The Notorious Irishman

A detailed Summary of The Notorious Irishman


Oscar Wilde made his reputation off of mocking the Victorian Era. In fact, he lived his life the same way, blatantly ignoring the common rules of society. He loathed the pretentiousness of the wealthy that dominated nearly every aspect of life in England. This was particularly ironic considering his father was a surgeon for Queen Victoria. Even more ironic is the fact that the victims of WiIde's sharp wit and satirical comedy, the well-to-do socialites, were his biggest fans. In "The Importance of Being Ernest", Wilde creates a trivial farce of the aristocracy through the actions and behaviors of both Algernon and Lady Bracknell, with the former as a metaphoric dignitary and the latter as an economic aristocrat.

Algernon represents the hypocrisy of the era. It is he who establishes the term Bunburying as a means of displaying the contradiction. By creating this act, Wilde shows the duel life that is often lived by the upper crust. It allows for the bachelor to leave his normal life in pursuit of social engagements else wher


e in the country, by relying on the illness of an imaginary brother. This misnomer, to which both Jack and

Wilde's views on aristocratic matrimony are partly personified through Algernon's reaction of Jack's plans with Gwendolen. On one hand, he views Jacks claim of asking Gwedolen to marry him as "business" (Wilde 291) claiming "Divorces are made in Heaven" (292) yet falls in love immediately with Cecily. Similarly, she has already fallen in love with the man she believes is Jack's brother, Algernon, only through fictitious tales spun by Jack. The marriage itself does not transpire until a deal is made between he and Lady Bracknell, further illustrating Wilde's belief that many aristocratic marriages are established through trivial negotiations rather than true love. Algernon is in denial of many things, from compensating for his lack of musical ability by claiming his playing is emotionally driven, to his peculiar ideas on eating as a ceremonious occasion. Parker again describes the idea that "eating becomes the subject

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lady Bracknell, Lady Bracknell's, Importance Ernest, Parker Wilde's, Victorian Era, Ernest Gwendolen, Queen Victoria, Jack Kocian, Jack's Algernon, Ernest Wilde, victorian era, wilde's views, english aristocrat, lady bracknell, importance ernest,

Approximate Word count = 700
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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