Perspectives

Literary perspectives

Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest is an example of satirical comedy. The full title, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, reveals it to be both a comedy, as well as a satire. 

Satire uses humor in the form of irony and exaggeration to expose a problem or to criticize someone or something. The play employs several types of humor, especially irony. It also features absurd, unlikely situations. For instance, the mistake of confusing a baby for a manuscript is not likely to happen, so it registers as absurd. Farce, and slapstick are also used to convey the message and advance the storyline.

Satire is often used to expose the flaws of modern society. The play ridicules Victorian society, especially the upper class. This was the contemporary society at the time when the play was written and first p...