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the importance of being earnest

Uploaded by maci_mf on Mar 09, 2009

The Importance of Being Earnest: Satirical Irony
The Importance of Being Earnest is a play written by Oscar Wilde and first performed in 1895. Like Most of his plays, it is a satire, set in England in the late Victorian era. Wilde was a well-known European playwright. Robert Ross once said that Wilde, “never regarded his works as an adequate expression of his extraordinary genius and his magnificent intellectual endowment.” (Agate, 1947) However, this intriguing piece of work is an exception. More than any of his other plays, The Importance of Being Earnest embodies Wilde’s decency, warmth, and legendary wit. Critics say it is a whitty outlook on the Victorian upper class, exposing a world of shallow indifference and true love. (Tymes) Not only a satire, it is also full of very obvious irony, both situational and dramatic. Even the title turns out to have a hidden meaning in the end. With a comedic approach, Wilde uses irony to ridicule the absurdities of lovers’ courtship rituals, their false faces, and their secrets.
In the Victorian era, courtship rituals were slightly different from more modern times. “Courting the Victorian Women” explains that courtship was advanced by gradations, with couples speaking first, walking out together, and finally keeping company after mutual attraction had been confirmed. (Hoppe) Jack, in all his seriousness, refutes the rituals. Upon Gwendolen’s acceptance of his proposal, the problems with social affairs begin to pour out. Lady Bracknell and Algernon’s objections are a prime example of dating issues in the Victorian era. Some say that Wilde viewed marriage to be full of hypocrisy and used to achieve social status (Cliffs Notes), which is exactly what he shows through Lady Bracknell and Algernon. Lady Bracknell’s harsh criticism and stubborn ways are customary of upper-class mothers in the era. Ironically enough, Algernon later develops a kind of forbidden love. The object of his affection is young and being taught to be unimaginative and serious. As the daughter of Jack’s adopted father, Cecily is under the direction of Jack, which creates turmoil. Cecily’s governess disapproves, showing another example of Wilde’s ridicule of social class.
One thing that Jack and Algernon have in common is that they both have false faces. Algernon’s alter ego Bunbury is a version of himself used in the country. ...

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Uploaded by:   maci_mf

Date:   03/09/2009

Category:   Literature

Length:   5 pages (1,100 words)

Views:   6897

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