... personal costs of respectability. Issues that Wilde appears, possibly, to be satirising in the Importance of Being Earnest. Fundamental to Wilde's wit is his use of epigrams "short, witty sayings "to shed light on a given situation. These epigrams express ironic views contrary to what we would expect characters to believe. We see this type of humour at work, for ... -(Act 1, page 20), or whether he rose "from the rank of aristocracy-. Worthing's "Contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life-, reminds Lady Bracknell of the worst excesses of the French Revolution "and I presume you k...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School