Two of Oscar Wilde's Magical Tales: The Nightingale and the Rose and the Selfish Giant

Rating:
Summary: THE EYES OF THE NIGHTINGALE
Review: One of the stories that I will always cherish, that I remember being told in my youth, is this one. I've heard it many times : at home from my mother (saturday morning, in a low soft voice, in the kitchen, drinking soup), in the classroom from my teacher English Literature, at the university, and from my wife. So often we tell to each other, quiet but sad, with a dark smile : 'I have read all the wise men have written and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for the lack of a red rose my life is made wretched' (I don't know if it's quoted without mistakes). Everything we have is nothing compared to the love we lack, and even if we sacrifice a lot for it, it doesn't change but for a moment. The Nightingale, thinking she could solve it all by sacrificing herself, is pure tragic, and that gripped me most in the tale. I'm afraid I can't remember being told the Selfish Giant. I first heard it in the recent film 'Wilde'. Written for children, I think these tales are suitable for everyone who loves to laugh and cry without having too much troubles on their minds, and by learning a great deal about live through the eyes of Oscar Wilde. But are the eyes of Oscar Wilde those of the Selfish Giant or of the Nightingale ? One of the few questions that deserves no answer !