The Importance of Being Ernest/Victorian Research

My research on the Victorian era regarding marriage especially, has given me a more accurate vision of Victorian social life. Far more accurate than I would have had without such prior knowledge. Knowing the extent to which women were basically bought and sold under the pretense of marriage has helped me to catch the small truths that Wilde exposes through the use of his caviler characters. In one instance Algernon expresses his thoughts on marriage by saying that "it is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a diffident proposal" referring to the business like aspect of marriage regarding property and money. On another occasion he actually comes out and says quite plainly that proposing is a matter of business, not of pleasure. knowing the truth behind these words makes them so much more than playful jabs at the institution of marriage, but like a political statement, addressing the flaws in the society of the time.

Likewise, the research I did on the polarized gender roles of the Victorian era gave me a very different background with which to analyze the piece. The stereotypes of women portrayed throughout Wilde's play, though very different, all share key traits that tie into the general view of women at the time. Traits such as being irrational and self absorbed. Cecily is a perfect example of the self absorbed nature I'm referring to. When Gwendolyn asks if she can view her through her glasses, Cecily replies that she wouldn't mind at all and is "very fond of being looked at. Also, Cecily's obsession with her diary and her own thoughts just accentuate how absorbed with herself she really is. on the other hand, the way both Gwendolyn and Cecily describe their fondness for the name Ernest, and how it accounts for so much of the affection they feel for the guys they like, displays how very irrational the young girls are.The same with Lady Bracknell's "suitable gentleman" list, judging how suitable a man is by not only his fortune, but also the location of his homes, his parentage and whether or not he has healthy habits like smoking. Knowing beforehand the fairly low standing of woman in society and their place in it as being one of only passion and emotion, makes understanding the construction of Wilde's characters and the weight of the stereotypes he portrays all the more interesting.