... daughter from marrying "Ernest". The Importance of Being Ernest was a watermark for its time, as it undermined the consensus of upper class society. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play of nonsense, and childish playfulness, and demands not to be taken seriously. Ironically, the play was a hit with London's upper classes, even though it sought to destroy all the old, stagnant social expressions of the period. It is this fact that makes The Importance of Being Earnest such a great text: it ... rejected all the mundane conventions of its day. With this play, Wilde attempted to spread...

• Word Count: 663
• Approx Pages: 3

... or philosophy. Oscar Wilde was one of the greatest writers during the late nineteenth century. Instead of focusing on the lower classes and social conditions, Wilde chose to ridicule the life of the English aristocracy. This attitude can be clearly seen in his play The Importance of Being Earnest'. In this piece of work, some of the important themes discussed are that of marriage and respectability. Indeed, one ... was not a symbolic emotion. It was a tool used to climb up the social ladder. Instead of coming from the heart, it was decided for the girl on the basis of social status. As ...

• Word Count: 523
• Approx Pages: 2

... if they are deemed of a different class, and sadly to say yes. In today's world it seems that class is still a huge part of the world order, and moreover it seems that there will always be the rich and poor, the owner and the worker. This is even demonstrated by the literature of our time and that of other era's, such as the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. In ... this play Wilde display's the class structure with a different and interesting twist. He makes ... a reflection on the society with his own sense of humor, but however it still leaves a ... ...

• Word Count: 1398
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST The Importance Of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde is the type of book, which is very comical. This book takes place in London, a country house I Hertfordshire, and England; the 1890's. The book is mainly about two men dealing with their alter ego's. Jack Worthing a gentleman of the Manor House, he has an alter ego named Ernest. Algernon Moncrieff, Jack's friend, has an alter ego called Bunbury. Algernon tells everyone in town ... she read that are really good. She named a few then said "The Importance of Being Ernest", that rang a bell in my head. I didn't...

• Word Count: 628
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... satirize its life and ideals through his literary works, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Through his pieces, Wilde stresses that the only way to escape society's superficiality is to remain true to one's inner self and righteous morality. In both The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, British high society, representing superficiality, seduces common men. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, society, manifested in Lord Henry Wotton ... , seeks opportunity to transform a common man, Dorian Gray, to that of "superior social stature," throug...

• Word Count: 565
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Discuss how Oscar Wilde uses the characters of Cecily and Gwendolen in Act Two to satirise the behaviour and values of the upper classes Oscar Wilde uses wit and sarcasm to create humour in his play "The Importance of Being Earnest", to satirise English upper classes. The characters of Cecily and Gwendolen play a significant role in this. As the two girls both determined to marry someone named Earnest, Cecily and Gwendolen provide a comical dispute, in ... which they exchange politely spoken witty insults. This light-hearted humour mocks the conduct and practices of upper class society. The c...

• Word Count: 674
• Approx Pages: 3