STUDY SHEET 7

Review and Preparation for Week 10: Lectures 18 & 19

OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900) [Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde]

The Importance of Being Earnest (first performed, 1895, published 1899)

1. In my lecture, I claim that Wilde, an Irishman, uses his plays to challenge the English Establishment: for instance,

a. The English class system (the nonchalent idleness of the aristocratic dandy which he uses to challenge the hypocrisy of the middle class)

b. The ineffectuality of the Anglican Church

c. The education of young women.

See if you can find illustrations of such challenges in The Importance of Being Earnest.

2. You may remember from earlier lectures that one of the most prized characteristics of Victorian manliness is moral seriousness and complete honesty, referred to as "earnestness." What does Wilde's pun on Earnest/Ernest suggest about his approach to Victorian manliness?

3. Do you find any direct references or any subtle allusions to homosexuality or male same-sex desire in this play?

4. Do you notice any allusions to or echoes of the Woman Question we discussed in Week 9?

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950)

Mrs. Warren's Profession (first performed, 1893, published 1898)

1. In this play, we circle back to both the Woman Question and the Condition of England debate. Can you recognize any connections here with works we studied in Weeks 8 and 9?

2. Like Oscar Wilde, Shaw is an Irishman who offers a biting critique of English culture. Keeping this in mind, compare:

a. Vivie Warren (a fine example of the "New Woman") to Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew in Earnest.

b. Compare Sir George Crofts with Lady Bracknell, and consider what they might suggest about the titled classes in late-Victorian England.

3. Consider the position of Vivie and Honoria in the fourth act. Have they, in your opinion, freed themselves of male authority and capitalist exploitation?

4. What exactly is Mrs. Warren's Profession? [You will probably find one word inadequate to describe this.]