...The minor and principle characters contribute equally to the form of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. How far do you agree with this statement? A comedy of manners is categorically associated with and elaborate and scandalous plot, a joyous ending and using wit and inversions throughout. Throughout the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the conventions of a comedy of manners are clearly demonstrated by both the principle characters and the minor characters. However due to Oscar Wilde’s ideology of empowering the minorities and the ideas of reform in a Victorian society, it can be argued that the minor characters contribute more significantly. The first convention of a ‘Comedy of Manners’ that the characters contribute to is an elaborate plot. Unexpectedly, due to her insignificance in previous scenes and portrayal as a minor character, Miss Prism makes the most significant contribution to this. As she is the one who concludes the mystery of where Jack came from and in turn leads him to learn his name is Ernest, which therefore resolves the problem he had with Gwendolen over his name. This then also concludes the play as Lady Bracknell eventually grants permission for them to marry as she realises that he is the son of her “poor sister, Mrs Moncreiff, and consequently Algernon’s elder brother”. Nonetheless, the principle characters all make a significant contribution to the elaborative plot. A forewarning of such plot developing is first hinted by the principle characters...
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...Prejudice challenges the generic conventions of the realist novel Realist novel through divide in class. Generic convetions are romance, comedy (of manners) and drama. Austen details marriage throughout and this will reflect the society at the time of writing. The pragmatism is the need to be married. The novel employs narrative technique of free indirect speech. Narrative – 3rd person, effect on genre. Romance is represented through characters being kept apart. Misconceptions, miscommunication and quick judgements are key facts. Mr Darcy the alpha male who takes charge of the situation. The heroin must be saved, clear convention however she is not the typical as she is not in phycial danger but instead her families place in society is (impotant theme during time). The relationships between characters, especially the main of Elizabeth and Darcy. ‘In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you’ – Elizabeth. (Detail of relationship, tone and language). Argument - being microcosm of society and money. There is a lot of sexual tension and potential love affair – only a device. Elizabeth as a character is not completely romantic. She’s witty and changes her heart. Question of the novel being a moral tale and there is the consideration of ramifications of reckless behavior. Is it a true consequence of folly? Comedy is evident. Austen pokes fun at society. Satirical look at the life...
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...How do Hardy and Austen use their protagonists to critique the position of women in society? In both novels society is presented as an underlying constraint on both of the protagonists lives. Beth Hanson wrote, “A woman can move only downwards” and that “feminine compliance, through the surrender of self is death of a different sort, for to be selfless is not only to be noble, it is to be dead”. This outlook on societal pressures ultimately leads to Tess’ demise in ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ as she falls from the ideal image of a women in the Victorian era and her “selfless” acts does in fact end in her death. Hardy presents ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ as a bildungsroman where we see Tess’ life unfold from innocence to regret and follow her as she is metaphorically ‘kicked’ down the social ladder. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Lizzie, the female protagonist, is represented as a strong and defying character by Austen. However despite her lack of care for societal pressures she and her sisters are chained down and ultimately need a man, the “governing sex” to set them free. Both Hardy and Austen use societal context to shape the female protagonists lives and show the patriarchal influence on women in the Victorian period. In the first phase of the novel, “The Maiden” and the first phase of Tess’ life she is presented as a “girl” naïve and unaware. Hardy separates the novel into sections to represent Tess’ development and also to foreshadow the later events that will change her...
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...Conclusion During the Victorian era, men and women searched for an ideal relationship based on the expectations of a demanding society. After reading the researched expectations of men and women of the Victorian era and relating them to Wilde’s two works, this research study can acknowledge the effect the expectations have on these characters; especially the men. Analyzing the characters in Oscar Wilde’s works, The Importance of Being Earnest and A Woman of No Importance, show how the expectations of society effects the characters’ behaviour and their reaction to society’s ideals. Oscar Wilde examines the impact of Victorian society’s unrealistic expectations on the individual in The Importance of Being Earnest and A Woman of No Importance, showing how rejection, whether from a potential partner or society as a whole, can lead to deceit and engaging in a double life in order to satisfy conventions. As it stands, these comedies are the fullest embodiment of Wilde’s lifelong assault upon commonplace life and commonplace values. It was inevitable that the conventional world should strike back at Wilde, at his character and his ideas, if not specifically at his play, but the speed and cruelty of the world’s retribution surpassed expectation. Four days after the opening of his last and finest comedy, the succession of events began that brought about his disgrace, imprisonment and exile. Wilde felt strongly that men and women should be treated equally when it came to sexual matters...
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...Wilde’s key objective is to create comedy in a number of situations creating ridiculous occurrences and absurd characters. Wilde presents the character(s) in the comedy play to obtain weaknesses, conceits, and lack of insight so that their acts can be easily compared between real life and form a sense of humor within the audience. Comedy of matters is a category of play suitable to uncover the superficial values of the dominant class in society written in a satirical but natural way. Wilde satirizes the values of the Victorian higher class using the characters Jack, Gwendolen, Algernon, Cecily, and Lady Bracknell. There are many examples from “The Importance of Being Earnest” that depict comedic and satire elements through themes like marriage and triviality. The nature of marriage, critique of marriage as a social tool, is a theme that is portrayed throughout Wilde’s play. It is also the most valuable during the Victorian era and to most of the characters especially to Lady Bracknell. She represents the predictable fascinations of the Victorian name such as social class, income, and an acceptable character. She views marriage as a financial business and does not approve of Jack to marry her daughter, Gwendolen, and simply because he is an orphan. “Lady Bracknell: …You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel? Good Morning, Mr. Worthing...
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...patriarchal society of Rossetti’s era. Jessie is described as a ‘careless, fearless girl'. Her ‘mirthful' nature prompts her to take chances and sometimes become ‘heedless' about what she says. Her outgoing personality stands in direct contrast to traditional expectations of a Victorian maiden who the audience would expect to perhaps be of timid or demur characteristics. , Rossetti defies conventions, in said patriarchal society, she gives Jessie an identity, whereas in the Victorian era a girl like Jessie could cease to exist. Jessie demonstrates a sense of female empowerment when Rossetti refers to her as “fearless” a word which is not necessarily associated with power, or even a trait which would be considered as attractive; however it actually serves to set her apart, something that makes her different, and in the eyes of her rejected lover, indeed attractive. This love is so unrequited, to the extent that not once is his name mentioned; he is only known to the audience as the “neighbor’s son”. She does not want to acknowledge him, she is avoiding any form of intimate connection, in fact any form of connection whatsoever. However, this could also be interpreted to illustrate the distance between the two, and to prove they have no relation at all. He is not only a neighbour, but a neighbour’s son. Rossetti’s ‘Cousin Kate’ however, is a form of unrequited love we as an audience are more expectant of seeing. There is an emphasis of the powerlessness of women in Victorian society...
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...as a Familiar Feature of Victorian Writing Victorian social conventions placed the female inside the male domain, a domestically cultivated flower rather than a wild one, uncontrollable and free to roam. Woman was idealised: the angel in the house, the wife complementing her husband, the helpmate of man. Social conditions offered the Victorian woman little in occupation so her aim in life was to secure a husband, succumbing to the political propaganda. As Foster states: Because so much importance was attached to the roles of wifehood and motherhood, marriage was deemed the apotheosis of womanly fulfilment, alternatives to which were regarded as pitiable or unnatural.( Foster 1985: 6) In this role of wife, woman's great function is to praise her husband and, in return, she shall be praised for ruling inside the home where she can be 'incapable of error' (Ruskin 1865: 149) In Ruskin's lecture his view is that a husband is a chivalric knight guarding his wife from the 'peril and trial' he encounters. For the 'noble' woman, her true place is in the home, an 'incorruptibly good household nun', praised for choosing 'self-renunciation' over 'self-development'(D'Amico 1992: 69). This could also be viewed as oppression. Rather than the female 'complementing' the male, she is oppressed by him, and the praise offered by Ruskin could be viewed as a weapon, lulling the female into a false consciousness, trapping her inside the home. For the Victorian woman, serving man's desire...
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...During the late 19th century Victorian era, women’s roles and positions were portrayed as dependent, devoted to families, and home-loving (Trueman). As time goes on, the term “New Woman” was introduced (Shmoop). Later, this term was popularized by British-American writer Henry James. This “New Woman” moved away from the stereotypical woman during the Victorian era. The “New Woman” was educated, intelligent, and independent (Melani). One novel that represents these two types of women is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The two female characters in the novel are Mina Murray Harker and Lucy Westenra. Both Mina and Lucy represent the typical woman in the Victorian era. For example, the Victorian women were portrayed as an innocent person. Lucy appears in...
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...The importance of being Earnest Values and attitudes of 1895 – The aristocratic Victorians valued duty and respectability above all else • Earnestness — a determined and serious desire to do the correct thing — was at the top of the code of conduct. Appearance was everything, and style was much more important than substance. So, while a person could lead a secret life, carry on affairs within marriage or have children outside of wedlock, society would look the other way as long as the appearance of propriety was maintained. For this reason, Wilde questions whether the more important or serious issues of the day are overlooked in favor of trivial concerns about appearance. Gwendolen is the paragon of this value. Her marriage proposal must be performed correctly, and her brother even practices correct proposals. Gwendolen's aristocratic attitude is "In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing." The trivial is important; the serious is overlooked. • The tea ceremony in Act II is a hilarious example of Wilde's contention that manners and appearance are everything. The guise of correctness is the framework for war. Both women, thinking they are engaged to the same person, wage a civilized "war" over the tea service while the servants silently watch. When Gwendolen requests no sugar, Cecily adds four lumps to her cup. Although she asks for bread and butter, Gwendolen is given a large slice of cake. Her true feelings come out only in an aside that Cecily...
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...kinds of conscience, one for men and one quite different, for women.” According to Ibsen’s statement, he states that moral laws are divided into two, one for women and the other for men. He’s claiming that the “moral laws” that society has implanted has double standards. Ibsen and Wilde present gender roles through morality, marriage, food delicacies, dance and wealth. These four factors affect how the characters in both plays are viewed by society. Both writers present the expectations society has for both genders. They highlight the obscurity, the society they lived in, had. This method was to leave the audience questioning about the society they lived in. Ibsen displays the realness of a typical marriage and he doesn’t follow the conventions of a Well-Made play, he presents the hardcore facts of marriage and family life; he does this by giving both genders unequal power, which contradicts the meaning of marriage, “the joining of two equals”. Whereas Wilde switches the gender roles, this method is very effective as it emphasises and reveals clearly how ridiculous the social class behaves. Even though Ibsen uses highly respected jobs to portray the archetype of men, Wilde uses the absence of occupation to concentrate on the other aspects of Victorian life. In the first Act, Ibsen outlines the stereotypical views of both genders; women were to be domesticated and men were to be the bread-winners. Wilde uses the noun “Bunburying” which is to avoid “one's duties and responsibilities...
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...young and beautiful as ever. Then one evening he meets the artist once more and, after he has shown him the evil-looking portrait, Dorian kills him in a fit of hatred. Dorian tries to carry on with his immoral life but he is tormented by feelings of guilt and decides that the only way he can make up for what he has done is to destroy the painting. In the climax of the story Dorian tries to kill the man in the portrait, but kills himself in the process. Aestheticism was inspired by the principle of 'art for art's sake (art for the love for art) ...it had to simply create beauty. The Aesthete believed that Form was the essence of Beauty and Beauty was the highest perfection of human. The Aesthetic writers broke away from the confining conventions of their time and led very unconventional lives, pursuing pleasure and new sensation sand devoting themselves to the cult of beauty and art. The novel that we chose for analyzing is The Picture of Dorian Gray . It is an 1891 philosophical novel by writer...
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...about a woman’s descent into madness, and knew enough to know that in the Victorian period women were often denied their freedom and independence. As a result I was able to sympathise with the woman in the story. However, after detailed research into the context of the novella, my appreciation of many aspects of the story was enhanced in several ways. My sympathy for the unnamed narrator was greatly intensified because I became aware of the ways in which she was victimised and controlled in the name of ‘love’ by her husband and medical supervisor, John. Knowledge of context enabled me to appreciate different complexities of meaning in particular details of the story including the symbolism of the yellow wallpaper, the bedroom, and references to writing. Finally, my knowledge of context enhanced my appreciation of how the story is written. As a first person narrative the novella encouraged me to have some sympathy for the unnamed woman. However, my knowledge of context allowed me to appreciate the importance of point of view at another level, namely its significance in giving the female victim a voice. I have thus gained an appreciation of the political dimension of the story – the way it raises issues of power, which I might otherwise have not understood. One of the things that has helped me appreciate The Yellow Wallpaper more is my extended knowledge of the treatment of hysteria patients in the Victorian period. ‘Hans Pols’ newspaper from the University of Pennsylvania generated...
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...termed9. Catherine ‘was full of ambition- and led her to adopt a double character without exactly intending to deceive anyone’10. Despite Catherine being a rebelious and ‘wild’ character, it is evident that she was still nonetheless greatly influenced by the patriarchal attitudes, gender conventions and expectations...
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...The Victorian society of the nineteenth-century was a period marked by sensationalism and superficiality but also by the emergence of a new kind of novel and short story that expressed ideas about subjects that were normally taboo or avoided in this society. A year before his death in 1896, Henry Cuyler Bunner wrote the short story “Our Aromatic Uncle” which presents an unreliable narrator and very strong allusions to same-sex love . This essay will analyze the homosexual subtext in Bunner’s short story. This text will explore how the phrase popularized by Oscar Wild “the love that dares not speak its name” express itself as well as on what and how same-sex love is displaced in the short story. To analyze the homosexual subtext, this essay will also examine what discrepancies can be observed in Bunner’s story and how they lead the reader to question the reliability of the narrator. First of all, the short story, written by Bunner in 1895, presents the story of a judge’s son and a butcher-boy who leave the United States to go to China. The only contact David, the judge’s son, has had with his family is short and brief letters that he sent few times per year along with some gifts that had all a particular aroma prior to his death. However, further in the story we can realize that the letters as well as the gifts have not been sent by David but by the butcher-boy, Tommy Biggs. This aspect brings the reader to some interrogations regarding the actual relation between David and...
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...gangsterism as a "form of self-help which victimizes others" may appear in societies which lack strong "forces of law and order"; he characterizes European feudalism as "mainly gangsterism that had become society itself and acquired respectability".[6] A wide variety of gangs, such as the Order of Assassins, the Damned Crew, Adam the Leper's gang, Penny Mobs, Indian Thugs, Chinese Triads, Snakehead, Japanese Yakuza, Irish mob, Pancho Villa's Villistas, Dead Rabbits, American Old West outlaw gangs, Bowery Boys, Chasers, the Italian mafia, Jewish mafia, and Russian Mafia crime families have existed for centuries. According to some estimates the Thuggee gangs in India murdered 1 million people between 1740 and 1840.[7] The 17th century saw London "terrorized by a series of organized gangs",[8] some of them known as the Mims, Hectors, Bugles, and Dead Boys. These gangs often came into conflict with each other. The members dressed "with colored ribbons to distinguish the different factions."[9] Many poor orphans in Victorian London survived by joining pick-pocketing gangs controlled by adult criminals.[citation needed] At the beginning of the 19th century, child criminals in Britain were punished in the same way as adults. They were sent to adult prisons, transported to the various Australian penal colonies, flogged, and sentenced to death for crimes such as petty theft.[10][11][12] All the major cities of Victorian England in the late 19th century had gangs.[13][14] Chicago had over...
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