The Importance of Being Earnest by: Oscar Wilde
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Transcript of The Importance of Being Earnest by: Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being
Earnestby: Oscar Wilde
Swansboro High SchoolEnglish 12
The Importance of Being Earnest
• Written in 1895
• A comedy in 3 Acts
• Text is a satire. The text criticizes Victorian moral & social issues
• Immediate hit when first performed
• Uses wit, puns, exaggeration, and wordplay to create humor
Main Characters• John Worthing, aka,
“Jack”, aka “Earnest
• Algernon Montcrief, Jack’s 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, Jack’s ward
• Miss Prism, Cecily’s governess
Settings• Time: Around 1890
• Place: • London (“the
City”)• Jack’s House in the
Country (a very large and expensive estate)
• The village church
Victorian Period• Named for Queen
Victoria of England (1827-1901)
• The culture was very moral and serious
• Women were expected to be the “angel in the house” – to take the care of their husband and family
Queen Victoria• Became Queen as a
young girl
• Married Albert, Prince Consort and adored him
• After he died, she wore black for the rest of her life
• She had 9 children and created a culture that valued family & stability
Victorian Period• Manners were supremely
important
• English society was divided into classes• Upper (Well-educated
and came from a rich / respected family)
• Having good manners mattered more than anything else
• Considered bad manners to flaunt wealth
Victorian Period• Young women were
always chaperoned until they were married
• Women’s clothing covered them from neck to ankle; modest clothes
• In the upper classes, people with a bad reputation were outcasts no matter how much money they had
Oscar Wilde - Author• Born in Ireland; lived in
England & abroad
• Attended Trinity College in Ireland & Oxford University in England
• Believed in the value of “art for art’s sake” – art should not be concerned with political issues.
• Wrote the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde• With other writers &
artists, rebelled against the prim, moral, religious culture of Victorian England
• Was known to be wild, flamboyant and witty
• Although homosexual, married, and had children
• Being homosexual was illegal, and he served time in prison for it
Literary Vocabulary• Comedy – light-hearted
literature with humor & 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 & funny with language
• Pun – a play on words
Literary Vocabulary• Foil – the character
who contrasts the main character (the foil “reflects” the traits of the main character)
• Blocking figure – a character, often old & cranky, who interferes with the romantic desires or the other main characters and provides comic action