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The Importance of Being Earnest by: Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest by: Oscar Wilde. Swansboro High School English 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

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The Importance of Being Earnest by: Oscar Wilde

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  1. The Importance of Being Earnestby: Oscar Wilde Swansboro High School English 12

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Settings • Time: Around 1890 • Place: • London (“the City”) • Jack’s House in the Country (a very large and expensive estate) • The village church

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

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