1. Identifying the Dramatic Genre of Comedy of Manners A play that shows the humorous traits of a particular segment of society – usually the upper class This type of comedy is also known at times as drawing room comedy because the main action of the plays takes place in the drawing rooms of upper – class citizens.

2. A comedy of manners usually mocks or makes fun of the pretensions of the upper class.

3. Comedy of manners is built on the clever use of language and the wit of the comedy of manners style include the uses of PUN – an amusing use of a word or phrase which has several meanings or which sounds like another word: This is a well-known joke based on a pun: "What's black and white and red (= read) all over?" "A newspaper."

4. PARADOXES – a statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received belief a situation or statement which seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics: [+ that] It's a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.

5. EPIGRAM – a short saying or poem which expresses an idea in a way that is clever and amusing 1 : a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought 2 : a witty and often paradoxical saying: One of Oscar Wilde's most frequently quoted epigrams is "I can resist everything except temptation".

6. IRONY - 1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend. 2. Literature. a. a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated. b. (esp. in contemporary writing) a manner of organising a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., esp. as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion. 3. S OCRATIC IRONY. S OCRATIC IRONY. pretended ignorance in discussion. 4. DRAMATIC IRONY. DRAMATIC IRONY. irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.

7. Irony 5. an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected. 6. the incongruity of this. 7. an objectively sardonic style of speech or writing. 8. an objectively or humorously sardonic utterance, disposition, quality,

8. The language is clever and attacks the socially- accepted standards of the day: SATIRE: This ridicules human folly, societal views or individuals. In most cases A satirist will have the goal of changing something for the better by ridiculing it. Well-known satirists – Oscar Wilde, G B Shaw, Ben Jonson, Aristophanes.

9. PRACTICAL TASKS IDENTIFY EXAMPLES OF EACH OF THE TYPES OF HUMOUR THAT WILDE USES IN THE PLAY ….RECORD THE TEXT QUOTATION…… EXPLAIN WHY THE COMIC PHRASES YOU HAVE CHOSEN ARE HUMOROUS ONCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE PHRASES CHOOSE A PARTNER AND EXPLORE THE DELIVERY OF THESE COMEDY LINES

10. DELIVERY OF COMIC LINES IN COMEDY OF MANNERS In a drama form such as comedy of manners delivery of the comic line which could either be an epigram or ironic comment the delivery and intonation is important. The actor must say the line without pointing out the “joke” to the audience. The cadence of the sentence should exist as if the sentence was perfect sense – particularly in the case of paradox The wordy nature of Wilde’s plays requires the comedy to be played as witty repartee – seriously trivial.