Importance of being Earnest

Hilarity and Social Criticism in The Importance of Being Earnest






























Outline
I. Intro
II. Historical Background
a. First performed
b. No alienation, is reaffirming
III. Characters
a. Jack and Algernon
i. Not as different as they first seem
b. Gwendolyn and Cecily
i. “New Woman”
ii. opinionated, well-educated
c. Lady Bracknell and Miss Prism
i. Opposite of other women
ii. Very proper, Victorian ideals
iii. Truth about Miss Prism’s past and its relevance
IV. Victorian Ideals
V. Wilde’s beliefs on realism
VI. Social and historical importance, precedents
VII. Conclusion


Oscar Wilde’s farcical comedy The Importance of Being Earnest is subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” The playwright himself penned this, so the reader is inevitably inclined to ask himself whether this deprecating subtitle is accurate. Despite th...