Wilde's style in "The Selfish Giant" is guided by the conventions of fairytales and fables. Given that fairytales are stories that have been passed on orally and eventually written down, they typically consist of a simple and concise style. The reader of a fairytale does not expect narrative extravagance or complexity, but rather that the story will move clearly and swiftly between the most important descriptions of the setting, the characters, and plot points—with some fantastical flourishes. In line with this, the diction and syntax of "The Selfish Giant" are mostly simple and childlike:
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle.
By way of these three straightforward sentences, the reader understands how long the Giant was absent, why he was absent, who he was with, and why he came back. However, the information in this paragraph could be a story in itself—Wilde brushes aside many details in his narrative simplicity. Many questions remain unanswered: How long have the Giant and Cornish Ogre known each other? How did they become friends? What did they do for seven years, besides conversing? Did they see anyone else? In addition, Wilde leaves the reader with some irony in this paragraph, as he claims that the Giant has "limited" conversation, yet he did not run out of things to say until after seven years had passed. Nevertheless, the most important information is that the Giant was gone for a while but has now returned.
At the same time, Wilde's style is not just simple and concise. In the story, he balances his desire for narrative simplicity with the need for narrative extravagance to develop the fantastical setting. At parts in which the narrator describes the setting, Wilde makes use of literary devices like simile, imagery, and personification to animate the story. He also retires from his simple style in certain portions of dialogue. At the start of the story, the Giant speaks in a straightforward way: "My own garden is my own garden, [...] any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." Towards the end, however, the dialogue becomes more verbose and old-fashioned, as when the Giant speaks with the long lost little boy. It is possible that the Giant's salvation leads him to speak in a more biblical fashion.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou" said the Giant.
In his desire to follow the conventions of the fairytale genre, Wilde prioritizes straightforward diction and syntax, but he also uses this slightly elevated speech when appropriate, using words like "hath," "thee," and "art" as a way—perhaps—of highlighting the Giant's transformation.
