Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy that used the figure of the upper class dandy to critique the narrow-mindedness of the middle class in the 1890s. What makes this play so funny is that the upper class is illustrated as silly when they try to mock the earnest middle class. Proud characters who were bred in high society‚ such as Lady Bracknell and her daughter Gwendolen‚ may think that they are making particularly nasty snubs‚ but they do not seem to realize that Wilde cleverly
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest English-language films Victorian era
The Marxist literary criticism according to the Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary theory describes that a novel should unmask or accentuate a more whole understanding of a community. Marxist criticism analyzes ways in which a human is formed and socialized through manufactured views of reality and truth. (Fish‚ Tom) The novel A Prayer for Owen Meany is a good example of underlying patterns and manufactured views of reality and truth. If we examine John Irving’s novel A Prayer for
Premium Social class Marxism Family
What are one’s values? In the Importance of Being Earnest‚ the aristocrats have similar values as do the people today have. The aristocracy value things such as: one’s social status‚ wealth‚ and where an individual comes from. Although‚ not everyone that was part of the aristocracy shared the same values. Algernon and Cecily’s relationship were not ideal for the values of the aristocracy. In Algernon and Cecily’s relationship‚ wealth was not a topic of conversation‚ one’s background was never
Premium Sociology Morality English-language films
Rossetti’s Goblin Market viewed by Marxist criticism The poem‚ “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti‚ was originally intended to be a fairytale to teach children the simple cliché: “Don’t trust strangers.” Nevertheless‚ whether intended or not‚ the convoluted manner in which Rossetti crafts this poem‚ demonstrates that there are deeper meanings to this poem. The poem is no longer regarded as just a children’s fable‚ but instead is viewed as social commentary in which Rossetti is commenting about
Premium Social class Marxism Sociology
It is clear from an analysis of Macbeth that it embodies aspects of the dominant ideology at the time that it was written. The play acts as propaganda for a monarchial leadership and therefore a marxist criticism of the play should be looked at. As the essential meaning of any text is ultimately dependent on the responder‚ a look at a second reading of a Christian perspective‚ with its views on natural order‚ gives a more holistic view and deeper understanding to the play. At the time that Shakespeare
Free Macbeth William Shakespeare
What is satirised by Wilde in ‘The Importance of being Earnest’? The Victorian way of life. The customs of the middle and upper class and the strict social conventions concerning social events‚ the church‚ marriage and love. 2. Why ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ is considered a comedy of manners? Because it makes fun of the mannerisms of the upper class people and their strict code of conduct. 3. What aspects of ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ are farcical? “A farce is a light
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest Comedy English-language films
period (late-Victorian). Wilde was being satirical and paradoxical in his play to show the hypocrisy and entertain the viewers in a play that is still being repeated till today. It is a witty and amusing comedy which conveys real life everyday themes such as real love as opposed to selfish love‚ religion‚ marriage‚ being truthful and country life as opposed to city life. Richard Foster‚ author of “Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at The Importance of Being Earnest”‚ published in October 1956‚ writes
Premium Victorian era Love The Importance of Being Earnest
the male sex. In the text so far Oscar Wilde shows Earnest/Jacks eagerness as a sign he could trying to assert his masculinity because that is what Victorian society is so judgemental. Prescribing the notion that women were born to dream of marriage‚ Cecily and Gwendolyn‚ from The Importance of Being Earnest‚ are caught up in the fantasies of the perfect marriage to the perfect earnest husband. Cecily and Gwendolyn are fixated on the name Earnest‚ almost as if it were an obsession; it is the ideal
Premium Gender Male Masculinity
foods and zealous matches of badminton‚ however‚ in the midst of it all lied a strict code of manners that anyone who was anyone was expected to follow. Victorian Era mannerisms were beyond extraordinary and Oscar Wilde‚ the author of The Importance of Being Earnest‚ realised this and despised them. Throughout the story‚ Oscar likes to “poke fun” at the outrageous customs of the Victorian Era. To accomplish this feat‚ Oscar uses satire to ridicule the appalling customs and opinions of the Victorian
Premium Victorian era The Importance of Being Earnest Victoria of the United Kingdom
Post-Apocalyptic Hierarchies: A Marxist Criticism of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road The storm of post-apocalyptic novels has taken much of the literary world by storm in the past century or so. This does not stop just there‚ of course‚ it branches so far into other media that the storyline of a human life following the collapse of the world as we know it is not at all an unfamiliar one. Movies‚ video games‚ and the traditional books have all taken their own look at this interesting offshoot of (science)
Premium Social class Marxism Karl Marx