Social Class Flashcards
In the Victorian world…
…one’s name was the measure of one’s social capital and class, so the fact that Jack doesn’t have any family is an insurmountable obstacle to his marrying Gwendolen, a daughter of the titled gentry.
What are some of the main ideas about social class?
The upper classes are shallow and obsessed with appearances. How one does something matters more than why.
In lots of ways, they are uniform - mirrors of each other - suggesting that there is a lot of homogeneity and a lack of independent thought amongst the upper classes.
They are not in touch with reality; they are apparently unaware of contradictions within themselves and unaware of the real world.
Although minor characters, the lower classes are arguably presented as their equals in wit.
In Act 1, when interrogating Jack to see if he is suitable for her daughter, Lady Bracknell asks ‘___’ She is later horrified to find that Jack was found in a ‘__’, and insists that there will be no marriage between her daughter and ‘___’.
‘Do you smoke?’
‘hand-bag’
‘a parcel’
‘Do you smoke?’
‘hand-bag’
‘a parcel’
Parody of the typical ‘parents quizzing their daughter’s boyfriend scene’ - Lady Bracknell’s questions begin by showing concern for Jack’s social appearances rather than his moral character.
Comic reversal of what we would expect this conversation to entail.
Farce = ludicrous and absurd that Jack was found in a ‘hand-bag’.
The foundling child is a staple feature of Victorian literature, assumed to be the offspring of an illicit sexual encounter.
In Act 3, when Jack and Algy enter the house to apologise to the women for their deceit, Gwendolen accepts their apology.
‘In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.’
‘In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.’
Comic reversal of the typical belief that sincerity is most important.
Is this satire? This is arguably a critique of the way the upper classes’ prioritise appearance above all else.
In Act One, after speaking to Lane, Algernon says ‘_______________________’
‘Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?’
Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?
Comic reversal = a real man of the upper class was supposed to have a strong sense of social responsibility and morality. Algernon here admits that he has neither. Subversive = subverts and challenges the idea that the upper classes cared about morality.
At the very beginning of Act 1, when Algy asks if Lane heard what he was playing Lane tells Algy that he ‘__________’ to his poor piano playing.
‘didn’t think it polite to listen, sir’
‘didn’t think it polite to listen, sir’
Repartee = throughout this exchange, Lane shows himself to be capable of quick wit. ‘Sir’ = establishes the relationship between the two from the beginning. We know this is a play about class. Wit = the fact that he ‘didn’t think it polite to listen’ is Lane’s way of saying that Algernon’s playing isn’t very good, as it would be inappropriate for the servants to witness their employer’s ‘low points’ .
In Act 3, when Algy and Jack go to apologise to the women for lying about their identities, both Gwendolen and Cecily speak in unison, telling the men that ‘_______________.’ In unison, Jack and Algy reply saying ‘_____________.’
Similarly, just as Jack predicted in Act 1, the women call themselves ‘__’ in Act 2 after falling out.
‘your Christian names are still an insuperable barrier’
‘but we are going to be christened this afternoon.’
‘sister’
‘your Christian names are still an insuperable barrier’
‘but we are going to be christened this afternoon.’
‘sister’
Mirroring = both the women and men mirror each other here, as they do so often. Wilde is showing homogeneity between those in the upper classes, in particular in terms of the the extreme depths of shallowness.
Social satire = perhaps this helps to make Wilde’s point that the faults are in the society, not the individuals. He does not identify an individual for us to dislike, but in a light-hearted way, shows they are all the same.
Subversive = the men show a lack of respect for Victorian institutions like the church.
In Act 2, when she argues with Gwendolen about who ‘Ernest’ is truly engaged to, Cecily declares ‘______________’.
‘This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners’
‘This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners’
Irony - Cecily says this, but continues to wear the ‘shallow mask of manners’, as shown in the stage directions. Cecily ‘Very politely, rising’ v. Gwendolen ‘quite politely, rising’
Comedy of Manners - note that they are in the company of Merriman, and therefore must be seen to uphold their public appearances
Satire? Or celebration as expected in Comedy of Manners? - Wilde appears to be directly pointing out the ‘shallow mask’ worn by the upper classes, and acknowledging that it is in fact a ‘mask’ - a fake, insincere identity
In Act 1, Lady Bracknell declares that ‘_________________’ and that ‘_________________.’
‘ignorance is like an exotic fruit. Touch it and the bloom is gone’
‘the whole theory of modern education is radically unsound.’
