The document provides an introduction and analysis of Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest". It examines the play's plot, characters, themes, language, settings and context. Specifically, it notes that the title plays on the homophone between "Ernest" and "earnest", and explores the different meanings and uses of being earnest in the Victorian society that Wilde satirizes in the play. It also provides context about Wilde and the Victorian era.

1. The Importance of Being Earnest Introduction

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3. Ernest / Earnest: Homophone: one of agroup of wordspronounced in the same way but differing in meaning or spelling or both.

4. Ernest : Jack’s Alter ego in the city Jack’s imaginary younger brother Cecily’s fantasy fiancé Gwen’s love interest Algy’s adopted persona in Act 2 Jack’s real name!

5. Earnest: serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker. showing depth and sincerityof feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty.

6. The Title is the first joke! Earnestness can take many forms in the play, including being boring, solemn, pompous, complacent, smug, self-righteous, and having a sense of duty, all of which Wilde saw as hallmarks of the Victorian character.

7. The earnestness of Victorian society impels Algernon and Jack to invent fictitious alter egos so they can escape the restrictions of decorum and decency. As you read the play, ask yourself who, if anyone, is ‘earnest’ (and does Wilde suggest that it IS important to be so?)!

8. Analysing a Play Plot Themes Genre & style Play characters Stage craft Language Settings Context

9. Plot (structure)

11. Algernon Moncrieff

12. Lady Bracknell

13. Gwendolyn Fairfax

14. Cecily Cardew

15. Dr. Chasuble

16. Miss Prism

17. Lane

19. What they do

20. What others say about them

21. What others do to them (or in response to them)

22. Relationships

24. Settings (& staging)

31. Context

32. www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/

33. http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/wilde/index.html

35. Wildean Epigrams

36. Inverted expectations

37. ‘Nonsense’ & paradox

38. Intertextual echoes

39. Hyperbole

41. Anything becomes a pleasure if one does it too often. There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on;it is never of any use to oneself. The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and literature is not read.

42. A woman begins by resisting a man's advances and ends by blocking his retreat. Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about. Either that wallpaper goes, or I do. [His final words.]

44. Director/Actor choices

45. Blocking

46. Set/props/lighting & costuming

49. Comedy of Manners

50. Romantic comedy

52. Love, romance & marriage

53. Respectability & social conventions

54. Class & wealth

55. Gender

56. Foolishness & folly