Gender and Class in Oscar Wildes Play - 1575 Words

Gender and Class in Oscar Wilde’s Play A Marxist critic uses an approach that treats literary texts as material products describing them in broadly historical terms. In Marxist criticism, the text is viewed in terms of its production and consumption, as a product of work that does identifiable cultural work of its own (Chaucer, 297). Gender, is in other words, a construct, an effect of language, culture and its institutions (Austen, 427). Many gender critics are interested in how a culture constructs masculinity or femininity as either intersects with social status, or age, or ethnicity (Approaches Sheet). In Oscar Wilde’s comedy â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, the main focus of the play is between the main character Jack, who is in pursuit of marriage to Gwendolen Fairfax, the daughter of Lady Bracknell. The play is a satire of the late Victorian era in London, when an intricate code of behavior governed everything from communication to sexuality ( . The plays major themes focus on the importance of establishments such as marriage, and other importance of Victorian ways. In one specific scene of the play Act 1 Scene 2, just after Jack has proposed to Gwendolen, Lady Bracknell enters the room and sends her daughter away; she then begins to interview Jack to see if he would qualify as a possible son-in-law. Based on this specific passage the reader is able to examine the text in its’ irony to influence social agreements of the Victorian era from a gender andShow MoreRelatedWildes Use of Binary Opposites Is the Key Comedic Element in the Impoprtance of Being Earnest. to What Extent Do You Agree with This View?1615 Words   |  7 PagesWilde’s use of binary oppositions is the key comedic element in the Importance of Being Earnest. To what extent do you agree with this view? Throughout the play, Oscar Wilde portrays several binary opposites using the characters and themes of the play, such as the town and country, class, age, gender and morals. However I don’t think that the binary opposites are the main source of comedy in the play. The reason I find it comical is from the fact that the play is a comedy of manners as well as Wilde’sRead MoreContextual Essay: the Importance of Being Earnest769 Words   |  4 Pagesthroughout Oscar Wildes life there was a degree of personal uncertainty he bestowed upon himself. This was very much reflected in his social lifestyle, personality and dress sense; but above all through his many dramatic works that reflect his often contrasting attitudes toward himself in his extravagant and highly esteemed approach to his writing of classic English literature. This is true for drama: the playwrights who write plays often incorporate aspects of their own lives into the plays, be itRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde913 Words   |  4 Pagesfeel insulted, mostly due to the fact that humans don’t acknowledge their lifestyle flaws until others make them known. This concept has come to be the brick and mortar of the wry play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The significance of the notion of being earnest is contradicted in the play, through Wilde’s clever use of words, characters digression of societal normalcy, and triviality of Victorian concepts. Cynical character Algernon asserts that women of Victorian society reinforceRead MoreOscar Wilde s A Woman Of No Importance1057 Words   |  5 PagesOscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance, written and published in 1893, a witty melodrama that challenges morality, piety, and depicts gender inequalities in the Victorian Era. Critics deemed A Woman of No Importance as being on the, â€Å"weakest of the plays Wilde wrote,† 1 of the 19th Century because was described as being very shocking and unpleasant to theatergoers of this time for questioning the gender inequalities of the era. Moreover, this play is characterized as being a sentimental comedy whereRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest Satire Essay1291 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout Oscar Wilde’s play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde routinely uses satire throughout the story amongst character dialogue and actions to scorn the Victorian society audience. Oscar uses satire to mock love, and the concept of marriage as well as the Victorian-aristocratic class system and society mentality. The play is described as â€Å"A trivial comedy for serious people†. Satire makes this seemingly serious play into a comedy, but nevertheless Wilde uses the play to tackleRead MoreThe Effects Of Victorian Society s Un realistic Expectations Of The Individual887 Words   |  4 PagesDorian Gray. In the article, she talks about gender roles and societal expectations along with the ways characters in the play conform to or reject them. Although the essay is written by a student at McKendree University, the writing is not difficult to understand. This essay is well-documented and seems unbiased. I can use this information when analyzing the ways Wilde challenges Victorian conventions in my essay. In this article, the author discusses gender roles in The Importance of Being EarnestRead MoreThe Influence Of Victorian Society On Relationships And Marriage1642 Words   |  7 Pageshad been searched for by both men and women using the standards that the commonwealth had created. When reading Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† and associating it to society’s expectations for both genders throughout the Victorian era, people are depicted as being very effected and influenced by the set rules and boundaries. Using the theme of relationships within his play, Wilde examines the connection between the Victorian era and its impact on the decisions that men and women wouldRead MoreGender Roles Of Female Characters1479 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the eras, literature has mirrored the social changes taking place in English society specifically in regards to gender roles of female characters. The Elizabethan era, which lasted from 1558 to 1603, is often referred to as the golden age by historians where many transitions in English society regarding marriage and gender took place (Ivic 110). It was a time in which wives were viewed as the property of their husbands (Ivic 110). However, every woman was expected to marry and be dependentRead MoreThe Twelfth Night, By Oscar Wilde1158 Words   |  5 Pagespreferred to follow. Gender, arguably is basis from which all following norms branch from. Pierre Bourdieu writes in his boot â€Å"Masculine Domination†, â€Å"The social world constructs the body as a sexually defined reality and is the depository of sexual defining principles of vision and division† (Pierre 11). These divisions produce gender roles that are based on the patriarchy. Traditionally, gender roles states that men are the leaders in society and the family, while women play submissive role in raisingRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest Essay1439 Words   |  6 PagesA Trivial Comedy for Serious Pe ople Oscar Wilde mocked his audience while he entertained them. Perhaps his most loved and well-known work, The Importance of Being Earnest, satirises the manners and affections of the upper-class Victorian society. Satire is a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness, usually with the intent of changing or correcting the subject of the satirical attack. The play focuses on the elite, while making fun of the ludicrousness and extremity