First Impressions on The Importance of Being Earnest
After just reading up to Act I of the play, I have already grown a liking to how the scenes are set up and topics of conversation that the characters go on about. Oscar Wilde uses a witty tone to dress up the dialogue between the characters and, in doing so, makes the play more fast-paced and upbeat as opposed to non-comedic plays of his time period. The comedy in this play appears to serve as a criticism for what Wilde sees as the ridiculous behavior and thoughts of the members of upper class British society. The comedy comes off as "light-hearted" in nature so Wilde may find the ways of the rich to be more amusing rather than appalling. Wilde plays up the theme of false appearances with the establishment of "alter egos" for the characters that help them escape the pressures of perfection. Algernon, for example, uses Bunbury as his excuse. Out of curiosity, I looked into the meaning of the name Algernon (because I found the name to be quite unusual and uncommon compared to the other names in the play) and discovered that the name is actually French and means "with mustaches". I found this interesting because mustaches are often used to disguise or to establish mystery. Another name I looked up, and one that caused quite a stir in the act so far, is the name Ernest. It turns out that the name Ernest is Germanic in origin and means "serious". I found this to be ironic because Ernest is Jack's carefree and troublesome alternate identity while his "Jack" persona is supposed to be the serious one. The focus on names in this novel is a recurring motif so far and names seem to characterize the people in the novel. Gwendolen's insistence that Jack looks like an Ernest and that part of her love for him is a consequence of his name may be a commentary on how much status matters in society. One's family name could be decider on your financial stability, future career, and future spouse in this era. The fact that Jack does not have a family origin thus far and that his family name of "Worthing" really isn't a family name at all provides the first major conflict in the play. This conflict has its' origins in the snootiness of Gwendolen's guardian: Lady Bracknell. Although Lady Bracknell initially refers to the status of Worthing's parentage as a trivial matter, she soon makes it clear that it is extremely important after all, despite her saving it to be the last topic of conversation. I found this interesting because although we established that this novel treats the trivial as serious and the serious as trivial, the serious may actually be just as important as it should be, but is simply understated in their conversations. Overall, I find this play refreshing in the way that the dialogue is oriented and how the plot is structured. Wilde creates an excellent balance of meaningful plot and witty comentary.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
AP Lit Blog- Anastasia Kishiniovski
Background on The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest is often described as one of Wilde's best works and a great display of his artistic ability. This Victorian melodrama or "sentimental comedy" was written in the late 1800's and performed when Wilde was in some legal trouble. I wanted to find out the historical context of the plot that Oscar Wilde developed so I made a search for how society of that time period ties into the story. I found that political affiliations mattered greatly to people of the upper class in that time period. People often planned out who they could and could not speak with according to their views on politics. Two major parties that had been present in England at the time were the Tories and the Whigs. Not only did these two groups have differing views on government policy, but they also differed in their religious standing with the Tories being associated with High Church and the Whigs associated with Protestant dissent. Politics are apparently mentioned by several characters in the play, including Lady Bracknell. Politics would tie in to society in this case as social interaction would be dependent on political affiliation. This suggests that Wilde's characters are very closed-minded and favor those who share their opinions rather than challenge them. Through this, we can predict that Wilde's characters will be very shallow and secluding of others. Understanding the political setting of the play would give us, as the readers, more insight and context into why things are a certain way. Another event that had recently occurred in the time period was the French Revolution. That revolution was an attempt by a lower class to bring about change and overthrow the rich nobility who would live lavishly as the poor starved. Immediately following the French Revolution, many believed that the revolutionary sentiments would travel all throughout Europe and that revolution would even occur in England. Seeing as the main subjects of this play are the wealthy upper class, it would be expected that they feel uneasy about this possible threat and that they feel their positions in society are in jeopardy. This creates a disparity in the lower class and upper class as if they are two completely different categories of people, which could highlight the characters' attitudes towards those lower on the totem pole than them. The revolution is alluded to in the play as well, contributing to this idea. Wilde will apparently make use of the historical context in the play, which would explain the rationales for a character's behavior and would help the reader picture the mindset of the character. Knowing the turmoil in England at the time will help the readers by establishing a historical and ideological setting in which all of the events are taking place. Since times have changed since the 19th century, it would be useful for us to remind ourselves what the norm was for society in that day so that we can have an idea of why the characters act the way they act.
The Importance of Being Earnest is often described as one of Wilde's best works and a great display of his artistic ability. This Victorian melodrama or "sentimental comedy" was written in the late 1800's and performed when Wilde was in some legal trouble. I wanted to find out the historical context of the plot that Oscar Wilde developed so I made a search for how society of that time period ties into the story. I found that political affiliations mattered greatly to people of the upper class in that time period. People often planned out who they could and could not speak with according to their views on politics. Two major parties that had been present in England at the time were the Tories and the Whigs. Not only did these two groups have differing views on government policy, but they also differed in their religious standing with the Tories being associated with High Church and the Whigs associated with Protestant dissent. Politics are apparently mentioned by several characters in the play, including Lady Bracknell. Politics would tie in to society in this case as social interaction would be dependent on political affiliation. This suggests that Wilde's characters are very closed-minded and favor those who share their opinions rather than challenge them. Through this, we can predict that Wilde's characters will be very shallow and secluding of others. Understanding the political setting of the play would give us, as the readers, more insight and context into why things are a certain way. Another event that had recently occurred in the time period was the French Revolution. That revolution was an attempt by a lower class to bring about change and overthrow the rich nobility who would live lavishly as the poor starved. Immediately following the French Revolution, many believed that the revolutionary sentiments would travel all throughout Europe and that revolution would even occur in England. Seeing as the main subjects of this play are the wealthy upper class, it would be expected that they feel uneasy about this possible threat and that they feel their positions in society are in jeopardy. This creates a disparity in the lower class and upper class as if they are two completely different categories of people, which could highlight the characters' attitudes towards those lower on the totem pole than them. The revolution is alluded to in the play as well, contributing to this idea. Wilde will apparently make use of the historical context in the play, which would explain the rationales for a character's behavior and would help the reader picture the mindset of the character. Knowing the turmoil in England at the time will help the readers by establishing a historical and ideological setting in which all of the events are taking place. Since times have changed since the 19th century, it would be useful for us to remind ourselves what the norm was for society in that day so that we can have an idea of why the characters act the way they act.
Monday, April 15, 2013
AP Lit Blog - Anastasia Kishiniovski
My Opinion of the Ending of Emma
I know that "The Ending" is one of the reading focuses that was chosen for the novel, but I have my own opinion about how the story ended. The last few chapters had a sort of "resolving" nature to them. All of the previous tension and drama seemed to fade away as the remaining female characters were married off. This ending, to me, was fairy-tale-like and had the "happily ever after" aspect to it. I half expected Emma and Mr. Knightly to ride off into the sunset together. Emma's relationships with both Harriet and Frank both seemed to magically mend themselves with little effort on Emma's part. Mr. Knightly's sudden, almost unconditional, positive regard for Emma was also quite strange. He attributes his new emotions towards her as a result of her maturation. Mr. Knightly had previously been so disapproving of Emma and regarded her as a spoiled child, and now they are getting married! It could be argued, however, that Mr. Knightly's relationship with Emma simply changed dynamics and that his chiding of her was a teasing way of flirting with her and that his criticisms of her actions were only out of his deep care for her. Even with that possibility, Emma's sudden maturity at the end of the novel also came out of nowhere. Emma restrained herself from commenting negatively on Harriet's engagement with Mr. Martin and instead looked past his social rank for Harriet's sake. This is a huge contrast to the self-serving Emma that we have seen from the beginning of the novel. Her reconciliation with Jane was the ultimate transition from catty teenager to classy adult. Emma put aside the gossiping and no longer viewed Jane as competition. In fact, they become friends and have nothing but kind things to say to each other after the encounter. Emma's wedding at the end was a trademark feature of fairy-tale princess endings. The event marked the official beginning of her adulthood and was the conclusion of her Bildungsroman tale. In fact, the only sour note of the affair was Mrs. Elton's attitude towards it. Her comments were actually characteristic of how Emma may have acted at one point. Mrs. Elton's shallow comments on the decor characterize that while she stresses the importance of appearance, Emma in contrast values the heart and has found a place for love in her life. Marriage had been previously established as a tool for young woman to become financially and socially stable, specifically by Emma. But through her actions, she demonstrates the value that the union of marriage has for the two people involved. In our first seminar, we talked about how Emma may be lonely and that is why she enjoys playing around with other people's lives so much. This theory could prove to be correct as Emma now has Mr. Knightly and she is past her match-making days and would now rather mend the friendships that she has broken than be shallow and materialistic as she once was.
I know that "The Ending" is one of the reading focuses that was chosen for the novel, but I have my own opinion about how the story ended. The last few chapters had a sort of "resolving" nature to them. All of the previous tension and drama seemed to fade away as the remaining female characters were married off. This ending, to me, was fairy-tale-like and had the "happily ever after" aspect to it. I half expected Emma and Mr. Knightly to ride off into the sunset together. Emma's relationships with both Harriet and Frank both seemed to magically mend themselves with little effort on Emma's part. Mr. Knightly's sudden, almost unconditional, positive regard for Emma was also quite strange. He attributes his new emotions towards her as a result of her maturation. Mr. Knightly had previously been so disapproving of Emma and regarded her as a spoiled child, and now they are getting married! It could be argued, however, that Mr. Knightly's relationship with Emma simply changed dynamics and that his chiding of her was a teasing way of flirting with her and that his criticisms of her actions were only out of his deep care for her. Even with that possibility, Emma's sudden maturity at the end of the novel also came out of nowhere. Emma restrained herself from commenting negatively on Harriet's engagement with Mr. Martin and instead looked past his social rank for Harriet's sake. This is a huge contrast to the self-serving Emma that we have seen from the beginning of the novel. Her reconciliation with Jane was the ultimate transition from catty teenager to classy adult. Emma put aside the gossiping and no longer viewed Jane as competition. In fact, they become friends and have nothing but kind things to say to each other after the encounter. Emma's wedding at the end was a trademark feature of fairy-tale princess endings. The event marked the official beginning of her adulthood and was the conclusion of her Bildungsroman tale. In fact, the only sour note of the affair was Mrs. Elton's attitude towards it. Her comments were actually characteristic of how Emma may have acted at one point. Mrs. Elton's shallow comments on the decor characterize that while she stresses the importance of appearance, Emma in contrast values the heart and has found a place for love in her life. Marriage had been previously established as a tool for young woman to become financially and socially stable, specifically by Emma. But through her actions, she demonstrates the value that the union of marriage has for the two people involved. In our first seminar, we talked about how Emma may be lonely and that is why she enjoys playing around with other people's lives so much. This theory could prove to be correct as Emma now has Mr. Knightly and she is past her match-making days and would now rather mend the friendships that she has broken than be shallow and materialistic as she once was.
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