Major Works Data Sheet The Importance Of Being Ernest
Major Works Data Sheet
Fabbiha Chowdhury, Rebecca Rich, Yusra Ahmed- Band 2
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest Author: Oscar Wilde Date of Publication: December, 1898 Genre: Satire, Comedy of Manners
Historical information about the period of publications: Wilde originally wrote the play during the summer of 1894 in Worthing, England. Although it was performed the following year, it wasn’t published until 1898 due to Wilde’s tainted reputation and bankruptcy. Wilde had prosecuted the Marquis of Queensbury, the father of his male lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, for publicly harassing him and calling him a “posing sodomite”. He went bankrupt after losing the libel trial. The Importance of Being Earnest was well received, …show more content…
The opening scene is at Algernon Moncrieff’s house. As the play progresses, the setting changes to a more rural area, Hertfordshire, where Jack has Miss Cecily. The opening scene establishes the highly stylized, careless atmosphere seen in elite society. A society where people are surrounded by materialism and care a lot about their cucumber sandwiches and furniture. Everyone including the play’s protagonists are concerned with themselves. Significance of the ending/closing scene
The ending of the play satirizes the Victorian Society and the behaviors and values of the upper class. It ends with a complex paradox of Jack, finding out he had been Ernest the whole time when he was deceiving his friends and family. It also shows the hypocrisy of Victorian society and their values have little meaning, being more interested on surface than interior feelings. Wilde criticizes many aspects of the Victorian society and through this, forced readers to revalue their morals and
Fabbiha Chowdhury, Rebecca Rich, Yusra Ahmed- Band 2
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest Author: Oscar Wilde Date of Publication: December, 1898 Genre: Satire, Comedy of Manners
Historical information about the period of publications: Wilde originally wrote the play during the summer of 1894 in Worthing, England. Although it was performed the following year, it wasn’t published until 1898 due to Wilde’s tainted reputation and bankruptcy. Wilde had prosecuted the Marquis of Queensbury, the father of his male lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, for publicly harassing him and calling him a “posing sodomite”. He went bankrupt after losing the libel trial. The Importance of Being Earnest was well received, …show more content…
The opening scene is at Algernon Moncrieff’s house. As the play progresses, the setting changes to a more rural area, Hertfordshire, where Jack has Miss Cecily. The opening scene establishes the highly stylized, careless atmosphere seen in elite society. A society where people are surrounded by materialism and care a lot about their cucumber sandwiches and furniture. Everyone including the play’s protagonists are concerned with themselves. Significance of the ending/closing scene
The ending of the play satirizes the Victorian Society and the behaviors and values of the upper class. It ends with a complex paradox of Jack, finding out he had been Ernest the whole time when he was deceiving his friends and family. It also shows the hypocrisy of Victorian society and their values have little meaning, being more interested on surface than interior feelings. Wilde criticizes many aspects of the Victorian society and through this, forced readers to revalue their morals and