Poetry - Quotations Flashcards
Aesthetic movement Dandy stock character “Art for art’s sake” Subversion of Victorian gentlemen Foregrounds Algernon’s character
“I don’t play accurately… i play with wonderful expression” - AM
“Pleasure, pleasure, what else would bring one anywhere” - AM
Subversion of ideas of responsibility- Algernon subverting the victorian gentleman
Used as satirical mockery of the upper class viewing themselves as “superior”
Masters and servants
“If the lower orders don’t set us an example what on earth is the use of them?” - AM
Comic reversal, Algernon seems to be boasting, he seems almost proud of his immoral, deceptive actions
Introduces the use of deception
Supports the victorian idea that men are less moral than women
“I’ve bunburied all over Shropshire” - AM
“Ernest in town and Jack in the country” - JW
An inversion of normal life completely immoral Epigrammatic reversal Encouraging adultery (a sin) Love and Marriage are huge themes Ridicule of marriage and religion
“the truth is rarely pure and never simple” - AM
“Three’s company, two is none” - AM
Undermining Lady Bracknell’s authority and seriousness
Demonstrates the flamboyance/ over excessive behaviour of the upper class, both ridicules/celebrates this - comedy of manners
“Marry into a cloakroom and form an alliance with a parcel” - LB
“It produces vibrations” - GB
Town Vs Country comical division
Town is exciting, the country is boring and people there are uneducated
“What on earth do you do there?” - AM
“A girl like Gwendolen… can hardly be expected to reside in the country” - LB
Empowerment of women - Gwendolen is dominant in her relationship with Jack.
Foregrounds their relationship as a plotline - comic love journey towards marriage, have to overcome obstacles
Comic reversal of the confident male persona
Lady Bracknell too, appears to be dominant in her marriage, making decisions herself
“I am never wrong” - GB
“I intend to develop in many directions” - GB
She has Jack stumbling over his words - “ever since i met you … i have ever met since i met you” - JW
“You’re uncle would have to dine upstairs”- LB
Superficial personality of Cecily
Follows the aesthetic movement
“I look quite plain after my german lesson” - CC
Purpose of fiction in the Victorian era was to encourage morality - the morally questionable characters such as Algernon, Ms Prism etc all end happily
“The good ended happily, the bad unhappily” - MP
Innuendo
Comic confusion, Dr Chasuble’s sentence makes no sense
He’s attempting to appear intellectual to the women
“I would hang upon her lips…my metaphor was drawn from bees. Ahem!” - DC
Subverts expectations of the supposed ingenue character
Clever, resourceful, finding a way out of learning German by getting Ms Prism to go on a walk with Dr Chasuble
“Ms Prism has just been complaining of a headache” - CC
Algernon’s subversion of the upper class gentleman
Morally dubious
Dandy-like stock character
Reflection of Oscar Wilde
“I have a business appointment, that i am anxious to miss” - AM
“My duty as a gentleman has never interfered with my pleasures” - AM
Subversion of religion, Catholicism
Ironic/Satirical
It’s like he’s trying to fit in with the upper classes by acting smart
“My serman… can be adapted to almost any occasion” - DC
Subversion of gender roles
Empowerment of women
Cecily is dominant in her relationship with Algernon, she gives him commands
“Don’t cough, Ernest”, “silly boy” - CC
“Hopelessly doesn’t seem to make much sense” - CC
“I am very much hurt indeed to hear you broke it off” - AM
Social spheres debate, subversive as the women usually belongs at home
“The home seems to me the proper sphere for the man” - GB
Superficiality of the upper class characters No real substance of love, but aesthetics like beauty All the upper class characters are parallels of each other
“I like his hair so much” - CC
“Its always been a girlish dream of mine to love someone of the name Ernest” - CC
Acknowledgement of the idea that everyone in upper class society is always deceiving everyone
“This is not time for wearing the shallow mask of manners” - CC
It demonstrates the significance of superficiality in the play
“Sincerity” is seen as much less important in life
“Vital means necessary for life” - appearances, style and superficiality is shown as important
Context - Aestheticism
Comic inversion of norms, it’s an epigrammatic reversal
“Style not sincerity is the vital thing” - Gwendolen to Cecily
“He has nothing but he looks everything” - Lady Bracknell on Algernon
Comic theme of deception runs through the play and is seen as an acceptable and desirable way to live one’s life
Empowerment of women, Lady Bracknell deceiving Lord Bracknell
“I do not propose to undeceive him” - LB
Possessing the wealth to own three addresses inspires confidence
Demonstrating the rank and property Victorian Gentleman were expected to have.
Demonstrates the flamboyance/ over excessive behaviour of the upper class, both ridicules/celebrates this - comedy of manners
“Three addresses always inspires confidence” - LB
Demonstrates the importance of being in society
Non-sequitur - attending dinner parties makes you a trustworthy person
Ridiculousness of the upper class
Wilde was an outsider to society, being Irish
“One of the Marksbys is occasionally to be seen at dinner parties… i am satisfied” - LB
“Never speak disrespectfully of society … only people who can’t get into it do that” - LB
Comically absurd, impossible just to decide to die
Non-sequitur (when on think doesn’t follow/link to the next)
“The doctors found out that Bunbury couldn’t live… so Bunbury died”- AM
Acknowledging the continuous deceptions that take place in their daily lives - the constant lying and deception that takes place in the play LB is making a serious point - perhaps a reason why the play isn’t trivial It seems that all of the upper class take part in deceiving people Subverts the idea that women had a moral superiority over men.
“We live… in an age of surfaces” - LB
“London society is full of women… who have of their own free choice, remained thirty five for years” - LB
Has the possibility to be making a serious point about society however is more likely a demonstration of the upper class choosing and changing things to suit them. Jack needs to keep his reputation clean Jack’s aim is also to persuade LB that he is the right man to marry Gwendolen
“Why should there be one law for men and one another for women” - JW
