Talk:The Devoted Friend

Included section on what Wilde's intended audience was because it was a common topic amongst the scholarly articles I read, and like other stories of the time adults seemed to enjoy Wilde's stories just as much as children. Included section on gay themes because it was another common topic in scholarly articles and is extremely important given Wilde's life and sexuality. Considered omitting the critical reception because the reviews I found of The Happy Prince and Other Tales were fairly repetitive, but ultimately decided to keep the section because I believe it emphasizes how much of an influence Andersen was on Wilde. I chose to put the topics in this order for thematic reasons - it's interesting to consider the intended age group, and then consider the homosexual themes in the story immediately after. Critical reception seemed appropriate last as it gives a sense of closure and a final word. Considered a literary influences section but it seemed repetitive as most scholars have similar things to say regarding Andersen's influence. Bgk92 (talk) 06:07, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

Plot summary was given in full detail for readers who are unaware of the story's plot. Considered dropping the beginning and end, concerning the linnet and rat, but considered the final remarks important and the beginning a good setup to the story. Included all Hans and miller interactions so reader can appreciate miller's selfishness and hipocracy as well as Hans' devotion to his friend. Intended section could include adaptations but do to the stories low level of fame among Oscar Wilde's works, it has been difficult to find any adaptations, if indeed there are any. The order of paragraphs in the plot section is chronological as it makes the most sense for this section. Was unable to find a picture specific to "The Devoted Friend" so resolved to use one for the collection of Wilde stories which included "The Devoted Friend" instead.Clevermammoth (talk) 07:10, 15 February 2013 (UTC) One suggestion is to include a content box on the top right of your page. This box generally consists of a picture, author name, publisher, publication date, genre, language and country. By including this "box" your layout is enhanced. Here is a link which illustrates what i am implying. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid

Gay Themes
Although most individuals have become more accustomed to the word "gay," may I suggest that it be changed to Homosexual Themes. The reasoning for this is that the word "gay" is most often used in a negative way and could be taken offensively. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Commoncharacter (talk • contribs) 22:15, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

I agree with the above statement though I would have to argue that the title itself is a little garish. I would remove the "Homosexual" portion of the Heading and just have it as Themes and then divulge into the content of the heading underneath Shybou (talk) 00:11, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Homosexual Themes
If you are going to include homosexual themes I would suggest that you alway include other themes withen in story. Just becuase homosexuality is a key component to understanding Wildes life, it does not mean that one should not include other themes within the story. Also it was very wise to change the heading, good choice. MermaiddolphinOGT (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 00:15, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Merge
I do not see why this short story merits an article of its own. The content should be merged with The Happy Prince and Other Tales. --Wavehunter (talk) 12:12, 31 March 2014 (UTC)