THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST By Oscar Wilde ( )

The Importance of Being Earnest  Written in 1895  A Comedy in 3 Acts  Is a satire  Immediate hit when first performed  Criticizes Victorian moral and social values  Bridges Victorian period/literature with Modern  Uses wit, puns, exaggeration, and wordplay to create humor

Fun with words  Quip- Clever, witty remark or comment  Comedy - light-hearted literature with humor and 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 and funny with language  Pun - a play on words

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(s):  London (“the City”)  Jack’s House in the Country (a very large estate)  The village church

Settings  Jack’s Country House

Settings  Jack’s Drawing Room

Settings  Lady Bracknell’s mansion in London

Victorian Period  Named for Queen Victoria of England  Was Queen from  Followed the reign of “Mad” King George  The culture was very moral and serious  Women were expected to be the “angel in the house” - to take 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  Had 9 children  Created a culture that valued family and stability

Victorian Period: What Wilde Was Not So Wild About  Manners were supremely important  English society was divided into classes  The Upper-class was well-educated, came from a rich and respected family (“old money”), and having good manners mattered more than anything else  Considered bad manners to flaunt wealth, but it was a common occurrence

Victorian Period  Young women were always chaperoned until they were married  Women’s clothing covered them from neck to ankle; clothes had to be modest  In the upper classes, people with a bad reputation were outcasts no matter how much money they had  Good manners were extremely important

Victorian Fashion  For the Gentlemen  Gloves  Canes  Top hats are all commonplace among the wealthy

Victorian Fashion  For the Ladies  All ladies would dress “fairly” conservatively depending upon age / station / “new” money vs. “old” money

Victorian Period  People did not just “drop in” to visit - they made formal appointments  Refreshments were expected when visitors came to “call” (visit) - usually tea and cake or tiny, elegant cucumber sandwiches  Men were expected to be well-educated  Women were expected to marry well

Oscar Wilde – About the Author  Born in Ireland; lived in England and abroad  Attended Trinity College in Ireland and Oxford University in England  Very witty and funny  Believed in the value of “art for art’s sake” - art (literature) should not be concerned with political issues  Wrote several plays, but only one novel  Novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde  With other writers and artists, rebelled against the prim, moral, religious culture of Victorian England  Was known to be wild, flamboyant, witty  Although homosexual, married and had children  Being homosexual was illegal, and he served time in prison for it

Oscar Wilde-in short:  Handsome  Loved clothes  Could be quite dramatic  Completely unique  Came from upper-class family  Brilliant writer  Loved to shock people  “Bad Boy” of his time  After prison, he was never allowed to see his family again  Spent the remainder of his life in Paris  Died alone and poor in Paris

Literary Vocabulary  Comedy - light-hearted literature with humor and 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 and funny with language  Pun - a play on words

Literary Vocabulary  Protagonist - the main character  Foil - the character who contrasts the main character or intensifies another character’s personality trait(s) (the foil “reflects” the traits of the main character)  Blocking figure - A character, often old and cranky, who interferes with the romantic desires of the other characters and provides comic action  Motif - a recurring character or element repeated in a literary work. [Such As...]  Food is a motif in The Importance of Being Earnest  Rules and Breaking the Rules is also a motif

The Importance of Being Earnest  Oscar Wilde created many amusing quotes

Oscar Wilde Quotes  “I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself. “  “I can resist everything except temptation. “

Oscar Wilde Quotes  “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train. “  “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. ”

The Importance of Being Earnest  Even though this play was written more than 100 years ago, it continues to be very popular  More than one movie has been made of this play, the most recent in the past 10 years

Importance of Being Earnest  The title of the play is a pun.  To be “earnest” means to be serious, and the main character (John/Jack) uses the name “Earnest” when he is in the city  “Bunburying” is using an alias to “get away with” avoiding social obligatioins

Importance of Being Earnest  What have you learned so far?  Know the characters, the setting, the plot  Know the basic facts about the author  Know the basic facts of Victorian England  Know the literary vocabulary required  Understand that this play is a comedy