1. The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
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2. 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

3. 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

4. Settings Time: Around 1890 Place(s): London (“the City”)
Jack’s House in the Country (a very large estate)
The village church

5. Settings
Jack’s Country House

6. Settings
Jack’s Drawing Room

7. Settings
Lady Bracknell’s mansion in London

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Victorian Fashion
For the Gentlemen

13. Victorian Fashion
For the Ladies

14. 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

15. Oscar Wilde - 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

16. 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

17. Oscar Wilde Handsome Loved clothes Could be quite dramatic
Completely unique

18. Oscar Wilde Came from upper-class family Brilliant writer
Loved to shock people
“Bad Boy” of his time

19. Oscar Wilde Never allowed to see his family again
Spent the remainder of his life in Paris
Died alone and poor in Paris

20. Literary Vocabulary
Comedy of Manners – a form of comedy that satirizes the manners and affectations of contemporary society and questions societal standards
Epigram – a pithy (significant/expressive) saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way
Inversion – reversal of the normal order of words, typically for rhetorical effect
Irony - used for humorous or emphatic effect – the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite

21. Literary Vocabulary
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
Farce – a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations

22. Literary Vocabulary Protagonist - the main character
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
Motif - a recurring character or element repeated in a literary work. Food is a motif in The Importance of Being Earnest – it is a symbol for the act of sex

23. Major Themes and Motifs
Marriage — Courtship and marriage are the driving forces of the play as characters discuss the nature of marriage and have their engagements impeded by trivial obstacles.
Morality — The play includes ideas of Victorian morality and reveals how these strict moral rules constrain society. Wilde also unearths the hypocrisy and paradox of Victorian moral standards.
Deception —  Jack and Algernon both invent fictional people so they can escape their lives in the country and city respectively. Cecily also creates a fictional engagement to Ernest. As the characters' deceptions collide, the line between fact and fiction becomes muddled.

24. The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde created many amusing quotes

25. 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. “

26. 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.”

27. 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 5-10 years
This play was popular on Broadway in New York City until the summer of 2011
The production opened on January 13, 2011, and was originally scheduled to run through March 6, but was extended 17 weeks after receiving positive reviews.

28. 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