Oscar Wilde and the Cultures of Childhood

Critical Essays on Oscar Wilde and Children’s Culture

This is the first collection of critical essays that explores Oscar Wilde’s interest in children’s culture, whether in relation to his famous fairy stories, his life as a caring father to two small boys, his place as a defender of children’s rights within the prison system, his fascination with youthful beauty, and his theological contemplation of what it means to be a child in the eyes of God.

The collection also examines the ways in which Wilde’s works—not just his fairy stories—have been adapted for young audiences.