Steele 4 Charisma Steele Professor Abbott ENGL 1101 17 SEPTEMBER 2017 The Historical context of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde It is usually imperative to comprehend the motivation behind a given activity or decision. Most literary pieces have been drafted, but most people do not understand what drove the person to come up with such ideas. Oscar Wilde is among the individuals who have been relevant to the literature circle because of his immense contribution to the sector. He has other pieces that he has published, but one of them: "The Importance of Being Earnest" is legendary. Therefore, the discourse will be explaining the historical context of this masterpiece. The environment where people operate is exceedingly paramount to their existence because most of the things that happen have various degree of influence on the respective individuals. Consequently, people draw inspiration from the events that take place around them. Some people might choose to be silent while others are expressive about their feelings on a given subject. Oscar Wilde belongs to the latter category based on his skills as expressed in “The Importance of Being Earnest" provides a reader with an opportunity of understanding the circumstances that existed during its authorship. The lifestyle of the people during that time gives a clear picture of the characteristics of the society during this period. "The Importance of Being Earnest" was written at the backdrop of political tension in Ireland. Therefore, some of the utterances that have been made on the play provide an overview of the extent of the differences that could have existed among the people. The issue of Home Rule in Ireland was among the controversial issues at the time. Ideally, in 1886, William Gladstone had caused some tension by committing the British Liberal Party to fortify the quests for Ireland's self-rule (Horz, 36). This move was made under the British Empire framework. The House of Lords thwarted any efforts of the Home Rule Bill. Two years after the rejection of the bill, Oscar Wilde came up with "The Importance of Being Earnest." The implication of the differences that were brought about by the Home Rule case has been featured in "The Importance of Being Earnest." Oscar Wilde uses the characters in the play to show the reactions of people during that time. In the play, Lady Bracknell asks Jack about his political inclination when he suggested that he wanted to propose to Gwendolen (Wilde &Bristow, 24). This type of question indicates that politics controlled various aspects of people’s lives during that time. Therefore, Lady Bracknell’s intention for asking that question was driven by the need to determine Jack's political correctness before getting serious with Gwendolen. When Jack confirmed to her that he was a Liberal Unionist, she showed a cognizable degree of relief. The line "Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us" (Wilde &Bristrow, 24) confirms his reply. T.

1. Steele 4
Charisma Steele
Professor Abbott
ENGL 1101
17 SEPTEMBER 2017
The Historical context of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by
Oscar Wilde
It is usually imperative to comprehend the motivation behind a
given activity or decision. Most literary pieces have been
drafted, but most people do not understand what drove the
person to come up with such ideas. Oscar Wilde is among the
individuals who have been relevant to the literature circle
because of his immense contribution to the sector. He has other
pieces that he has published, but one of them: "The Importance
of Being Earnest" is legendary. Therefore, the discourse will be
explaining the historical context of this masterpiece.
The environment where people operate is exceedingly
paramount to their existence because most of the things that
happen have various degree of influence on the respective
individuals. Consequently, people draw inspiration from the
events that take place around them. Some people might choose
to be silent while others are expressive about their feelings on a
given subject. Oscar Wilde belongs to the latter category based
on his skills as expressed in “The Importance of Being Earnest"
provides a reader with an opportunity of understanding the
circumstances that existed during its authorship. The lifestyle of
the people during that time gives a clear picture of the
characteristics of the society during this period.

2. "The Importance of Being Earnest" was written at the backdrop
of political tension in Ireland. Therefore, some of the utterances
that have been made on the play provide an overview of the
extent of the differences that could have existed among the
people. The issue of Home Rule in Ireland was among the
controversial issues at the time. Ideally, in 1886, William
Gladstone had caused some tension by committing the British
Liberal Party to fortify the quests for Ireland's self-rule (Horz,
36). This move was made under the British Empire framework.
The House of Lords thwarted any efforts of the Home Rule Bill.
Two years after the rejection of the bill, Oscar Wilde came up
with "The Importance of Being Earnest."
The implication of the differences that were brought about by
the Home Rule case has been featured in "The Importance of
Being Earnest." Oscar Wilde uses the characters in the play to
show the reactions of people during that time. In the play, Lady
Bracknell asks Jack about his political inclination when he
suggested that he wanted to propose to Gwendolen (Wilde
&Bristow, 24). This type of question indicates that politics
controlled various aspects of people’s lives during that time.
Therefore, Lady Bracknell’s intention for asking that question
was driven by the need to determine Jack's political correctness
before getting serious with Gwendolen. When Jack confirmed to
her that he was a Liberal Unionist, she showed a cognizable
degree of relief. The line "Oh, they count as Tories. They dine
with us" (Wilde &Bristrow, 24) confirms his reply. Therefore,
the political dimension of that time was part of the topics that
were silently included in "The Importance of Being Earnest."
During this historical dispensation, politics had a massive
impact in the affairs of people.
History defines the past happenings or ideologies that were

3. prevalent during a given time. "The Importance of Being
Earnest" was written to represent a unique society. Oscar Wilde
wrote this piece during the Victorian era. Notably, every
societal setup has values that are treasured. Similarly, vices that
are abhorred also exist. The characters in the play "The
Importance of Being Earnest" have been used to showcase the
beliefs of the people during that time. Respectability was one of
the principles that were instilled in children as they grew up.
The people were required to be right in their undertakings.
Additionally, the order was supposed to be maintained in all
aspects of the lives of people. For example, Gwendolen's
proposal ought to be done appropriately. Algy insists that Jack
ought to explain the origin of the name "Ernest" that uses. This
point hints that Jack had to remove any issues around his name
before being allowed to settle with Gwendolen. Lady
Bracknell's desire to know Jack's political affiliation was also
meant to show his ideologies (Gregory, 21). The aristocratic
lifestyle at the time was intended to be defined with style and
respectability in the society.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” creation during the
Victorian period is further shown in other instances. Wilde got
some tips from the lifestyle that was predominant. The play has
been lased with cases of homosexuality and adultery (Paul,
864). Therefore, it was written during a period where there
were lapses in the moral fiber of the society. Algy has a
homosexual relationship with another person as witnessed in
"The Importance of Being Earnest" (Wilde &Birstrow, 19).
Therefore, Wilde could have been inspired to write about some
of the crooked things that used to happen during the period.
In conclusion, “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar
Wilde was written during a period that was laced with several

4. activities and characters. The context under which it was
written gave the author the time to play around with the
characters who could deliver a production that was a reflection
of the actual society.
Work cited
Gregory, Fiona. Oscar Wilde's the Importance of Being Earnest:
Insight Text Guide.
Elsternwick, Vic: Insight Publications, 2009. Print.
Hörz, Stefanie. Comic Effects in "the Importance of Being
Earnest" by Oscar Wilde. Germany:
Grin Verlag, 2001. Print.
Paul, Brody. The Real Life Inspiration behind Oscar Wilde’s
Work, 2013. Print.
Wilde, Oscar, and Joseph Bristow. The Importance of Being
Earnest and Related Writings.
London: Routledge, 1992. Print.
Notes of what my professor stated was that
· adv to broad!!!
· adv that i need to rewrite the paper ** great job on focusing
on the characters however I need to bring it into the essay
· - needed a place to start writing from
dont write in first person and adv the works cited was good but
remove print place the data base
· adv that i need a little more outside research... it sounds kind
of summary not focusing on the research
· adv that what can i argue about the treasure about jack

5. Okay the first paragraph she literally scratched out. She said it
was too broad and that it doesn’t have a thesis in the paper what
so ever. She said that once the thesis comes together then
everything should flow. So if you may forget everything in this
paragraph and give plenty of details and what argument that you
are trying to make throughout the essay
She also hated the second paragraph she said that this too is
broad and that giving a definitions was unnecessary.
She hated the homosexual part she adv that she did not get any
impression of any homosexuality in this short story
Lol she said that the only thing that was good about the essay
was the works cited page and she adv that I should have put
the website not the print because it was from the internet so we
needed the resources.
Steele 1
Steele 4
Name: Charisma Steele
Professor Abbot
ENGL 1102

6. Timeline Assignment
13th September 2017
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Context: Oscar Wilde was a celebrated literary provocateur and
famous playwright educated at Trinity College and born on 16th
October 1854 in Dublin. The author developed a set of attitudes
and various posture styles which are attributed to his fame. For
instance, his flamboyant style of dress, contempt for
controversial values and belief in aestheticism were chief
among his attitudes and postures admired by many people
(Wilde, pg.5).
The period the literary work was developed: “Importance of
Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde in 1895 is regarded by his fans
as his masterpiece of all his literary works. The first
performance took place at the St. James’s Theater on 14th
February 1895. It came as the height of Wilde’s success as a
popular dramatist, and consequently, he became the darling of
London society (a position he had yearned and striven for many
years to achieve).
Wilde’s literary work considered an artistic breakthrough:
According to (Wilde, pg. 13), the Importance of Being Earnest
was considered as an artistic breakthrough for the author. For
example, it was seen as something between self-parody and a
deceptively flippant commentary on the dramatic genre.
However, his critics regarded it as a delightful masterpiece but
utterly frivolous and superficial comedy that had ever existed.
Themes displayed in the Literary Work
Triviality: Firstly, in line with, Arthur Ransome sees the
“Importance of Being Earnest” as the most trivial of the
author’s society literary plays. It produces the peculiar

7. exhilaration of the spirit by which people recognize beauty. In
line with (Wilde & Raby, pg45-46), the author’s crucial
message here involves treating all trivial things in life seriously
and all serious things in life with an honest and studied
triviality.
Satire of Victorian Society: Secondly, for more than once, the
pay mocked Victorian traditions; their social customs, marriage
and particularly their pursuit of love. For example, during the
Victorian times, Wilde considered earnestness as its overriding
societal value (Wilde & Raby, pg. 47). It originated from their
religious attempt to transform lower classes.
Suggested homosexual topic: Lastly, with regards to the third
theme displayed in Wilde’s play, it is argued that the theme of
duplicity and ambivalence are inextricably bound with the
author’s homosexuality. As pointed by (Wilde & Raby, pg. 47-
49), the absolute necessity for homosexuals of the period
needed a public mask that contributed to the satire on a social
disguise.
Stylistic devices in the play
Use of language: In the play, Wilde earned his fame due to his
involvement in dialogue and eloquence. He achieved a unity and
mastery that lacked in his other plays. For instance, the author’s
previous comedies suffered from unevenness due to the thematic
clash between the trivial and the serious individuals. The
“Importance of Being Earnest” achieved a perfect pitch-style.
Perfect characterization: In the following literary work, Wilde
deployed a perfect match of characters such as the dandy lord,
lady Bracknell and the puritan young lady. For example, Lady
Bracknell embodied a respectable and upper-class society
(Wilde, pg. 23). She demonstrated her intelligence perfectly
well and spoke in well-formed complete sentences.

8. Structure and genre: The author used the basic structure which
underlay his previous social comedies. The genre of the
Importance of Being Earnest is placed within a wide variety of
genres such as satire and parody. For instance, the use of
farcical humor to mock the upper class in the society qualifies
the play as both drama and satire (Wilde, pg.25).
Contemporary review: Finally, with regards to the current view
of some scholars, the play is praised for its intelligent and
perfect use of humor (Wilde & Raby, pg.56). On the other hand,
some are cautious about the play’s explicit lack of social
messages. I believe that the Importance of Being Earnest was
the culmination of Wilde Oscar’s artistic work and career
during the period.
References
Wilde, O., & Raby, P. (2000). The Importance of Being Earnest.
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays.
Wilde, O. (1965). The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial
Comedy for Serious People. 1895.