The Importance of Being Earnest Group at eNotes

well oscar wilde gave a very true description of the people of the...

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:42:12 PST

well oscar wilde gave a very true description of the people of the society and his satires are very relevent even for the society we live now a days as well.. people were materialistic , greedy , selfish, mean and then at the same time pretended to look good , so wilde did a work of disclosing the true reality of the victorian society...If we look around there are many people who care for the appearences rather than the spiritualistic...

I don't know what examples the aristocracy could set for poor people...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:54:49 PST

I don't know what examples the aristocracy could set for poor people other than maintain the status quo.

Algernon, in his infinitely contradictory ways, was summoning Lane's...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:33:45 PST

Algernon, in his infinitely contradictory ways, was summoning Lane's moral values and condemning them whereas he had no values of his own. What is funny about that statement is that it was the aristocracy (back then) who was viewed as the people whose job was to "set the example". Since Algernon cannot possibly do that, he once again twisted it all around and basically said about Lane's class what people said about his "What is the value of...

Whoah! This would be a thesis on its own, so I will give you the most...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:07:47 PST

Whoah! This would be a thesis on its own, so I will give you the most important points. HOWEVER- The book that you might want to Google which will have way much more juicy stuff is Neil McKenna's The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde; Richard Ellman's Oscar Wilde, and his own Grandson, Merlin Holland's book "The Irish Peacock and the Scarlet Marquess: When Oscar Wilde went to trial" as well as H.Montgomery Hyde's "The Trials of Oscar Wilde". Those...

Isn't it representative of the sometimes superficiality of life where...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:17:34 PST

Isn't it representative of the sometimes superficiality of life where materialism and good looks determine the success or failure of people? I think it is.

Lane says"It was a misunderstanding between me and that young lady"...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:09:03 PST

Lane says"It was a misunderstanding between me and that young lady" ...it shows the people didnt like to folow the custon of getting marry , and the rich ones who failed to do anything about it expet poor ones to set an example as Algy says ... Then the love and attention for money is shown for example Lady Bracknell when comes to know about the money cecily is having she starts noticing her. wilde attaks the social behaviour of people as...

What are the similarities between importance of being earnest and...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:29:54 PST

What are the similarities between importance of being earnest and wilde's life including every act of the play?

Explaining Oscar's influence in the Importance of Being Earnest

Aliester Crowley started a rumor that Oscar Wilde supposedly took once a...

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:02:35 PST

Aliester Crowley started a rumor that Oscar Wilde supposedly took once a coach to Banbury and saw some pretty boy which he then invited to go to Sunbury, so the term became a homosexual Victorian innuendo for double dealing, much like Algernon did in Earnest with his fake friend Bunbury. (D'arch Smith, Timothy: Bunbury - Two Notes on Oscar Wilde (1998)) Overall, even today the term "Bunburyist" refers to a person with a double life, and it is...

"Bunbury" is the imaginary friend Jack (Earnest) must "visit" in order...

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:58:13 PST

"Bunbury" is the imaginary friend Jack (Earnest) must "visit" in order to avoid attending his aunt's long and boring dinner parties. This is a purely virtual invention of his to have an excuse for his absence. According to Jack, his "friend" is of very fragile health and often needs his personal attendance. Of course, these "spells" conveniently occur whenever Jack needs them to get away. On a symbolic level Bunbury represents all the sham and...

What is the meaning of burnbury in The Important of being Earnest?

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:29:04 PST

What is the meaning of burnbury in The Important of being Earnest?

Grammardog Guide to The Importance of Being Earnest

Well, there are a lot of good laughs along the way, since Wilde used...

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:16:50 PST

Well, there are a lot of good laughs along the way, since Wilde used social confrontations and side quips in his plays to poke fun at society. A few are even 'food for thought' for later on (as you're walking out the door, as you say), although the relevence must be seen in the context of the times in which Wilde lived. The enigma of Earnest might be over at the end of the play, but solving the mystery of "Whoisit?" (rather than "Whodunit?")...

Now that we know Jack was always ernest, what are we supposed to think...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 22:45:46 PST

Now that we know Jack was always ernest, what are we supposed to think as we walk out the playhouse door?

Wilde's play present serious meaning in that he is drawing facts and...

Sun, 24 May 2009 08:19:42 PST

Wilde's play present serious meaning in that he is drawing facts and mocking them, but they are facts nevertheless. The facts are: a. The Victorian "polite society" is hypocritical, amoral, elitist, and intolerant b. The upper classes cared nothing about humanity despite of their claims to better society through charity c. Most upperclassmen lived above their means and for the sake of appearances d. Women married for nothing but money and...

"Comedy is a serious business.’ In what ways does Wilde's...

Sun, 24 May 2009 01:00:44 PST

"Comedy is a serious business.’ In what ways does Wilde's play present serious meaning?

"Mr Ernest Worthing, B.4 The Albany, W." is written on his cards. Not...

Wed, 13 May 2009 11:17:00 PST

"Mr Ernest Worthing, B.4 The Albany, W." is written on his cards. Not only does Algy have one of them in the first act, he produces it to the Cecily's Merriman when he first arrives in the country. He wants Cecily to think that he is the crazy and out of control brother of Jack. So in Act I Algy reads it aloud, and in Act II Cecily reads it aloud.

In "The Importance of Being Earnest", what does Jack have written on his...

Tue, 12 May 2009 23:02:20 PST

In "The Importance of Being Earnest", what does Jack have written on his calling card?

Oh how I LOVE this question! This is entirely a matter of opinion coming...

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:26:54 PST

Oh how I LOVE this question! This is entirely a matter of opinion coming from the reader and there is no right or wrong answer. At least I always tell my students so. However, based on the many times I've taught this story, Algy seems to be the most popular of the two. Algernon is not supposed to be likeable: He lives above his means, lies, lives a double life, is excessive when he eats and spends, is upperclass without having the money,...

6. Is Algernon or Jack more likable?

Tue, 12 May 2009 07:13:19 PST

-Why?
- Why is the other less likable?
- What are some words you would use to describe Algernon? How would you describe Jack? Why do you think Algernon and Jack are friends? What is their friendship like?