The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• By Oscar Wilde
• (1854-1900)

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• Written in 1895
• A Comedy in 3 Acts
• Is a satire
• Immediate hit when first performed
• Criticizes Victorian moral and social values
• Bridges Victorian period/literature with Modern
• Uses wit, puns, exaggeration, and wordplay to
  create humor

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Importance of Being Earnest

• The title of the play is a pun.
• To be earnest means to be serious, and the main
  character (John/Jack) uses the name Earnest
  when he is in the city
• Bunburying is using an alias to get away with
  avoiding social obligatioins

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Main Characters

• John Worthing, aka Jack, aka Earnest
• Algernon Montcrief, Jacks friend
• Lane, the butler for Algernon
• Rev. Chausible, the preacher in the country

• Lady Bracknell, mother of Gwendolyn
• Gwendolyn, wants to marry a man named Earnest
• Cecily, Jacks ward
• Miss Prism, Cecilys governess

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Settings

• Time Around 1890
• Place(s)
• London (the City)
• Jacks House in the Country (a very large estate)
• The village church

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Settings

• Jacks Country House

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Settings

• Jacks Drawing Room

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Settings

• Lady Bracknells mansion in London

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Victorian Period

• Named for Queen Victoria of England
• Was Queen from 1837-1901
• Followed the reign of Mad King George
• The culture was very moral and serious
• Women were expected to be the angel in the
  house - to take care of their husband and family

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Victorian Period

• Manners were supremely important
• English society was divided into classes
• The Upper-class was well-educated, came from a
  rich and respected family (old money), and
  having good manners mattered more than anything
  else
• Considered bad manners to flaunt wealth

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Victorian Period

• Young women were always chaperoned until they
  were married
• Womens clothing covered them from neck to ankle
  clothes had to be modest
• In the upper classes, people with a bad
  reputation were outcasts no matter how much money
  they had
• Good manners were extremely important

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Victorian Fashion

• For the Gentlemen

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Victorian Fashion

• For the Ladies

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Victorian Period

• People did not just drop in to visit - they
  made formal appointments
• Refreshments were expected when visitors came to
  call (visit) - usually tea and cake or tiny,
  elegant cucumber sandwiches
• Men were expected to be well-educated
• Women were expected to marry well

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Oscar Wilde - Author

• Born in Ireland lived in England and abroad
• Attended Trinity College in Ireland and Oxford
  University in England
• Very witty and funny
• Believed in the value of art for arts sake -
  art (literature) should not be concerned with
  political issues
• Came from upper-class family
• Bad Boy of his time - The Lil Wayne of his
  day (but well-educated)

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Oscar Wilde

• With other writers and artists, rebelled against
  the prim, moral, religious culture of Victorian
  England
• Was known to be wild, flamboyant, witty
• Although homosexual, married and had children
• Being homosexual was illegal, and he served time
  in prison for it

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Literary Vocabulary

• Comedy - light-hearted literature with humor and
  a happy ending
• Satire - literary writing that makes fun of or
  criticizes the faults of people or groups.
  Purpose is to point out flaws
• Wit - using words to be clever and funny with
  language
• Pun - a play on words

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Literary Vocabulary

• Protagonist - the main character
• Foil - the character who contrasts the main
  character (the foil reflects the traits of the
  main character)
• Blocking figure - A character, often old and
  cranky, who interferes with the romantic desires
  or the other main characters and provides comic
  action

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Literary Vocabulary

• Motif - a recurring character or element repeated
  in a literary work. Food is a motif in The
  Importance of Being Earnest

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Satire and Farce

• Satireusing exaggeration to help humor make
  people laugh at their own weaknesses
• Farce--a comedy which aims to entertain the
  audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and
  improbable situations, disguise and mistaken
  identity, verbal humor of varying degrees of
  sophistication

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Four Main Topics Satirized

• Class
• Marriage / love

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Four Main Topics Satirized

• Art
• Truth