The Importance of Being Earnest: Context: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde: Life and Beliefs

Aestheticism Movement: Wilde was a figurehead in the Aestheticism Movement, which championed art for art’s sake. This belief held that art did not need to possess a moral or political message, a theme heavily mirrored in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.
Wilde’s Homosexuality: Wilde was homosexual in a period when homosexuality was illegal. This personal context influenced his works and their themes, often embedding coded messages about hidden identities and double lives.
Court Trials and Imprisonment: Wilde was prosecuted for his homosexuality and spent two years in prison, which impacted negatively his health and career. ‘Earnest’ premiered the same year Wilde was convicted, giving the play extra layers of tragic irony.

Oscar Wilde: Influence on ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

Satire of Victorian Morality: Wilde’s distaste for the oppressive morality and hypocrisy of Victorian society is evident in ‘Earnest’. He consistently uses satire to mock societal norms, particularly concerning love, courting, and marriage.
Wit and Epigrams: Referred to as a master of wit, Wilde’s trademark is his use of witty and paradoxical epigrams. These are concise and sophisticated, often reversing the audiences’ expectations and challenging societal conventions.
Importance of Self-Image: Wilde’s preoccupation with aesthetics and the importance of self-image is most apparent in the character’s fixations on names in the play.

Key Quotes:

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” This is typical of Wilde’s epigrammatic style, subverting audience expectation, and reflecting his own complex relationship with truth and identity.
“I can resist everything except temptation.” This reflects Wilde’s well-documented struggle with his own desires in a society that condemned them.
“All art is quite useless.” This quote underlines Wilde’s commitment to the Aestheticism Movement, emphasising the idea that art should exist for its own beauty rather than serving a moral or political purpose.