Oscar Wilde

"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much."

Oscar Wilde

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Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, his only novel (The Picture of Dorian Gray), his plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death.

            Oscar Wilde's rich and dramatic portrayals of the human condition came during the height of the prosperity that swept through London in the Victorian Era of the late 19th century. At a time when all citizens of Britain were finally able to embrace literature the wealthy and educated could only once afford, Wilde wrote many short stories, plays and poems that continue to inspire millions around the world.

            By the time William Wilde, Oscar’s father, was 28, he had graduated as a doctor, completed a voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe, North Africa and the Middle East, studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, written two books and been appointed medical advisor to the Irish Census of 1841. When the medical statistics were published two years later they contained data which had not been collected in any other country at the time, and as a result, William became the Assistant Commissioner to the 1851 Census. He held the same position for the two succeeding Censuses and, in 1864, he was knighted for his work on them. When William opened a Dublin practice specializing in ear and eye diseases, he felt he should make some provision for the free treatment of the city's poor population. In 1844, he founded St. Mark's Ophthalmic Hospital, built entirely at his own expense.

            Before he married, William fathered three children. Henry Wilson was born in 1838, Emily in 1847 and Mary in 1849. To William's credit, he provided financial support for all of them. He paid for Henry's education and medical studies, eventually hiring him into St. Mark's Hospital as an assistant. Sadly, Mary and Emily, who were raised by William's brother, both died in a fire at the ages of 22 and 24.

            Oscar's mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, first gained attention in 1846 when she began writing revolutionary poems under the pseudonym "Speranza" for a weekly Irish newspaper, The Nation. In 1848, as the country's famine worsened and the Year of Revolution took hold of Europe, the newspaper offices were raided and had to close. Jane, who was also a gifted linguist with working knowledge of the major European languages, went on to translate Wilhelm Meinhold's gothic horror novel “Sidonia the Sorceress.” Oscar would later read the translation with relish, and draw on it for the darker elements of his own work.

Jane's first child, William "Willie" Charles Kingsbury, was born on September 26, 1852 and her second, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie, on October 16, 1854. The daughter she had longed for, Isola Emily Francesca, was delivered on April 2, 1857. Ten years later, however, Emily died from a sudden fever. Oscar was profoundly affected by the loss of his sister, and for his lifetime he carried a lock of her hair sealed in a decorated envelope.

            Willie and Oscar attended the Portora Royal School at Enniskillen, where Oscar excelled at studying the classics, taking top prize his last two years, and also earning a second prize in drawing. In 1871, Oscar was awarded the Royal School Scholarship to attend Trinity College in Dublin. Again, he did particularly well in his classics courses, placing first in his examinations in 1872 and earning the highest honor the college could bestow on an undergraduate, a Foundation Scholarship. In 1874, Oscar crowned his successes at Trinity with two final achievements. He won the college's Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek and was awarded a Demyship scholarship to Magdalen College in Oxford.

            Oscar's father died on April 19, 1876, leaving the family financially strapped. Henry, William's eldest son, paid the mortgage on the family's house and supported them until his sudden death in 1877. Meanwhile, Oscar continued to do well at Oxford. He was awarded the Newdigate prize for his poem, “Ravenna,” and a First Class in both his "Mods" and "Greats" by his examiners. After graduation, Oscar moved to London to live with his friend Frank Miles, a popular high society portrait painter. In 1881, he published his first collection of poetry. “Poems” received mixed reviews by critics, but helped to move Oscar's writing career along.

In December 1881, Oscar sailed for New York to travel across the United States and deliver a series of lectures on aesthetics. The 50-lecture tour was originally scheduled to last four months, but stretched to nearly a year, with over 140 lectures given in 260 days. In between lectures he made time to meet with Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Walt Whitman. He also arranged for his play, “Vera,” to be staged in New York the following year. When he returned from America, Oscar spent three months in Paris writing a blank-verse tragedy that had been commissioned by the actress Mary Anderson. When he sent it to her, however, she turned it down. He then set off on a lecture tour of Britain and Ireland.

            On May 29, 1884, Oscar married Constance Lloyd. Constance was four years younger than Oscar and the daughter of a prominent barrister who died when she was 16. She was well-read, spoke several European languages and had an outspoken, independent mind. Oscar and Constance had two sons in quick succession, Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886. With a family to support, Oscar accepted a job revitalizing the Woman's World magazine, where he worked from 1887-1889. The next six years were to become the most creative period of his life. He published two collections of children's stories, “The Happy Prince and Other Tales” (1888), and “The House of Pomegranates” (1892). His first and only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published in an American magazine in 1890 to a storm of critical protest. He expanded the story and had it published in book form the following year. Its implied homoerotic theme was considered very immoral by the Victorians and played a considerable part in his later legal trials. Oscar's first play, “Lady Windermere's Fan,” opened in February 1892. Its financial and critical success prompted him to continue to write for the theater. His subsequent plays included “A Woman of No Importance” (1893), “An Ideal Husband” (1895), and “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895). These plays were all highly acclaimed and firmly established Oscar as a playwright.

            In the summer of 1891, Oscar met Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas, the third son of the Marquis of Queensberry. Bosie was well acquainted with Oscar's novel “Dorian Gray” and was an undergraduate at Oxford. They soon became lovers and were inseparable until Wilde's arrest four years later. In April 1895, Oscar sued Bosie's father for libel as the Marquis had accused him of homosexuality. Oscar withdrew his case but was himself arrested and convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labor. Constance took the children to Switzerland and reverted to an old family name, “Holland.”

Upon his release, Oscar wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” a response to the agony he experienced in prison. It was published shortly before Constance's death in 1898. He and Bosie reunited briefly, but Oscar mostly spent the last three years of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels. Sadly, he was unable to rekindle his creative fires. When a recurrent ear infection became serious several years later, meningitis set in, and Oscar Wilde died on November 30, 1900.

Numerous books and articles have been written on Oscar Wilde, reflecting on the life and contributions of this unconventional author since his death over a hundred years ago. A celebrity in his own time, Wilde’s indelible influence will remain as strong as ever and keep audiences captivated in perpetuity.

Selected list of works

• Poems (1881)

• The Happy Prince and Other Stories (1888, fairy stories)
• Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories (1891, stories)
• House of Pomegranates (1891, fairy stories)
• Intentions (1891, essays and dialogues on aesthetics)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray (first published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine July 1890, in  book form in 1891; novel)

•  The Soul of Man under Socialism (1891, political essay)

• Lady Windermere's Fan (1892, play)
• A Woman of No Importance (1893, play)
• An Ideal Husband (performed 1895, published 1898; play)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (performed 1895, published 1898; play)
• De Profundis (written 1897, published variously 1905, 1908, 1949, 1962; epistle)
• The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898, poem)

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde (performed 1895, published 1898; play)

Published

            the first time production on February 14, 1895. In part because of Wilde’s disgrace, the play was not published until 1899. And Mr. L. Smithers who was the person who publish it on that time.

The Persons In The Play

John Worthing, J.P.
Algernon Moncrieff
Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.
Merriman, Butler
Lane, Manservant
Lady Bracknell
Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax
Cecily Cardew
Miss Prism, Governess

The Scenes of The lay

ACT I. Algernon Moncrieff's Flat in Half-Moon Street, W.
ACT II. The Garden at the Manor House, Woolton.
ACT III. Drawing-Room at the Manor House, Woolton.
TIME: The Present.

Type of work/ Genre

            The type of work is play and Genre of it is Drama; Social comedy; comedy of manners; satire; intellectual farce; in the most basic sense, The Importance of Being Earnest  which is shows that is a drama because it’s a play. It's also a comedy, not only in the modern laugh-out-loud way, but also in the classical sense, in that it features a set of characters overcoming adversity to achieve a happy ending. Earnest is the classic marriage comedy, where couples fall in love, but can't be together for various reasons. However, hidden identities are revealed, class differences are resolved, families are reunited, and Lady Bracknell’s consent is given to all the couples.

            Earnest is also a satire because it makes fun of its characters – most of whom are members of the aristocratic class. Think about how proud Lady Bracknell is, and how fond she is of scandal. When she arrives late at Algernon’s place, she explains that she was visiting Lady Harbury, who "looks quite twenty years younger" since "her poor husband’s death" (I.111). Wilde constantly exaggerates the upper class’s shallowness and frivolity to show the corrupt morals they provide as examples. When Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack, we learn that all she cares about is his money, his trendiness, and his family name.

Tone

            The tone on this play is light, scintillating, effervescent, deceptively flippant. It seems that Wilde’s main point in The Importance of Being Earnest is to criticize Victorian society by showing how shallow and hypocritical is it. What do aristocrats do all day? Play the piano, visit their scandalous neighbors, gossip about their scandalous neighbors, eat cucumber sandwiches, and make up lies to avoid dining with their relatives. What does Lady Bracknell want to see in Jack, her future son-in-law? Money, property, stylishness, and an aristocratic name. She cares little for his character. As the play goes on and we see just how shallow everyone’s desires are, and we tend to laugh. Wilde does not allow his tone to get too heavy or dark. Instead, we find the characters in The Importance of Being Earnest amusing.

Setting

          Setting time and place was 1890s, London and Hertfordshire, England in the late 19th century (the Victorian era)

Usually, having two differing locales – like the lavish London of the nineteenth century and an unspoiled countryside estate – would show readers a marked contrast. It usually goes like this: the urban center of London is the heart of England – full of business, fashion, culture, and general decadence – while quaint Hertfordshire would be an Edenic oasis where man can get close to nature and distract himself from the rush of city life.But Wilde is parodying Victorian high society – which Jack buys into, both in London and in Hertfordshire. Indeed, both Jack’s city home in the Albany and his country home display the same opulence. Thus, the distinction between the corrupt city and the innocent countryside is lost. Indeed, the same frivolous tone established in the city transfers directly over into the country estate. We don’t see a contrast between the city-dwellers and the country folk; we don’t see the city’s concrete, marble, and soot set against the country’s green groves and flower gardens. Indeed, the same luxury that defines Algernon’s home on Half Moon Street (where Act I takes place) is present in Jack’s Manor House. Act I and Act III are both set in separate "Morning-rooms" – the first in Algernon’s London home and the other in Jack’s Manor House.

Only the second act takes place outdoors among the yew groves and rose gardens. But even outdoors, Wilde doesn’t emphasize the natural beauty of the place. Instead, he uses details like the flowers as ornaments – pretty little trinkets that aren’t really necessary to the story, but set a flippant mood, just like Algernon’s piano music does in the first act.

To emphasize this point, remember that Cecily is constantly watering the roses and that Algernon later compares Cecily to a "pink rose" (II.75). So the roses function as part of Cecily’s fantasy – not only as a pretty background for her daydreams, but as a way to highlight her beauty. In another telling instance, Gwendolen tries to insult the countryside by referring to the flowers, while having tea with Cecily. Cecily turns the situation back on Gwendolen by remarking that "flowers are as common here, Miss Fairfax, as people are in London" (II.306). In the process of insulting Gwendolen, Cecily also reveals that she thinks of the flowers as inhabitants of her rural world, much like crowds of people inhabit Gwendolen’s world.

Protagonist

            John Worthing, known as “Ernest” by his friends in town (i.e., London) and as “Jack” by his friends and relations in the country.

Major Conflict

          Who am I? (Act I, lines 79-300)

Jack faces many obstacles to his romantic union with Gwendolen. One obstacle is presented by Lady Bracknell, who objects to what she refers to as Jack’s “origins” (i.e. his inability to define his family background). In the meantime, Algernon prepares to come to Cecily as the man of her dreams, Ernest.

            Another obstacle is Gwendolen’s obsession with the name “Ernest,” since she does not know Jack’s real name.

Rising Action

            Algernon discovers that Jack is leading a double life and that he has a pretty young ward named Cecily. The revelation of Jack’s origins causes Lady Bracknell to forbid his union with Gwendolen. Identifying himself as “Ernest,” Algernon visits Jack’s house in the country and falls in love with Cecily.

Climax

OK, there’s no Ernest. (Act II, lines 248-396)

Gwendolen and Cecily discover that both Jack and Algernon have been lying to them and that neither is really named “Ernest.”

Falling Action

Miss Prism is revealed to be the governess who mistakenly abandoned Jack as a baby and Jack is discovered to be Algernon’s elder brother.

Themes

The nature of marriage; the constraints of morality; hypocrisy vs. inventiveness; the importance of not being “earnest”

Motifs

Puns; inversion; death; the dandy.

Symbols

            The double life; food; fiction and writing.

Foreshadowing

            In stage comedy and domestic melodrama, foreshadowing often takes the form of objects, ideas, or plot points whose very existence in the play signals to the audience that they will come up again. The fact that Jack was adopted as a baby, for instance, predicates a recognition scene in which Jack’s true identity is revealed and the plot is resolved by means of some incredible coincidence. Miss Prism’s “three-volume novel” is another example: Her very mention of it ensures that it will be important later. An instance of foreshadowing that operates in the more usual way is Jack’s assertion that Cecily and Gwendolen will be “calling each other sister” within half an hour of having met, followed by Algernon’s that “[w]omen only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first.” This is literally what happens between Cecily and Gwendolen in Act II.

Narrator Point of View

            Though all works of literature present the author’s point of view, they don’t all have a narrator or a narrative voice that ties together and presents the story. This particular piece of literature does not have a narrator through whose eyes or voice we learn the story.

Three Act Plot Analysis

            For a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriter’s hat. Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act One, the main character is drawn in completely to a conflict. During Act Two, she is farthest away from her goals. At the end of Act Three, the story is resolved.

Act I

Jack’s second identity is revealed to fellow Bunburyist, Algernon. Jack's name isn’t really Ernest. But Jack’s lack of parents makes it impossible for him to marry his beloved, Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell is stubborn like that. But Jack won't let his ladylove get away.

Act II

Algernon impersonates Ernest to woo Cecily. It works. Especially since he’s named Ernest. Algernon’s arrival embarrasses Jack, who's trying to explain his deception. When Gwendolen arrives, the truth is revealed. There is no Ernest and the men were just pretending. The women are angry and give them the silent treatment.

Act III

Since Jack and Algernon only lied out of love, Gwendolen and Cecily forgive them. But Lady Bracknell is a party-pooper. The only sign of hope comes with the discovery of Miss Prism’s dark secret. She was the one who orphaned Jack. Jack is really Algernon’s brother! And the Army Lists show that Jack’s real name is Ernest.

Conclusion

I told you I was Ernest. (Act III, lines 156-181)

So we know Jack’s real last name is Moncrieff, but what about his first name? Oh, named after his father? Doesn’t help that everyone just called him the General. Consulting the Army List of registered Generals, that confirms Jack's real name is Ernest!Everyone can get married now.

Works Cited

 

"www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/bio4.htm"

"www.wilde-online.info/plays.htm"

"www.literaturecollection.com/a/wilde/ "