The Nightingale and Rose".

• Title : The Nightingale and Rose 

The Nightingale and Rose is a Fairy tale story. The story is suggestive with "Art for Art's sake" as Oscar Wilde is believed of it. The title of the short story indicates that the narrative may be a fable or a fairy tale, but also that there may be a hidden symbolism behind it. As the Story reveals the main character of the Short Story is Nightingale. 

Many times writers give title of their works  bases on the main character ,main elements or main ideas of the work. Here we can see that the Bird nightingale's sacrifice is centre of the story and the symbol of the Rose is central elements of the story. So we can say that write uses very suitable and appropriate title for the Story. 

• Main Theme of the story 

• Sacrifice 
• Love 
• Materialism 

1.Theme of Sacrifice 

The theme of Sacrifice is solely explored in the short story through the character of Nightingale. The bird illustrates willpower and the name of an idea and for the sake of others. When she hears the students lamenting his bad Faith because he is unable to be with the girl he loves because he does not have a red rose. The Nightingale immediately relates to him and understands his sorrow.

First, she is willing to sacrifice her time and give away her songs to get the rose. 

2. Love of Love 

The theme of Love of Love is also explored in the short story through the Nightingale, although the bird sets of to help a student in love ( a practical example of love), the birds seems also very inspired by the idea of love itself, which the nightingale describes in almost absolute terms:

Surly love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals pearls and pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in the market-place.

3. Materialism 

Materialism is explored in the short story through the human character: the student, the professor's daughter, and the chamberlain's nephew. All these characters are materialistic in some sense.

The student evoke the rational side of materialism as he needs to see a practical end in all endeavours, He needs his love to manifest at the practical level.

• Main Symbol of the story    

   1. Red Rose

   2. Nightingale 

   3. Lizard 

   4. Silk

   5. A Dusty Book

A Red Rose

Red roses are traditionally associated with romance so it is not surprisingly that wild uses one  to symbolise true love in "The Nightingale and the Rose". It's significance, however, shifts over the context of the story. At First the rose appears to represent the students love for the girl. Since her refusal to dance with him unless he brings her the flower makes the flower into a piece of evidence that his feelings are genuine. By sacrificing her life to bring the student a rose, the  Nightingale further underscores this idea that the flower is an expression of true love, in fact,  the Rose quite literally comes from the nightingale's heart, because she uses her blood to stain it red. In the end, however, neither the student nor the girl is able to appreciate the Rose's symbolical significance. The girl, for instance, compare the rose unfavourably to the Jewels she has received from another suitor, which the student reacts angrily when the girl goes back on her promise to dance with him. This suggests that neither character or ever truly saw the rose's as a  symbol of love, but rather as a kind of currency to buy someone's affection. 

2. Nightingale 

Nightingale's defining characteristic is the beautiful voice which she uses largely as a means of bringing pleasure to others. A truthful, devoted pursuer of love, who dares to sacrifice his own precious life. 

" All night long she sang with her breast against the thorn she kept on singing, the thorn went deeper into her breast, until the rose sucked all her blood."

3. Lizard 

Cynical pessimist, a person who sees little no good in anything and who has no belief in human progress.

"Why he weeping?" 
Asked a little Green Lizards, as he ran past him with his tail in the air. "how very ridiculous!" and the  little Lizard, who was something of a cynic, laughed outright. 

4. Silk 

The blue silk the girl is winding is a symbol of her shallowness and materialism silk is a luxury fabric, so its appearance foreshadows the girls rejection of the rose in favour of more monetarily valuable jewels. The colour of the fabric is significant as well as, because European artists have traditionally depicted the virgin Mary draped in blue silk. In this case, however, the use of the colour is ironic ; Mary's blue robes typically signally, her heavenly nature, but the girl in "The Nightingale and the Rose" is entirely worldly.     

5. The Dusty Book 

At the end of "The Nightingale and the Rose" , the student rejects loves and returns to studying metaphysics. The book he opens is dusty, which suggest that no one has read it in a long time. This undercuts the students claim that in studying philosophy, he will be engaging directly with practical real wold matters . The book thus symbolises the hollowness of the intellectualism the student espouses.


Thank you.... 

Citation :

Oscar Wilde.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 10 Oct. 2019, www.biography.com/.amp/writer/oscar-wilde.