The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde “The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either‚ and modern literature a complete impossibility” (Wilde 14). As a brilliant writer of the 1800’s‚ Oscar Wilde devoted the majority of his works towards unveiling the harsh truths of the Victorian society. Leading a life of deception himself‚ he chose to showcase his distastes for the social injustice he saw around him with unrestrained humor. Being the first
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Chiderah Onyeukwu Professor Daniel Galvin English 213 18 April 2013 Role of Marriage in Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde’s last and most famous play‚ debuted in London on February 14‚ 1895. Throughout the play‚ one major theme seems to override the others. That theme is the role of marriage; the question of whether marriage as an institution is “pleasant” or “unpleasant” comes up repeatedly. It seems as if every character has a strong stance on the role of
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not live without experiencing love. On the other hand though‚ love is just as often made a mockery of; it’s depicted as a useless feeling that only distracts people from logic and rational thinking. In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ a play by Oscar Wilde set in Victorian England‚ love is mocked which is evident in Cecily’s lust for Ernest‚ Gwendolen’s love for the name Ernest and Algernon’s ideas of marriage. Wilde’s parodying of love is obvious when Cecily falls in love with Ernest‚ Jack’s fictitious
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not been leading a double life‚ pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.” (IOBE P.24). Most people would not create another life in order to obtain happiness as their own should give them enough pleasure. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest‚ not one‚ but two characters end up leading a double life with the same name. Jack Worthing is an upper-class man who lives in the country being Cecily Cardew’s guardian. When not in the country but in the
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What good does always being earnest do you if you are not "Ernest"? Oscar Wilde’s play‚ "The Importance of Being Earnest"‚ explores exactly this notion‚ following two men who readily abandon their namesakes in order to win the affections of their respective fair ladies. The play opens in London with a conversation held between these two men‚ Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. However‚ at the play’s origin‚ Algernon only knows his friend as "Ernest". This rapidly changes with the aid of a cigarette
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Oscar Wilde’s The Young King’ is the tale of a young man’s metamorphosis‚ through a dream quest‚ that opens his eyes to the heart rendering struggle of the poor‚ who are exploited by the rich and the powerful to satisfy their own selfish needs. The change that takes place in the Young King reflects his attainment of the virtue asked for in Christ’s message. The story begins with "the night before the day fixed for his coronation" and the young king‚ "being but sixteen years of age" sits alone in
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artists on what art should be or do. Oscar Wilde argues in his preface to “The Picture of Dorian Gray” that art is beauty or a symbol‚ but beneath that is left to the interpretation of the spectator. In Gustave Courbet’s essay “Realist Manifesto” art is knowledge to draw from to inspire his own individuality and to create living art. Although both essays bear some superficial similarities‚ the difference between Wilde’s and Courbet’s definition of art is staggering. Wilde and Courbet recognized how critics
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Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde was one of the poets who‘s lyrics refused the problems of morality and philosophy which troubled the population during the Victorian era in the nineteenth century‚ and he found images for his own moods‚ loves and experience. His work as a dramatist and his legendary name‚ have given his verses a significant reputation. (Evans‚ I.‚ 1976‚ p.114) Wilde’s pleasure in provocation and his examination of different moral perspectives are
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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 Miss Fairfax‚ power
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Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is play which comically engages with socially prescribed roles and conventions. Set within late Victorian England‚ the play follows John (Jack) Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff‚ two gentlemen who create false identities in order to escape the burdens of upper-class life. Often subtitled as A Trivial Comedy for Serious People‚ the play is characterised by a constant sense of frivolity‚ whereby the seriousness of upper-class life is absent‚ allowing Wilde
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