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Student Essay on Satire in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

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Oscar Wilde
About 7 pages (1,980 words)
The Importance of Being Earnest Summary

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Satire in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Summary:   The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners, whereby Oscar Wilde uses satire to ridicule marriage, love and the mentality of the Victorian aristocratic society. It can also be referred to as a satiric comedy.


The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners, whereby Oscar Wilde uses satire to ridicule marriage, love and the mentality of the Victorian aristocratic society. It can also be referred to as a satiric comedy. What is a satire and what is Oscar Wilde trying to emphasize by employing it in his play? A satiric comedy ridicules political policies or attacks deviations from social order by making ridiculous, the violators of its standards of morals or manners. Usually, a satiric piece doesn't serve only as a form of criticism, but to correct flaws in the characters or to somehow make them better in the end.

The pun on the word "Earnest" suggests two things; it stands for the name but also refers to honesty and integrity. It is also known as a 'one joke'.....

This is a free excerpt of 135 words. There are 1,980 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) in the full essay.

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