The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde
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Introduction
Background
Discussion Starters
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
Algernon and Jack may
look like proper young
Victorian gentlemen.
But each—
unknown to
the other—
is leading a
double life.
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
Algernon has invented a sickly friend named
Bunbury.
When Algernon wants to
escape his social
obligations in London, he
“goes Bunburying.”
That is, he pretends to
visit the ailing Bunbury
in the country.
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
Jack’s situation is even more complicated.
A wealthy bachelor,
he lives an upright
life in the country.
He wants to set a
proper example for
Cecily, his young
ward.
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
But Jack wants to have
some fun too.
So he invents a wild
brother named Ernest.
When Jack wants to go
to London, he pretends
he has to bail Ernest out
of trouble.
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
In London, Jack
pretends to be the bad
boy Ernest.
Are you confused yet?
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
Imagine how “Ernest’s”
fiancée, Gwendolen,
feels when she learns
he is really someone
else!
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
Imagine how Cecily feels when she finally
meets the charming Ernest,
but he turns out to be
Ernest’s—or rather,
Jack’s—friend Algernon!
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Introduction
The confusion and misunderstandings are all part
of the fun.
Will Gwendolen marry
Jack even though he is
not Ernest?
Will Algernon win the
hand of the beautiful
Cecily?
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
“Life is far too
important a thing
ever to talk
seriously about.”
—Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
Oscar Wilde liked to make fun of
upper-class Victorian society.
In this play he pokes fun at
• strict Victorian
social rules
• the shallowness
of the idle rich
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
Wilde also pokes a bit of fun at himself.
Like Wilde, Algernon
and Jack are dandies.
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
In Victorian times only men could be dandies.
An authentic dandy
• enjoyed fine clothes and
expensive habits
• used refined language
• spent most of his time
socializing
• lived to have fun
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
A well-bred Victorian woman, on the other hand,
was modest and reserved.
Few kinds of
enjoyment were
open to her
outside the home.
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
Moreover, to achieve the
fashionable 18- to 20inch waist,
The Importance of Being Earnest: Background
her corset often was so
tight that she could
barely breathe!
The Importance of Being Earnest: Discussion
Starters
Discuss (1)
• What qualities do you look for in friends and
loved ones?
• Which of these standards are truly important?
• Which could you let go of for the right person?
The Importance of Being Earnest: Discussion
Starters
Discuss (2)
• What do you do when a social obligation conflicts
with what you really want to do?
• Have you ever gotten into a scrape over a
seemingly harmless white lie? How did you
resolve the situation?