The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
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Part I: Aestheticism
Definition: The aesthetic movement was a late nineteenth century movement that championed pure beauty and ‘art for art’s sake’ emphasizing the visual and sensual qualities of art and design over practical, moral or narrative considerations.
Background: Aestheticism (also the Aesthetic Movement) is an intellectual and art movement supporting the emphasis of aesthetic values more than social-political themes for literature, fine art, music and other arts. This meant that Art from this particular movement focused more on being beautiful rather than having a deeper meaning: Art for Art's sake. It was particularly prominent in Europe during the 19th century, supported by notable figures such as Oscar Wilde, but contemporary critics are also associated with the movement, such as Harold Bloom, who has recently argued against projecting social and political ideology onto literary works, which he believes has been a growing problem in humanities departments over the last century.
Literature: The British decadent writers were much influenced by the Oxford professor Walter Pater and his essays published during 1867–68, in which he stated that life had to be lived intensely, with an ideal of beauty.
The artists and writers of Aesthetic style tended to profess that the Arts should provide refined sensuous pleasure, rather than convey moral or sentimental messages. As a consequence, they did not accept John Ruskin, Matthew Arnold, and George MacDonald's conception of art as something moral or useful. Instead, they believed that Art did not have any didactic purpose; it need only be beautiful. The Aesthetes developed a cult of beauty, which they considered the basic factor of art. Life should copy Art, they asserted. They considered nature as crude and lacking in design when compared to art. The main characteristics of the style were: suggestion rather than statement, sensuality, great use of symbols, and correspondence between words, colors, and music. Music was used to establish mood.
Predecessors of the Aesthetics included John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, and some of the Pre-Raphaelites. In Britain the best representatives were Oscar Wilde and Algernon Charles Swinburne, both influenced by the French Symbolists, and James McNeill Whistler and Dante.
Part II: Selected Works of Oscar Wilde
Prose
Background: Aestheticism (also the Aesthetic Movement) is an intellectual and art movement supporting the emphasis of aesthetic values more than social-political themes for literature, fine art, music and other arts. This meant that Art from this particular movement focused more on being beautiful rather than having a deeper meaning: Art for Art's sake. It was particularly prominent in Europe during the 19th century, supported by notable figures such as Oscar Wilde, but contemporary critics are also associated with the movement, such as Harold Bloom, who has recently argued against projecting social and political ideology onto literary works, which he believes has been a growing problem in humanities departments over the last century.
Literature: The British decadent writers were much influenced by the Oxford professor Walter Pater and his essays published during 1867–68, in which he stated that life had to be lived intensely, with an ideal of beauty.
The artists and writers of Aesthetic style tended to profess that the Arts should provide refined sensuous pleasure, rather than convey moral or sentimental messages. As a consequence, they did not accept John Ruskin, Matthew Arnold, and George MacDonald's conception of art as something moral or useful. Instead, they believed that Art did not have any didactic purpose; it need only be beautiful. The Aesthetes developed a cult of beauty, which they considered the basic factor of art. Life should copy Art, they asserted. They considered nature as crude and lacking in design when compared to art. The main characteristics of the style were: suggestion rather than statement, sensuality, great use of symbols, and correspondence between words, colors, and music. Music was used to establish mood.
Predecessors of the Aesthetics included John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, and some of the Pre-Raphaelites. In Britain the best representatives were Oscar Wilde and Algernon Charles Swinburne, both influenced by the French Symbolists, and James McNeill Whistler and Dante.
Part II: Selected Works of Oscar Wilde
Prose
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)
The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888)
“The Canterville Ghost”
“The Sphinx Without a Secret”
“The Model Millionare”
“The Selfish Giant”
Plays
Lady Windermere's Fan (1892)
Salome (1893)
A Woman of No Importance (1893)
The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888)
“The Canterville Ghost”
“The Sphinx Without a Secret”
“The Model Millionare”
“The Selfish Giant”
Plays
Lady Windermere's Fan (1892)
Salome (1893)
A Woman of No Importance (1893)
An Ideal Husband (1895)
The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
Poems, Criticism, and Essays
The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898)
The Decay of Lying (1889)
De Profundis (1897)
De Profundis (1897)
The Soul of Man under Socialism
The Harlot's House
The Harlot's House
The Beauties of Bookbinding
Part III: The Decay of Lying: An Observation by Oscar Wilde
Part III: The Decay of Lying: An Observation by Oscar Wilde
Wilde presents the essay in a Socratic dialogue, with the characters of Vivian and Cyril having a conversation throughout. The conversation, although playful and whimsical, promotes Wilde's view of Romanticism over Realism. Vivian tells Cyril of an article he has been writing called, The Decay of Lying: A Protest. In the article Vivian defends Aestheticism and Art for Art's sake. As summarized by Vivian, it contains four doctrines:
1) Art never expresses anything but itself.
2) All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals.
3) Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.
4) Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art.
Selection of the Text:
CYRIL. Well, after that I think I should like to hear the end of your article.
VIVIAN. With pleasure. Whether it will do any good I really cannot say…What we have to do, what at any rate it is our duty to do, is to revive this old art of lying. Much of course may be done, in the way of educating the public, by amateurs in the domestic circle, at literary lunches, and at afternoon teas. But this is merely the light and graceful side of lying, such as was probably heard at Cretan dinner-parties. There are many other forms. Lying for the sake of gaining some immediate personal advantage, for instance — lying with a moral purpose, as it is usually [51/52] called-though of late it has been rather looked down upon, was extremely popular with the antique world. Athena laughs when Odysseus tells her "his words of sly devising," as Mr. William Morris phrases it, and the glory of mendacity illumines the pale brow of the stainless hero of Euripidean tragedy, and sets among the noble women of the past the young bride of one of Horace's most exquisite odes. Later on, what at first had been merely a natural instinct was elevated into a self-conscious science. Elaborate rules were laid down for the guidance of mankind, and an important school of literature grew up round the subject. Indeed, when one remembers the excellent philosophical treatise of Sanchez on the whole question, one cannot help regretting that no one has ever thought of publishing a cheap and condensed edition of the works of that great casuist. A short primer, "When to Lie and How," if brought out in an attractive and not too expensive a form, would no doubt command a large sale, and would prove of real practical service to many earnest and deep-thinking people. Lying for the sake of the improvement of the young, which is the basis of home education, still lingers amongst us, and its advantages are so admirably set forth in the early books of Plato's Republic that it is unnecessary to dwell upon them here. It is a mode of lying for which all good mothers have peculiar capabilities, but it is capable of still further development, and has been sadly overlooked by the School Board. Lying for the sake of a monthly salary is of course well known in Fleet Street, and the profession of a political leader-writer is not without its advantages. But it is said to be a somewhat dull occupation, and it certainly does not lead to much beyond a kind of ostentatious obscurity. The only form of lying that is absolutely beyond reproach is lying for its own sake, and the highest development of this is, as we have already pointed out, Lying in Art. Just as those who do not love Plato more than Truth cannot pass beyond the threshold of the Academe, so those who do not love Beauty more than Truth never know the inmost shrine of Art. The solid stolid British intellect lies in the desert sands like the Sphinx in Flaubert's marvelous tale, and fantasy, La Chimère, dances round it, and calls to it with her false, flute-toned voice. It may not hear her now, but surely someday, when we are all bored to death with the commonplace character of modern fiction, it will hearken to her and try to borrow her wings.
And when that day dawns, or sunset reddens, how joyous we shall all be! Facts will be regarded as discreditable, Truth will be found mourning over her fetters, and Romance, with her temper of wonder, will return to the land. The very aspect of the world will change to our startled eyes. Out of the sea will rise Behemoth and Leviathan, and sail round the high-pooped galleys, as they do on the delightful maps of those ages when books on geography were actually readable. Dragons will wander about the waste places, and the phoenix will soar from her nest of fire into the air. We shall lay our hands upon the basilisk, and see the jewel in the toad's head. Champing his gilded oats, the Hippogriff will stand in our stalls, and over our heads will float the Blue Bird singing of beautiful and impossible things, of things that are lovely and that never happen, of things that are not and that should be. But before this comes to pass we must cultivate the lost art of Lying.
CYRIL. Then we must certainly cultivate it at once. But in order to avoid making any error I want you to tell me briefly the doctrines of the new æsthetics.
VIVIAN. Briefly, then, they are these. Art never expresses anything but itself. It has an independent life, just as Thought has, and develops purely on its own lines. It is-not necessarily realistic in an age of realism, nor spiritual in an age of faith. So far from being the creation of its time, it is usually in direct opposition to it, and the only history that it preserves for us is the history of its own progress. Sometimes it returns upon its footsteps, and revives some antique form, as happened in the archaistic movement of late Greek Art, and in the pre-Raphaelite of our own day. At other times it entirely anticipates its age, and produces in one century work that it takes another century to understand, to appreciate and to enjoy. In no case does it reproduce its age. To pass from the art of a time to the time itself is the great mistake that all historians commit.
The second doctrine is this. All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals. Life and Nature may sometimes be used as part of Art's rough material, but before they are of any real service to art they must be translated into artistic conventions. The moment Art surrenders its imaginative medium it surrenders everything. As a method Realism is a complete failure, and the two things that every artist should avoid are modernity of form and modernity of subject-matter. To us, who live in the nineteenth century, any century is a suitable subject for art except our own. The only beautiful things are the things that do not concern us. It is, to have the pleasure of quoting myself, exactly [55/56] because Hecuba is nothing to us that her sorrows are so suitable a motive for a tragedy. Besides, it is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned. M. Zola sits down to give us a picture of the Second Empire. Who cares for the Second Empire now? It is out of date. Life goes faster than Realism, but Romanticism is always in front of Life.
The third doctrine is that Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life. This results not merely from Life's imitative instinct, but from the fact that the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realize that energy. It is a theory that has never been put forward before, but it is extremely fruitful, and throws an entirely new light upon the history of Art.
It follows, as a corollary from this, that external Nature also imitates Art. The only effects that she can show us are effects that we have already seen through poetry, or in paintings. This is the secret of Nature's charm, as well as the explanation of Nature's weakness.
The final revelation is that Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art. But of this I think I have spoken at sufficient length. And now let us go out on the terrace, where "droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost," while the evening star "washes the dusk with silver." At twilight nature becomes a wonderfully suggestive effect, and is not without loveliness, though perhaps its chief use is to illustrate quotations from the poets. Come! We have talked long enough.
Part IV: Phrases and Philosophies for the use of the Young by Oscar Wilde
The first duty in life is to be as artificial as possible. What the second duty is no one has as yet discovered.
Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others.
If the poor only had profiles, there would be no difficulty in solving the problem of poverty.
Those who see any difference between soul and body have neither.
A really well-made buttonhole is the only link between Art and Nature.
Religions die when they are proved to be true. Science is the record of dead religions.
The well-bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves.
Nothing that actually occurs is of the smallest importance.
Dullness is the coming of age of seriousness.
In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential.
If one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out.
Pleasure is the only thing one should live for. Nothing ages like happiness.
It is only by not paying one's bills that one can hope to live in the memory of the commercial classes.
No crime is vulgar, but all vulgarity is crime. Vulgarity is the conduct of others.
Only the shallow know themselves.
Time is a waste of money.
One should always be a little improbable.
There is a fatality about all good resolutions. They are invariably made too soon.
The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated.
To be premature is to be perfect.
Any preoccupation with ideas of what is right and wrong in conduct shows an arrested intellectual development.
Ambition is the last refuge of the failure.
A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
In examinations the foolish ask questions that the wise cannot answer.
Greek dress was in its essence inartistic. Nothing should reveal the body but the body.
One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.
It is only the superficial qualities that last. Man's deeper nature is soon found out.
Industry is the root of all ugliness.
The ages live in history through their anachronisms.
It is only the gods who taste of death. Apollo has passed away, but Hyacinth, whom men say he slew, lives on. Nero and Narcissus are always with us.
The old believe everything: the middle-aged suspect everything: the young know everything.
The condition of perfection is idleness: the aim of perfection is youth.
Only the great masters of style ever succeed in being obscure.
There is something tragic about the enormous number of young men there are in England at the present moment who start life with perfect profiles, and end by adopting some useful profession.
To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.
Part V: A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated by Oscar Wilde
Education is an admirable thing. But it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.
Public opinion exists only where there are no ideas.
The English are always degrading truths into facts. When a truth becomes a fact it loses all its intellectual value.
It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information.
The only link between Literature and Drama left to us in England at the present moment is the bill of the play.
In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody.
Most women are so artificial that they have no sense of Art. Most men are so natural that they have no sense of Beauty.
Friendship is far more tragic than love. It lasts longer.
What is abnormal in Life stands in normal relations to Art. It is the only thing in Life that stands in normal relations to Art.
What is abnormal in Life stands in normal relations to Art. It is the only thing in Life that stands in normal relations to Art.
A subject that is beautiful in itself gives no suggestion to the artist. It lacks imperfection.
The only thing that the artist cannot see is the obvious. The only thing that the public can see is the obvious. The result is the Criticism of the Journalist.
Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious.
To be really mediæval one should have no body. To be really modern one should have no soul. To be really Greek one should have no clothes.
Dandyism is the assertion of the absolute modernity of Beauty.
The only thing that can console one for being poor is extravagance. The only thing that can console one for being rich is economy.
One should never listen. To listen is a sign of indifference to one's hearers.
Even the disciple has his uses. He stands behind one's throne, and at the moment of one's triumph whispers in one's ear that, after all, one is immortal.
The criminal classes are so close to us that even the policemen can see them. They are so far away from us that only the poet can understand them.
Those whom the gods love grow young.
Part VI: Wit's End - A&E Biography of Oscar WildeThe only thing that the artist cannot see is the obvious. The only thing that the public can see is the obvious. The result is the Criticism of the Journalist.
Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious.
To be really mediæval one should have no body. To be really modern one should have no soul. To be really Greek one should have no clothes.
Dandyism is the assertion of the absolute modernity of Beauty.
The only thing that can console one for being poor is extravagance. The only thing that can console one for being rich is economy.
One should never listen. To listen is a sign of indifference to one's hearers.
Even the disciple has his uses. He stands behind one's throne, and at the moment of one's triumph whispers in one's ear that, after all, one is immortal.
The criminal classes are so close to us that even the policemen can see them. They are so far away from us that only the poet can understand them.
Those whom the gods love grow young.
I watched the video and read the background info before reading the play, which made it much more intriguing to me. I felt like I had a good sense of who Oscar Wilde was before reading some of his work, which is always helpful with literature. His play reminded me of Ibsen in the way that humor was presented within it. Overall I think the word I would use to describe it’s humor would be ridiculous. For example, it was funny, yet ridiculous, how the end of his play wrapped up. When all of the characters exclaim “At last!” and Jack has the line which says he realized the “importance of being earnest”. Also, like Ibsen, Wilde was successful in making sure all of the parts of his play were vital for the ending. The fact that Jack’s name is actually Earnest and that he actually has a younger brother, and that brother marries the woman who he is in charge of, etc, etc. Every character and scene fits nicely into the way the work ended, which provided an amusing closure. Lastly, I really liked reading some of Wilde’s phrases such as, “Those who see any difference between soul and body have neither” and “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” He had a very distinct outlook on the world that is interesting to learn about. Overall, I enjoyed this play and learning about Oscar Wilde as well as the time he was living within.
ReplyDeleteCat
I thought the play was very interesting, especially with how Oscar Wilde sets up the dynamic between characters. For example, I thought the relationship between Algernon and Lane was relatively casual, especially given the time period. The way Ernest speaks with others — such as the way he quickly tries changing the subject when the other characters doubt his claim that he was in the country — was very amusing. Admittedly, as the play progressed, it became a bit tougher to keep track of the different characters and their relationships to one another, but overall I loved the way in which Wilde established these relationships. I thought that the notion of Algernon disguised as Ernest when speaking to Cecily was funny too, because it allowed for a lot of dramatic irony. Early in Act I, after a conversation with Lane about his views on marriage, Algernon also comments that "Lane's views on marriage seem somewhat lax," and notes that "[the lower classes] seems...to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility." This was a brilliant quote on Oscar Wilde's part, as it not only helps advance story and character progression, but also illustrates the orthodox views about social classes and marriage held during this time period. I also agree with Cat that the way in which Wilde brought everything together at the end was very elegant. I watched the video above and took a look at the history behind some of Wilde's other plays. Overall, I truly enjoyed reading "The Importance of Being Earnest," and I think the way in which Oscar Wilde writes, as well as the social conventions he delves into in his plays, helped me better understand both Wilde as a person and the societal circumstances that shaped his literary style.
ReplyDeleteI think the philosophy behind the aesthetic movement is really interesting. I think we’ve kind of been trained through our lives and our education to look at art and find a meaning within it. Obviously, when art has meaning it can be really powerful and interesting, but I think the search for meaning within art can get really tiresome really fast. (As an aside-- I kind of associate that sometimes tedious search for meaning with that line about “beating a poem with a hose” in that poem we read earlier this year.) I agree with Wilde that sometimes the meaning behind something is just that it is enjoyable. Something doesn’t have to be making a social-political statement for it to be valuable. In “The Importance of Being Earnest”, it seems like Wilde wrote the story to be purely silly. For example, the ridiculousness of the two women putting such importance on the names of their husbands makes us laugh. Maybe we laugh because we can recognize that we too can place too much importance on irrelevant details in relationships. In a sense, we are laughing at ourselves. In a way, I think the utter nonsense of Wilde’s story is not meaningless at all. It makes people laugh and feel good, which is extremely valuable.
ReplyDeleteAnna Vrountas
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ReplyDeleteI read the play before I read the additional material, but I think that it worked in my favor. I was able to burry myself in the world of Oscar Wilde, and then realize how much of his philosophy still relevant today. Everyone still seems to fine the face value of people more so than who they actually are. In THe Importance of Being Earnest, both Cecily and Gwendolyn only really love their partners because they are named Earnest. Today, one of the first questions asked when meeting new people is “What’s you name and what do you do?” which, when you really look into it, means who are you and how can i benefit from knowing you? Even in high school that can sometimes be the case, because if you meet someone and they’re popular, you can become popular if your friends with them.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, after reading the additonal material, I thought the doctrines Art never expresses anything but itself and All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals were still very relevent. Everyone is told that Art is meant to have such a deeper meaning and that all Art is telling a message about society. There is a famous painting, Onement Vi By Barnett Newman, that is just a blue canvas with a white strip that sold for almost 50 Million dollars. If anybody else besides a famous artist painted that and said theres no deeper meaning, it wouldn’t be considered fine art. Its interesting that that is the way our society works.
I really like Wilde’s subtle humor in his play. I think by reading you can pick up on a lot of it, but I can imagine that acting it out or watching it be performed will be even more humorous. The funny thing about this play is that everyone seems very serious. You can clearly see signs of the Aesthetic Movement, as everyone emphasizes superficial, visual components (Like the name Ernest) over any practicality. Also, Wilde’s colorful personality is definitely apparent in the text. He was funny and a bit crazy, but also really insightful, much like this play. Like Cat, I enjoy the really meaningful, yet short and simple sayings that are sprinkled throughout the play. They seem a bit out of place amidst the silliness, but they definitely make you stop and think. The lines like “The truth is rarely pure and never simple” also have to do with the theme of the play, and I think Wilde’s choice to include that saying is a really conscious, important choice. I’m looking forward to continuing this in class, and hope that we act it out a bit or watch a performance of it, as I think that will bring out Wilde’s humor even more. -- Sosha
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde’s play has been an enjoyable read so far. Like Sosha and Cat had mentioned, the lines are simple and concise but reveal a lot about a character. I noticed that Lady Bracknell is a character who strongly represents Aestheticism. She had a tendency to value Jack’s childhood more than who he is in the present. When Jack asked to marry Gwendolen, Lady Bracknell interviewed him with a number of questions, which I thought was really interesting. She shared her opinion on land, investments, ignorance and other topics, however most of her beliefs were based on trivial, irrelevant details. The play has slight humor overall, which helped me understand the indirect messages being conveyed. I also think the sudden changes in character are comical and important. Jack, Algernon, Cecily, and Gwendolen all are capable of changing their minds almost instantly, which reflects the society they live in. They are capable of living confidently in a world of lies which I thought was really surprising. I really like the play so far and I am excited to act it out in class.
ReplyDeleteKaby
I can see why Wilde was considered a poster child of the aesthetic movement after reading the first two acts of “The Importance of Being Earnest”. The play is very comedic and sensational and does not get too caught up in underlying meanings and complicated themes. After watching the documentary, the play seems like a direct reflection of Wilde himself. Just as the plot of the play is a little far fetched, Oscar Wilde’s parents always stressed to him that it was more important to be entertaining than to be truthful. I saw some of Wilde in both Jack and Algernon in how they both resorted to lying and trickery before telling the truth. I also saw some of the aesthetic influence in many of the conversations in between the characters. Many of the conversations are frivolous and arguments are held over things with little relevance like cucumber sandwiches and the meaning of marriage. I thought it was entertaining how civil all the characters remained throughout all their conversations and their arguments.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the first two acts of “The Importance of Being Earnest”, and I’m excited to see how everything wraps up in the final act. At first, I went into the play and did not really understand anything, but before continuing, I read about Oscar Wilde and aestheticism, and that helped me have some context for the play. I thought the play was incredibly funny and the dramatic irony added to the humour a lot for me. I’m looking forward to seeing this acted out, as, like Sosha, I think this will bring a whole other layer of humour to the play. I think the aesthetic movement is extremely interesting, especially because I feel as though today we try to find meaning in every work of art. I think that art can be just as important if it is there simply to be admired or bring joy as if it has deeper meanings. The influence of the aesthetic movement is obvious in this play. The seriousness with which all the characters place on unimportant things such as a name was amusing to me, and reflected the movement. I really like Wilde’s phrases and philosophies, especially, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art” and “To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance”.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first two acts of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” I really got a sense of how Oscar Wilde was able to use humour in a very clever way. Like others have said, Wilde’s short, witty lines seem to really highlight his views on social class and I think that his choice to have both Jack and Algernon live double lives gives more meaning and layers to his work. When Algernon discusses marriage with Jack and states, “In a married life three is company and two is none,” Wilde seems to be expressing that he believes marriage is so important because it is what gives people status and wealth. Amongst all of Wilde’s humorous lines, he includes little snippets of wisdom or cleverness such as the line, “If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated.” In addition, I really enjoyed the simplicity of Wilde’s language because it made it easy to follow and I thought it flowed nicely from one line to the next. Also, I agree with Sosha in that I think it will be interesting to see how the humour is portrayed in a performance of the play.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first two acts of “The Importance of Being Earnest”, I could tell that I am going to enjoy this play. Wilde’s style and dynamic is different than anything else I have read, so it took a little getting used to. I love how Wilde uses a witty and almost sarcastic tone to create humor. Usually, we are prodded to find the deeper meaning and themes in a work, but the aesthetic movement is the complete opposite. I really enjoy being able to read something and being able to see what it is on the surface, and it creates a much more relaxing experience as a reader. One example of a scene I particularly liked was the very beginning of the play. I think the setting Wilde creates between the bad piano, and stereotypical tea time sets the perfect mood for the comedy to come.
ReplyDeleteI was thoroughly entertained at both acts of "The Importance of Being Earnest" and I was surprised at how current the humor felt, despite the novel being written in an entirely different time period. Lines such as "I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade. It is obvious that our social spheres have been widely different." really seem timeless and kept me engaged in the reading. It is also obvious that Wilde's obsession with beauty played an important role in his literary works. Simple details such as the section about Cecily giving Algernon a buttonhole are subtle but really connect to the aesthetic movement once you look at "Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young". By incorporating these material details into his writing, Wilde adds a unique attention to detail and enhances the non- material meaning of the text. In addition, I was surprised at how the play seemed to be paced. I figured that the main conflict of the play would be the dual identities of Jack and Algernon and that they would try desperately to conceal them from Cecily and Gwendolyn but that was sorted out in Act II. Wilde does a fantastic job of keeping his readers on their toes even in scenes that could so easily be mundane or ordinary, such as Cecily serving Gwendolyn the exact opposite of her requests. As some others have said, I expect the performance of this play to be hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the first two acts of this play! It was so easy and enjoyable to read, specifically because of the quick sarcasm and humorous tone. I thought the "alter ego"/double lives that both Jack and Algernon set up for themselves were incredibly intricate, and I liked how many of their lines discussing Earnest and Bunbury, respectively, has so much underlying meaning. It is also clear to see how Wilde was the poster child for the aesthetic movement. As Anna said, one of the things that made the play so wonderful was that it felt like it was there to just to make the audience laugh- to maybe take a break from the Real World, and take a step back from all of the crazy stuff going on and just relax and enjoy watching a play. This sort of reminded me of the humanism movement during the Renaissance period. During this time, people were creating art and interpreting art by and for themselves. They disregarded a generalized deeper meaning, and were able to make of a piece what they *individually* felt it should be. A couple of lines/sequences I particularly enjoyed were:
ReplyDeleteAlgernon: My dear fellow, it isn't easy to be anything nowadays. There's such a lot of beastly competition about.
I also enjoyed the entire engagement sequence between Lady Bracknell and Jack.
And finally,
Jack: I wish to goodness we had a few fools left.
Algernon: We have.
Jack: What do they talk about?
Algernon: The fools? Oh! the clever people, of course.
Jack: What fools!
The bantering and exchanges between Jack and Algernon reminded me of East and West from the play True Places by Walt McGough. And I agree with Julia and Sosha that seeing this played out must be interesting!
"The first duty in life is to be as artificial as possible." The Importance of Being Earnest, the play's title is not only a double entendre but also the beginning of the satirical elements that are involved within the play. Earnest in relation to how Jack and Algernon present themselves to others, in order for their deceit and lies to allow them marriage with the women they have fallen in love with. Ernest, as in the name they both desire in order to keep their women from losing interest if they discover their true identities. The fourth doctrine that Vivian proclaims in which, lying is the "proper aim of art," directly relates to the entire story that is played out within the first two acts. The term "Bun-burying" used throughout the two acts is virtually the creation of a fake persona and using it, with enough persuasion, in order to get what they themselves desire. The profoundness of the play comes in the reveal where Cecily and Gwendolen discover neither Algernon nor Jack are their beloved Ernest. Not only had Jack and Algernon bun-buried the women they loved, but the women had bun-buried themselves by believing they desired a man named Ernest to which they could only hand their affection upon.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the background information on the aesthetic movement I was pleased and a little relieved that something the artists and writers of this time strived to do was not create deeper meaning but instead focus on projecting artwork just for mere beauty and enjoyment. All though I do enjoy finding underlying meanings or hidden messages in work, I am not the best at it deciphering them so I was excited to learn that The Importance of Being Earnest would not have as much of this. As many have mentioned I enjoyed that this play is more surface level when it comes to themes and meanings, and of course I loved the comedy Wilde added to the play through sarcasm. The blunt nature of Algernon was especially funny when he told Lane “ I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.” His lack of filter and rudeness to Lane was portrayed as funny in the context of their conversation and the prior knowledge of knowing his superiority towards her. I also love how highly he thinks of himself especially during him and Jacks conversation where he denies him cucumber sandwiches but allows himself to eat so many of them. All though it's something so simple it reveals Algernon’s selfish and egoistic behavior. So far he is definitely my favorite character.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to my experience with reading Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”, I was initially very intimidated while starting the piece as Oscar Wilde is an acclaimed writer with a massive fan base but I had never read any of his pieces. Nevertheless, I saw myself immediately drawn into the play’s quick and witty tone and I fell completely in love with Wilde’s writing. I should have expected developing this admiration for Wilde and this sort of humor as the most well-known quotes have all been written by Wilde and my uncle, who is very humorous and sarcastic, constantly quotes him. Wilde’s writing style amuses the reader allowing the pages to flow by smoothy. It is also entertaining to the reader to go through the satirical conversations between the protagonists while truths about society are revealed very blatantly and casually. This starts immediately in the piece when Gwendolen’s mother, Lady Bracknell, interviews Ernest to figure out whether he is suitable to be her daughter’s husband. The questions she was asking and the way she interpreted them were very entertaining to read. For example, when Ernest admits smoking cigarettes and Lady Bracknell is relieved, the reader cannot help laughing out loud. Finally, after asking ridiculous questions, then getting on the “smaller matters” which are his family, the reader realizes how out of order society’s priorities were.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde’s choice to write the play in the omniscient point of view allows the theme of deceit to be deepened, adding to the story’s comical tone, as the readers can just go through the conversations and laugh to themselves while watching the acts of blatant hypocrisy unravel. A prime example of this is when it is established that Jack’s real name is not Ernest and when he proposes to Gwendolen, she mentions her admiration for the name Ernest causing him to become worried and to question her whether she would still love him if he had a different name which causes the reader to die of laughter. The hypocrisy is also quickly introduced when Algernon invites his friend Ernest over and hey both reveal to each other that they both have their own false friends.
To start off, I love this play so far! As I read it I remembered my experience with Oscar Wilde during Brit Lit a year ago and felt excited to be reading another comedy, for last year we read an excerpt of An Ideal Husband and I greatly enjoyed it. I came to realize that I gained a better understanding of aestheticism and a better liking for Wilde's work through his comedic plays rather than The Picture of Dorian Gray. I love the wild plot of Earnest and the bold comments made by Algernon. I don't see it as a play with a social political themes, which is the point. It's just serves to entertain an audience with art for art's sake. (Speaking candidly, it's like that meme/post about an author's meaning vs. the teacher's explanation to their students: "The curtains were blue." Teacher - "The blue tone of the curtains symbolizes the character's depression and lack of vivacity or excitement for life." Author - "The curtains were BLUE.") Being in a stage of life where everything is changing and the stress is overwhelming, taking a break to read something lighthearted and funny really cheered me up. Not needing to pick apart every detail and being able to take it as it is made me appreciate aestheticism in a way I had not before. Last year, I didn't understand aestheticism or the point of it but now, when I need it most, if you will, I quite enjoy it. Art, in most every form, has the ability to remove a person from a particular distressing state of mind and aestheticism provides a break from art with heavy, challenging, socially analytical components. I'm still processing all that I read in the two acts so do forgive my rambling or choppy sentences. The point I mean to make is that, while aestheticism can be approached through many forms, I connect with it best through plays, and I believe that one has to have the right space in their mind to understand and enjoy it. So often we've been exposed to art with a double meaning, if not more than that, so art that exists for pure pleasure is something that takes a surprising amount of effort to comprehend. The wild(e) fighting between Cecily and Gwendolyn, Algernon's carefree attitude, and Jack's complicated social tangles makes for an entertaining play that takes the reader into a world of humor and incredulous plot twists. I've been inspired to find a production of it and treat myself in the coming months because, despite admiring and enjoying art with deeper meanings and conversation-inducing commentary, I've come to realize that maybe some aestheticism, some art for art's sake, can be a valuable escape in one's life.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the first two acts of “The Importance of Being Earnest” because of the humor and the way the author pokes fun at his characters. I was immediately drawn in by the witty humor and style Wilde writes with. Wilde introduces early on, Algernons concept of “bunburying” which creates an interesting dynamic between Jack and Algernon. Jacks fake brother Ernest and Algernons fake friend Mr. Bunbury are both being used for the same purpose, yet Jack condemns Algernons unapologetic use of Mr. Bunbury. I think that Algernon’s carefree personality creates an interesting comparision to Jacks impulsive ways. Jack proposes to Gwendolen without even asking her parents first, which was odd at the time, and then upon her saying that she could not be around anyone with the name Jack, he announces his brothers death to his country freidns, so she will not know that people call him Jack in the countryside. Jack is an amusing character because he seems so frantic and almost childlike. I also found it interesting that Wilde had Jack pursue a baptism after he tells everyone his brother died, as if getting a baptism will rid away the lie. Soon after, we see that his lie is begginning to spiral out of his control which is humorous because just a moment before he was so pleased with himself and thought that it was all over. I am interested to see how this goes and how much more out of hand his lie will get.
ReplyDeleteThe first two acts of The Importance of Being Earnest were funnier then I had anticipated them to be. Right from the opening scene with The humor felt very current and the set up of both Jack and Algernon as well as their dualities was done in an intricate but easily understood way, coming across clearly and showing a blunt truth about humanity while entertaining you greatly almost forcing you to continue thinking about the simple underlying themes. The poshness that Jack and Algernon upheld through all of their trifled lying, trickery, and bickering as well as their constant frivolous and fantastical acts revealed much about Wilde’s thoughts about his upbringing, reflecting on how his parents had always pushed entertainment over truth. I especially loved the characters Cecily and Miss Prism who seemed to be the personification of the little voices inside your that go back and forth. Cecily is particularly interesting to me because although she seems to be flighty and ditzy she will have moments of great insight about things such as the accuracy of memory.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde has always been one of those writers who I had heard of but did not know anything about. As such, I found it to be a pleasant surprise while watching his biography when I found out about his individuality and perchance for humor in his writing. While reading The Importance of Being Earnest afterwards, I found his unique personality and experiences really shine through in his writing. First, I appreciated how Wilde centered his story around a strong sense of awkward humor to entertain his audience. It's obvious that Jack should not be pretending to be his brother Earnest from a moral standpoint. However, Jack is also portrayed as the protagonist and in a somewhat sympathizable manner, which introduced the scene for humor. As readers, we all know that Jack's deception will eventually be revealed most- most likely in a spectacularly disastrous fashion- but that he likely won't be completely ruined from his misdeeds. Watching the awkward interactions that come as a result of Jack trying to cover up for his fake identity, especially when combined with a dash of love and his friend Algernon's similar willingness to engage in misdeeds for love, created an especially interesting scene that Wilde further highlights upon through his wit.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I would’ve appreciated Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” as much as I did if I hadn’t learned to appreciate aestheticism. I agree with Anna that we are often taught to search for a deeper meaning in art and literature when, more often than not, a work’s sole purpose is to depict beauty. Rather than simply admiring the beauty of art, I often find myself attempting to read between the lines in search of hidden implications or values. Almost immediately after starting the play, I fell in love with Wilde’s humorous and lighthearted tone. The story of Jack Worthing leading two lives and the mischief he gets caught up in as a result is certainly a shift from the depressing tones of Henrik Ibsen’s “Ghosts” and “A Doll’s House”. Both Algernon’s and Jack’s employment of the name Ernest and the confusion and the chaos that emerges as result creates a very amusing and humorous plot that keeps the audience constantly on their toes. Due to its whimsical nature, I initially assumed that I would not enjoy reading Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, but surprisingly, the play’s banter kept me glued to the page.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the play A LOT. The dramatic irony just made me laugh. Even thought it’s all dialogues, Oscar Wilde geniusly still made it all work. The things that the characters say and when they talk are aligned and put together perfectly. I was confused myself at first when Jack said his name was Earnest, but it all made sense when I continued reading. I just think it’s funny and weird that the characters care so much about a person’s first name. As if a person’s name defines who the person is.
ReplyDeleteInitially I was expecting Oscar Wilde’s play to be somewhat boring. I must admit I went into it without an open mind, but as the play progressed I began to enjoy it. The first two acts turned out to be much funnier than I had anticipated. I watched the video and read the information about him before I read the play which I found to be very helpful. It gave me a better understanding of him as a person and his work. I appreciate the ways the Wilde is able to poke fun at his characters and the society they are living in. I enjoyed learning about Wilde’s life before I began to read his play. He was funny and a bit crazy, but also very wise and insightful, like his play. He was a man who challenged the ways of his society, which I found very intriguing. As for his work I liked the specific way that he wrote this play. Like Sosha had mentioned, he writes his lines so they are simple and concise. This made the play a lot easier to read. It kept me interested and went by quickly. For me, a quick read is one that is better able to keep my attention. I look forward to reading the third act in class and acting it out to see how other people interpret the play.
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To me, Oscar Wilde seems like a ‘happy’ Ibsen, both playwrights tackling the hypocrisy and traditionalism of their societies but with different outlooks. For Ibsen the effects society has on people is tragic, writing somber stories with rarely any happy endings and while employing a good amount of humor, the tragic unfolding of his messages and ideas over the course of the play is the main focus of Ibsen’s writing. For Wilde, on the other hand, the effect that the hypocrisy and traditionalism of society have on people isn’t funny, it is hilarious. Wilde’s characters constantly say hypocritical, absurd, and nonsensical things, statements that fall apart with a second of thought but are never questioned because the characters of Wilde’s world never think about what they are saying or they only ever think about what they are saying. In Ibsen’s world, the flaws of society reveal themselves over the course of the play while in Wilde’s world the flaws of society are brazen and obvious from the start, its just that nobody cares and sees them. In Ibsen’s world there is always at least one character who by the end of the play acknowledges the hypocrisy and cruelty of society, Nora or Mrs Alving for example. However in Wilde’s world everyone buys into the hypocrisy, never analyzing or challenging their society. Jack almost does this, withholding consent for Cecily to marry Algernon in order to take Mrs Bracknell to task for being a hypocrite and judging him for the circumstances of his birth which were out of his control. However once he learns that he is of high birth he drops the entire thing and everyone is happy. The entire play, Jack is struggling against the traditionalism and superficiality of society, how Mrs Bracknell won't accept him if he isn’t of high birth and Gwendolen wont accept him unless he has a name she likes, and instead of the societal trends these problems represent getting challenged by the end of the play they are bolstered, as the last minute revelations that Jack is actually of high birth and is named Ernest, remove all of Jack’s worries and the worries of everyone else. The play is about a bunch of high class people worrying if they and the people around them are high class enough and in the end it was all trivial because they were high class enough from the beginning. Mrs. Bracknell says that the only people who question society are those who aren’t in it, and while this is hypocritical and absurd it ends up being true as Jack things he’s an outsider to society through his birth and his name and because of this acts against society until it is affirmed that he actually is a part of high society and he and everyone else immediately accept and forget all of their worries and lies and drop all of the problems they were obsessing over. They are insiders and blissfully ignorant to everything around them because of it. Ibsen analyzes the cruelty inflicted on the outsiders of society (women mostly) while Wilde analyzes the blissful happiness and absurd ignorance of the insiders of society. If your an outsider life is tragic. If you are an insider life is nonsensical.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Importance of Being Earnest. At first I was slightly thrown off by the word play but once I understood what was happening I found myself being engaged and entertained by the light and funny play. However, even though it read easily, there were many themes that I still consider relevant. Wilde makes a compelling argument for being authentically yourself, because facades will inevitably lead to tricky situations. Also his attraction to the philosophy of aestheticism comes through as Wilde is direct and honest, letting the appearance of the play speak for itself. The characters are ditzy and superfluous, as they are bored and rich. Wilde does not try to defend his status, instead he leans into the stereotypes surrounding the upperclass, using them to his advantage to write a witty play. This is a very different approach to the class issues that Austen tackled in Persuasion as she showed the issues that result from the close minded thinking surrounding "marrying down". Wilde examined the same issue but made it more humorous than romantic, and had his characters play into the idea rather than reject it. The Importance of Being Earnest was a refreshing taste of the humor of the Victorian era.
ReplyDeleteThe Importance of Being Earnest is a play that I have found myself coming back to for years. Ever since I was a child, I remember listening to the snappy retorts of Algernon and John and thinking that they were some of the coolest characters I had ever seen. As I was internalizing Wilde’s love of quick wit and scathing put-downs, however, this time I read it I found myself thinking more about his complicated relationship with the truth and with the principles of Aestheticism. As a musician, this central debate of Aestheticism is one that is ever-present in the study of classical music: Should art exist to bring meaning, attention, or light to something from the real world, whether the glory of nature, social injustice, or as a religious work? Or should art exist solely as an aesthetic pursuit—beauty for the sake of beauty alone, never expressing anything besides itself. Wilde obviously believed in the latter, and I’ve also been living by that principle almost all my life. But nowadays, there has been pushback against this supposedly elitist idea that music belongs in the concert hall, art belongs in the gallery, and novels should be read purely as objects of beauty. The more I see the impacts of art when used for social change, the less sure I become about my previously held beliefs in the values of Aestheticism. The tale of Odysseus is one that I have never linked to Oscar Wilde, but after reading the dialogue between Cyril and Vivian the parallel was immediately clear to me. There is a certain kind of perverse honor, to me, in Odysseus’s “words of sly devising” getting him unharmed out of peril as opposed to, say, Hector’s or Achilles’s hamfisted brutality. This idea of untruth being a more elegant way to go about one’s business than honesty is one that I find very interesting. How many of us can claim to be completely above-board in every interaction? Almost none. Yet almost nobody wants to admit to the fact that they have lied—In this case, Wilde’s honesty about his lies makes me respect him all the more.
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