Samantha Soto Gilchrist AP English IV 28 October 2012 The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that can be viewed as a satire on the moral compass of people living in the Victorian era. The moral standards of the time held the ideas of sincerity and honesty on a high pedestal. To be Earnest would most likely fall between the two ideals; the first definition of the word earnest is “Serious in intention‚ purpose‚ or effort” and this can be a trait
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AFFINITY. Oscar Wilde was a prominent playwright of the Victorian era‚ and a personality to say the least. His biting humour and keen wit produced many popular plays and quotes of the time‚ and are still well known today. A satire is a play engaging the use of humor‚ irony‚ exaggeration‚ or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is one of his better-known satires‚ effectively ridiculing many of the Victorian values that were of the greatest
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life of Oscar Wilde is nothing special; it is actually more of a statement. Oscar Wilde lived to make a point. During the time he was alive he made many mistakes and had many triumphs. Oscar Wilde spoke his mind and didn’t let anything stop him from doing the things he wanted. Wilde is a literary genius that used his life experience in his writings. Oscar Wilde’s education‚ experiences and personal life helped form him into the acclaimed author he is today. Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde‚ or
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The Importance of Being Earnest Questions Themes (Feel free to see the questions related to the themes at http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/) Lies and Deceit Marriage Respect and Reputation Society and Class Gender Versions of Reality: Romance Love Foolishness and Folly Epigrams Define an epigram. What do the following epigrams say? Keep track of epigrams in the play. “Education is an admirable thing‚ but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing
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in Dublin‚ Irish writer Oscar Wilde is best known for the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the play The Importance of Being Earnest‚ as well as for his infamous arrest and imprisonment for being gay. Beginning in 1888‚ while he was still serving as editor of Lady’s World‚ Wilde entered a seven-year period of furious creativity‚ during which he produced nearly all of his great literary works. Around the same time that he was enjoying his greatest literary success‚ Wilde commenced an affair with
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"Gertraud Medicus" BOOK REPORT Author: Oscar Wilde Tile: The Importance of Being Earnest Date of publication: 1895 in three acts Type of Work: Comic‚ farcical play Setting Algeron´s flat in London‚ and a country house in Hertfordshire‚ England; in the 1890s Plot outline: Two men‚ Algernon and John‚ who are friends meet each other in Algy’s house where John falls in love with Gwendolen‚ the daughter of Algernon’s Aunt Augusta. John owns a house in the country‚ where everybody calls
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In his play‚ The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde portrays his beliefs by satirizing the beliefs and values of his society. Within Act I‚ Algernon states that “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” Wilde’s witty epigram projects a major theme within the play. It attacks the perception of fixed truth. The major target of Wilde’s scathing social criticism is the hypocrisy that society creates. Often in Victorian society‚ its participants acted in overly sincere‚ polite ways while
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Explore how Wilde brings to life the two different characters in this passage and what does the passage reveal about their relationship with each other? This is an extract taken from the First Act of the play The Importance of Being Earnest which is written by the English writer‚ Oscar Wilde in the 19th century. This play is a comedy of manners‚ which satirizes the values during the Victorian Era. In this extract‚ the setting is only in the city - specifically in Algernon’s flat in Half-Moon
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Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ A Trivial Comedy For Serious People is a play about two friends Jack Worthing and Algernon (Algy) Moncrieff. In order to get away from their lives the two men invent fictitious characters to explain their absence (Jack invents Earnest while Algy invents Bunbury) from the country in Jack’s case and town in Algy’s. To complicate matters the two men then fall in love Jack with Gwendolen‚ Algy’s cousin and Algy with Jacks ward Cecily. Both women believe
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The Importance of Being Earnest is a serious comedy about trivial matters The Importance of being Earnest is a play that satirizes the Victorian upper classes. In the play‚ Oscar Wide makes fun of the upper class in many ways. Most commonly‚ Wilde does this by using comic irony‚ humor‚ and witty statements. However‚ if we look deeper into the text‚ a lot of the trivial matters characters discuss have a serious side to them. Wilde uses these matters to satirize the Victorian upper even more. The
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