Oscar Wilde, rather than focusing on the lower classes or social conditions as other authors of his time did, chose to satirize the life of the English aristocracy, a world with which he was personally familiar.
His characters are typical Victorian snobs; they are often arrogant, overly proper, formal, and concerned with money. Lady Bracknell in particular embodies the stereotype of the Victorian English aristocrat. Wilde focuses on the easy life of the wealthy, none of whom seem to work at all. Indeed, the main concern of all the characters in the play is something that Wilde viewed as rather trivial: marriage.
Of course, Wilde pokes fun at the institution of marriage, which he saw as a practice surrounded by hypocrisy and absurdity. The Importance of Being Earnest depicts marriage and social values as something often tied together in destructive ways.
Ultimately, the aristocracy does not see marriage as an organ of love, but rather as a tool for achieving or sustaining social stature. This is the major theme of the play.
After having read the first Act of IOBE; and taking into account the Introduction to this post, choose and comment on ONE of the following questions.
NOTE: PLEASE, mind language and grammar mistakes.
NOTE: PLEASE, mind language and grammar mistakes
Eventhough this is not an essay, your written ideas should always have the same structure (INTRODUCTION; DEVELOPMENT AND CONCLUSION). All future entries with similar objectives (written opinion or analysis) will be considered as part of your evaluation and GRADED as such.
Only one warning: NO PLAGIORISM WILL BE ADMITTED. The blog is meant for you to express your own views. If you consider something somebody else has said interesting and you want to share it, ACKNOWEDGE the source. This will be so for every assignment in our subject.
Good luck!
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1) Put Gwendolen's "ideals" together with Lady Bracknell's requirements for her suitor and try to explain the importance of marriage in this play.
2) Play around with the account Jack gives of his birth. What is significant about his having been discovered in an ordinary handbag lost in the cloakroom of a railroad car?
3) Jack claims at one point that he is tired of living in a society of wits. What do you think is the function of all the witty paradoxes and epigrams in this play?
4) Keep your eye on the status of the females in this play. What is the role of women in this play, and how does this role reflect 'real' women of the times?
