The Importance of Being Earnest: Context: Attitudes to Homosexuality

Contextual Influence: Attitudes towards Homosexuality

Victorian Morality and Sexuality

The late Victorian era, when Oscar Wilde was writing, was characterised by strict social and moral codes. Sexuality, especially homosexuality, was a heavily regulated and taboo subject.
The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, also known as the ‘Labouchere Amendment’ or the ‘blackmailer’s charter’, made any act of ‘gross indecency’ between men a punishable offence, making homosexuality, in effect, illegal. This was the law under which Wilde was eventually tried and imprisoned.
Society was structured around the heteronormative, patriarchal family unit. A distinction was drawn between the ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres – the pursuit of wealth and power was seen as masculine (and thus, public) while the maintenance of the family and the home was seen as feminine and private.

Wilde and Homosexuality

Wilde himself was homosexual, and his plays often included coded references to homosexuality, which would have been understood by some in his contemporary audience.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, for example, ‘Bunburying’ (creating a fictitious person to live out an alternate lifestyle) can be interpreted as alluding to maintaining a façade of heterosexuality while secretly pursuing same-sex relationships.
Wilde was countercultural, challenging societal norms through his wit and satire. He is considered to be a forerunner of the gay rights movement.

Impact on the Play

The theme of double lives and pretending to be someone you’re not resonate deeply in the context of attitudes to homosexuality.
Earnest-ness or sincerity is a recurrent theme. The conflict between societal expectations and personal authenticity is implicitly mirrored through the characters’ struggle for their true identities.
The intricate wordplay and wit used by Wilde is instrumental in veiling and unveiling the theme of homosexuality, adding layers of complexity to the characters’ identities.

Language and Style

Wilde’s language is filled with double entendres and coded language that subtly alludes to homosexuality, a masterful way of bypassing contemporary censorship.
Despite the serious context, the play is marked by ironic humour and satire, which serve as a critique of Victorian hypocrisies around sexuality and identity.
Wilde uses euphemistic language such as ‘Bunburying’ to broach taboo subjects, satirising societal norms whilst also highlighting the danger of ostracism and punishment for those who deviated from such norms.