The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society
The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde is a popular play that is still widely performed in English-language theatres and also in many other languages. For example, the “Théâtre Antoine” in Paris produced it in October 2006 (on tour until March 2008) and a Versailles company performed...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée
2010-12-01
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| Series: | Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2717 |
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| author | Brigitte Bastiat |
| author_facet | Brigitte Bastiat |
| author_sort | Brigitte Bastiat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde is a popular play that is still widely performed in English-language theatres and also in many other languages. For example, the “Théâtre Antoine” in Paris produced it in October 2006 (on tour until March 2008) and a Versailles company performed it at “Le Lucernaire” in September and October 2008.When first performed, the play was considered as a light comedy and classified as entertainment for Victorian society. However, the writing of the play relies on a creativity and richness that combine different styles. Oscar Wilde was gay in a society stifled by social conventions and governed by very tough laws on homosexuality. Nevertheless, some critics have argued that the playwright dared include homosexual connotations in the text. However, I would argue that more generally, despite very little room for manœuvre, he managed brilliantly to challenge the social norms, sexual stereotypes and gender representations of his time while pleasing aristocratic London socialites.In this paper I will examine the way in which Wilde’s text challenged and conformed at the same time. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e0329ab919644ebe970458f4d2d94466 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0220-5610 2271-6149 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2010-12-01 |
| publisher | Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
| spelling | doaj-art-e0329ab919644ebe970458f4d2d944662025-01-30T10:21:40ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeCahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens0220-56102271-61492010-12-0172535410.4000/cve.2717The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian SocietyBrigitte BastiatThe Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde is a popular play that is still widely performed in English-language theatres and also in many other languages. For example, the “Théâtre Antoine” in Paris produced it in October 2006 (on tour until March 2008) and a Versailles company performed it at “Le Lucernaire” in September and October 2008.When first performed, the play was considered as a light comedy and classified as entertainment for Victorian society. However, the writing of the play relies on a creativity and richness that combine different styles. Oscar Wilde was gay in a society stifled by social conventions and governed by very tough laws on homosexuality. Nevertheless, some critics have argued that the playwright dared include homosexual connotations in the text. However, I would argue that more generally, despite very little room for manœuvre, he managed brilliantly to challenge the social norms, sexual stereotypes and gender representations of his time while pleasing aristocratic London socialites.In this paper I will examine the way in which Wilde’s text challenged and conformed at the same time.https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2717 |
| spellingShingle | Brigitte Bastiat The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
| title | The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society |
| title_full | The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society |
| title_fullStr | The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society |
| title_short | The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society |
| title_sort | importance of being earnest 1895 by oscar wilde conformity and resistance in victorian society |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2717 |
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