My students always ask‚ “Did the author do that on purpose or was that just a coincidence?” The question is following some discussion of circumstance‚ character‚ or wording. My response is always some version of‚ “There are no coincidences in [good] literature.” Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a fast-paced comedy of errors and chance that shows the transitioning gender roles of the Victorian era. The play provides numerous laughs thanks to Wilde’s wit and wordsmithing. Contemporary
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest English-language films Victorian era
Our concepts of class and wealth are usually coupled together—if a person is wealthy‚ we generally we generally view him/her as also being upper class‚ and vice-versa. This notion‚ however‚ is not present in The Importance of Being Earnest. In this play‚ wealth and class are rather different‚ yet they are so in ways that are not too surprising. If a character is wealthy‚ then they have a relatively large amount of money or land‚ whereas an upper class person simply acts a certain way. Algernon
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest English-language films Sociology
Gwendolen’s father‚ Lord Bracknell‚ never appears in the play‚ yet Lady Bracknell mentions him often. What picture of his life and marriage do we get from the things she and Gwendolen say about him? In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’‚ Lady Bracknell’s offstage marriage is one of the play’s running gags‚ and Lord Bracknell is an instrument for Oscar Wilde to joke about marriage and the roles of the sexes. In the following essay‚ we shall examine Lord Bracknell’s personal life and marriage based
Premium Marriage Gender Gender role
In her thesis‚ Meijers says‚ “Throughout the Victorian period‚ there was a strict separation between the public and the private sphere. Men were to handle public affairs and women were to take charge of domestic life” (Meijers 7). In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde employs a reversal of gender roles‚ including a shift in power that predates this movement‚ effectively challenging traditional Victorian views. He does so by giving his female cast‚ notably Lady Bracknell‚ Cecily Cardew and
Premium Gender Gender role Woman
result they are rarely given the attention they deserve. In Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest‚” we see cleverly hidden details within the drama that‚ while serving significant roles‚ people may view as inhibitors to understanding the play. Cigarette cases and tea parties are two of the many details within the drama that contain background meanings; their most prominent purpose being to emphasize the importance of propriety within their era. However‚ they also play substitute roles in accentuating
Premium Irony Victorian era Comedy
creating comedy in the ‘Importance of Being Earnest’? Dramatic comedy originated in Ancient Greece in 5th century BC‚ centred around loose plot lines and exploiting certain situations through parody‚ farce and mockery. Comedy started developing in 4th Century BC where intricate plot lines were introduced‚ commonly based around love and romance and usually culminating in a satisfactory and happy resolution. This is much like the structure of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ as the play revolves
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest Comedy English-language films
The Importance of Being Earnest‚ by Oscar Wilde‚ has many characters that play important roles throughout different parts of the play. Each character sets up as an obstacle for another character. The character that played a major part in the play‚ even though it was not known until later in the play‚ was Miss Prism. She knew something that would change the attitude and lives of the main characters. She did not reveal this secret nor would she have if she had not been called out on it by a person
Premium
It is very interesting how food and eating play a surprisingly large part in Oscar Wilde’s play‚ The Importance of Being Earnest. Both appear to express many different things such as‚ demands and emotions within the play’s characters. Moreover‚ food and eating also seem to be the sources of a great deal of conflict because every time food is mentioned some type of dispute between the character arises. Also‚ these expressions seem to not be very appropriate‚ respectable‚ or polite enough to communicate
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest Food Nutrition
Creative Response English 205 Dear Mr. Marlowe‚ I just read your play‚ “Doctor Faustus”. I really enjoyed your work. I thought it was a very interesting plot. In addition‚ your characters were exciting and entertaining. I am sure this play involving the devil and demons had much criticism in your time. How did the audience react when they first watched this play? Also‚ what made you decide to write about these things? My favorite character in the play was Mephastophilis. He seems to be a “good”
Premium God Good and evil Demon
Creative Response to The Turn of the Screw That afternoon‚ I found myself alone with the governess. My older brother Miles‚ as always‚ wanted to finish one of his books. It was quaint how he always was in a hurry to finish his books‚ even though he told me he disliked books. I‚ on the other hand‚ wanted to enjoy the outdoors. Miss Jessel often forced Miles to join us when we went to the lake‚ but the new governess was not at all like that‚ she just agreed to anything Miles said. It was somewhat
Premium English-language films Family Psychology