The Importance of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• By Oscar Wilde
• (1854-1900)

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The Importance of being Earnest

• Define decadence.
• Explain decadence as it relates to our society.
• Apply decadence to your own life.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• Identify the various opinions of marriage.
• What is todays societys opinion of marriage?
• How does the title relate to the idea of marriage?

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• Describe morality according to what you know
  about it.
• Identify the moral character of one person in the
  play. Use examples to support your opinion.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• Friendship is far more tragic than love. It
  lasts longer.
• True statement or Untrue? Define your answer.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• Written in 1895
• A Comedy in 3 Acts
• 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.

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Main Characters

• John Worthing, aka Jack, aka Earnest
• Algernon Montcrief, Jacks 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, Jacks ward
• Miss Prism, Cecilys governess

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Settings

• Time Around 1890
• London (the City)
• Jacks House in the Country (a very large estate)
• The village church

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Settings

• Jacks Country House

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Settings

• Jacks Drawing Room

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Settings

• Lady Bracknells mansion in London

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Victorian Period

• Named for Queen Victoria of England
• Was Queen from 1837-1901
• 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

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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

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Victorian Period

• 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

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Victorian Period

• Young women were always chaperoned until they
  were married
• Womens 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

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Victorian Rules for Dinner Parties

• Number of men number of women
• Guests spaced 2 feet apart
• Loud talkers seated near center so everyone can
  hear them.
• Conversation is not to talk continually, but to
  listen and speak in turn.
• Do not monopolize a conversation, or interrupt a
  speaker to finish the story.
• If you are conversing with people who know less
  than you, do not lead the conversation where they
  can not follow.

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Victorian Rules for Men

• Talk about subjects ladies like.
• Avoid talking about politics.
• Bow and lift hat when greeting ladies.
• Dont smoke in front of ladies
• While courting a gentleman may offer a gift of
  candy, flowers, or a book. A woman may not give
  a gentleman a gift until one is offered to her,
  then it is one that is artistic, handmade, and
  inexpensive.
• Propose in writing

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Victorian Rules for Women

• When introduced to a man, a lady should never
  offer her hand, merely bow politely and say, I
  am happy to make your acquaintance.
• A young lady should be expected to shine in the
  art of conversation, but not too brightly.
  Emphasis should be on the tone of her voice.

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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

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Oscar Wilde - Author

• Born in Ireland lived in England and abroad
• Attended Trinity College in Ireland and Oxford
  University in England
• Considered very witty and funny
• Believed in the value of art for arts sake -
  art (literature) should not be concerned with
  political issues
• Wrote several plays, but only one novel
• Novel The Picture of Dorian Gray

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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, he married and had children.
• Being homosexual was illegal, and he served time
  in prison for it.

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Oscar Wilde

• Handsome
• Loved clothes
• Could be quite dramatic
• Completely unique

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Oscar Wilde

• Came from upper-class family
• Brilliant writer
• Loved to shock people
• Bad Boy of his time - The Lil Wayne of his
  day (but well-educated)
• Died alone and poor in Paris

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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

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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 and
  cranky, who interferes with the romantic desires
  or the other main characters and provides comic
  action
• Motif - a recurring character or element repeated
  in a literary work. Food is a motif in The
  Importance of Being Earnest

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Amusing Quotes by Oscar Wildeildes Epigrammatic
Useepigram a witty saying

• Friendship is far more tragic than love. It
  lasts longer.
• All women become like their mothers. That is
  their tragedy. No man does. Thats his.
• To lose one parent may be regarded as a
  misfortune to lose both looks like
  carelessness.
• The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

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Chiasmus A figure of speech by which the order
of the terms in the first of the two parallel
clauses is reversed in the second.

• "Life imitates artfar more thanart imitates
  life.
• "When we are happy we are always good,but when
  we are good we are not always happy.
• "When a man sayshe has exhausted lifeone always
  knowslife has exhausted him."

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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

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Importance of Being Earnest

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