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Bibliography on the importance of being earnest
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Annotated bibliography on the importance of being earnest
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The Importance of Mockery
Mockery is usually perceived as a negative concept, but if one thinks about the purpose behind it ones impression can change. Mockery can be defined as an imitation, counterfeit, or fake (Dictionary.com). It is like a mirror image of how someone is acting. For example, if someone is complaining and another mocks them, it is to show how annoying and irritating they are being. The mocker is helping the complainer by indirectly telling them they need to change how they are acting. The complainer should accept the correction before they embarrass themselves, if they haven not already. Mockery should not always be scorned upon as a malevolent act, but as a way of help or correction.
In 1 Kings 18 the reader finds Elijah
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People were so concerned on the way they talked, their social order, their manners, and their style that they forgot about the things in life that really mattered. It seems as though Wilde became so agitated he had to make fun of it so people could see how foolish they were being. Parker believes the whole play is based on defining human identity and Lady Bracknell is a great example of this. She is so concerned with outer appearance that she forgets to check on character and personality. When Lady Bracknell meets Cecily for the first time she is not impressed, but once she finds out Cecily has a lot of money her feelings toward the young girl suddenly change. “The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely depends on the way the chin is worn. They are worn high, just at present” (Wilde 81). This is a farce of how overly concerned people were with their …show more content…
In “The Function of Decorum at the Present Time: Manners, Moral Language, and Modernity in ‘an Oscar Wilde Play,’” Mackie believes “In The Importance of Being Earnest the staging decorum accomplishes more than an ironic mockery of the conventional moral shibboleths that police conduct.” Mackie is stating that Wilde uses the behavior and speech relevant to the Victorian culture. It has nothing to do with mockery, but giving respect to the culture and the way the Victorians lived. The purpose for writing this play was to show how different people celebrate life in a different way. One facet Wilde wants to portray is language. He believes the characters converse in a stylized form of wit (Mackie 146). An example can be found on page 29 when Algernon asks Jack what he wants to do. Jack replies with “Nothing!” and Algernon says “It is awfully hard word doing nothing. However, I don’t mind hard work where there is no definite object of any
Oscar Wilde's, "The Importance of Being Earnest" revolves around the dichotomy of the true definition of honesty versus the Victorian definition of honesty. It is apparent that Wilde's opinion is that true honesty is expressed through being genuine to one's self as opposed to putting on a front as is important in Victorian ideals. In this work, Wilde uses humor to off-set the seriousness of the theme of the story. One who has studied this work can also clearly see that Wilde is using sarcasm to say things that would not have been accepted by society if they were said bluntly. For example, he exemplifies in a very sarcastic manner the hypocrisy that Victorian society represents by the very fact that they pretend to uphold honesty above all else, yet their only concern is the appearance of things, not their true nature.
The Princeton encyclopedia states “.. parody has been defined as the exaggerated imitation of work of art. Like a caricature it is based on distortion bringing into bolder relief the salient features of an artist's style or habit of mind. It belongs to genus satire and thus performs the double-edged task of reform and ridicule. Eccentricity, sentimentalism and pedantry are among its major targets, and at its best it is a critical instrument of telling force because it approaches the subject from within rather than from without..” In a nutshell parody can be put into simpler words as a criticism of the ideas and expression of another artist’s original work. The essence of a parody is its comic or satiric contrast to the serious work. What needs to be noted is that parody is considered as the oldest form of literary expression and hence has a variety of definitions that broaden its very meaning. To reason out the universal appeal of parodies, a twofold argument can be put forth; firstly what can...
What better way to deliver negative criticism than with a good laugh? That is exactly what satire does for writers, poets, and plays that include satire in their work in order to deliver their bittersweet message and give their audience and readers a great time. One of the main satires that were much criticized during its release in 1664 was Tartuffe by Jean-Baptiste Moliere, which still plays a role in our literature today. The play was not very welcomed by the church which found it offensive and controversial towards their religious beliefs. In Tartuffe, Moliere was not seeking to satire religion or the church itself but rather the hypocrites that would shield themselves with the misuse of religion for their own advantage and the lack of common sense that can lead to tragic events such as those Orgon had to suffer.
Satire, by definition is the use of irony, sarcasm or ridicule to exploit issues. Satire often positions the responder to ironically laugh at themselves
Wilde does this in order to portray Lady Bracknell with very strong Victorian views that are illogical and humorous to the reader thus satirising the values which are prominent in Victorian standards. Consequently it can be seen that Lady Bracknell is corrupt beyond reason, sacrificing the happiness of her daughter for her Victorian values and ridiculing Jack for his less than exemplary past. Some critics believe Lady Bracknell to be a ‘living parody of upper class values’ which can be
The Importance of Being Earnest is a stinging indictment of the upper class British society of the time. The ingenious play mocks the concepts of aristocracy and love in Edwardian society, and addresses the notion of treating all important matters of life with genuine and earnest triviality. Much of the subtle and cleverly attributed criticism found in The Importance of Being Earnest is directed toward the excessively superficial upper class which Lady Bracknell, in particular, distinctly represents. Lady Bracknell is the ideal personification of a typical Edwardian aristocratic woman who is obsessed with high culture and proper manners. Lady Bracknell’s assessment of Jack’s worthiness as a suitor for Gwendolen is based on a ludicrous collection of social beliefs which include senseless wisdoms as “a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing” and “a man should always have an occupation” (i.e. smoking).
The wit of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest stems from his place in society and his views of it. He mocks the Victorian aristocracy through his statements and satirising of marriage dependent on social class and wealth, the careful implantation of comedic techniques which add to the effect of the message Wilde aims for the society to take into consideration and the ignorance portrayed by the Victorian society. These socially acceptable mockeries allow the audience to laugh at the satirical social statements while learning a didactic lesson about the current society issues. Through Wilde’s satirical wit, he completes the educational tales he was aiming for, emphasising to readers the insaneness that society can be and its rules.
According to Everything’s an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, “Humor has always played an important role in argument…” (38). Humor itself is something that activates amusement or laughter. Moreover, in popular culture satire is a tool that is used to point out things in our society. Satire opens the minds of people to philosophies they might completely deny, using humor. There are many elements of satire that identify flaws within our society. A couple of satire elements that will be discussed are irony and exaggeration. In addition, a parody is used in popular culture as a way to mock or mimic situation or person.
In Oscar Wilde’s drama The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses light-hearted tones and humor to poke fun at British high society while handling the serious theme of truth and the true identity of who is really “Earnest.” Truth as theme is most significantly portrayed through the women characters, Gwendolen and Cecily but to present serious themes comically, Wilde portrays women to be the weaker sex of society, despite the seriousness of the subject—the identity of the men they want to marry.
Satire in Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a play by Oscar Wilde, set in the late 1800's. His actors are playing upper class citizens who are very self-absorbed. The play is set amongst upper class, wealthy people. They appear not to work and are concerned with their own pleasure.
“The Importance of Being Earnest”, by Oscar Wilde, is a novel that defies most of society’s morals. The characters react the complete opposite to how a normal person in today’s society would react. Wilde creates a sense of humor through an eccentric tone and also through actions and reactions of the characters and their situation.
Irony in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is full of irony. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, the protagonists in the play, get themselves into a complicated situation called Bunburyism (as Algernon refers to it). They pretend to be someone that they are not to escape their daily lives. They lie to the women they admire, and eventually the truth is revealed.
Satire is something of an outcast in the world of literature and art. Usually, humor is not taken as a serious form of communication. However, satire is highly respected, commonly studied, and long-lasting. What sets it apart from your everyday comic stip, sitcom or comedic novel is its driven purpose of bringing about change. It is designed to use the human art of humor to sway the minds of the people and make a tangible difference. From its distinguished scholarly attention to its appearance in the news and high TV ratings, good satire is not without good results; it continually affects our behavior and views and has throughout history.
In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest strongly focuses on those of the upper class society and the vanity of the aristocrats who place emphasis on trivial matters concerning marriage. Both Algernon and Jack assume the identity of "Ernest" yet ironically, they both are beginning their marital lives based on deception and lies. Lady Bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat who forces the concept of a marriage based on wealth or status rather than love. Through farce and exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the foolish and trivial matters that the upper class society looks upon as being important. As said earlier, a satiric piece usually has a didactic side to it. In this case, Lady Bracknell learns that the same person she was criticising is actually her own flesh and blood.
Lady Bracknell represents the typical aristocrat who focuses the idea of marriage on social and economic status. She believes that if the men trying to marry these girls are not of proper background, there is no engagement. Through this major exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the irrational and insignificant matters that the upper class society uses to view marriage.