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Wilde’s Earnest (1895)

So what’s outrageously “wild” about it?. Wilde’s Earnest (1895). Perhaps its development. originally written in four acts but then compressed by Wilde into three on suggestions of actor-manager of St. James’ Theatre

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Wilde’s Earnest (1895)

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  1. So what’s outrageously “wild” about it? Wilde’s Earnest (1895)

  2. Perhaps its development • originally written in four acts but then compressed by Wilde into three on suggestions of actor-manager of St. James’ Theatre • compressed version more streamlined; throws out info. not vital to understanding of characters (Slover: online) • four-act version gives more lines to Chasuble and Prism; Algernon almost gets arrested in case of mistaken identity (while masquerading as “Ernest”) for restaurant fees Jack Worthing hasn’t paid; more commentary on state of “modern society” by Jack and Algy.

  3. Maybe its implications • disruptive/satirical of social norms • life replaced by art (cf. Decadence: late 19th-cent. artistic movement that championed idea of “art for art’s sake”; philosophy based on art critic Walter Pater’s ideas [c. 1870]; e.g., “subtle and delicate sweetness which belongs to a fine and comely decadence”) • paradox of social conventions and empty words: boredom, hypocrisy, nonsense, etc. • 1890s’ London as evil “megalopolis” (the “Great Whore”) that gets caricatured, together with Victorian sophistication

  4. Or gender relations • Bunbury as “invaluable permanent invalid…” (Earnest I.201) who comes in handy in marriage* (I.232-3) • Gwendolen on ideals and the name “Ernest” (I.346,350-1) • more generally, male/female interaction (e.g., Mary Farquhar & husband [I.217-8]) * The Lady With the Monkey, by Aubrey Beardsley (1898)

  5. Slover, Tim. “The Playwright in Earnest: A Re-evaluation of the Writing and Revising of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.” The Importance of Being Earnest: A Study Guide. Ed. Bob Nelson. Provo: BYU Theatre and Film, 1993. 4-19. 17 Jan. 2010. <http://cfac.byu.edu/fileadmin/tma/user_files/Production_History/Study_Guides-PH/EarnestSG.pdf>. Works Cited

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