Concetti Chiave
- Oscar Wilde's life and art are intertwined, starting in Dublin with influences from his doctor father and poet mother.
- Wilde studied at Oxford, where he was influenced by aesthetic theories from Pater and Ruskin, shaping his artistic outlook.
- He became a notable figure in London as a dandy and advocate for "art for art's sake," known for his wit and charm.
- His career faced a turning point in 1895 when he was imprisoned over accusations of a homosexual relationship, leading to his works "The Ballad of Reading Goal" and "De Profundis."
- "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a comedic play featuring themes of identity and mistaken identities, culminating in a revelation of true identities and familial ties.
After graduating in classical studies at Trinity College, he won a scholarship to Oxford, where he met Pater and Ruskin, who introduced him to their aesthetic theories.
He settled in London where he became a popular dandy and he charmed everybody with his brilliant conversation.
In 1881 he published his first volume of poems.
He became an spokesman for the school “art for art’s sake” and in 1882 he gave a lecture tour in American, where he said “I have nothing to declare but my genius”.
However he did some witty comedies very important.
In 1895 he was arrested, in fact he had married Costance Llyod with whome he had two children, and Marquis of Queensberry accused him of having a homosexual relationship with his son, Douglas.
So Oscar spent two years in prison during which time he wrote the poem “The Ballad of Reading Goal” and his confession “De Profundis”.
At the end, he was buried in Paris in the same cemetery of Baudelaire.
The importance of being Earnest
The title contains a play on words, because the word earnest (that means serious and sincere) is pronounced in the same way as the name Ernest.
The protagonists are Jack and Algy.
One day, Jack falls in love with Fairfax. In the same time, Algy has invented a fictitious friend, the sickly Bunbury. When he want to escape from his family, he says that he has to go to visit his sickly friend.
One day, Algy falls in love with Cecily Cardew; Cecily thinks that Algy is Jack’s brother Earnest, with whom she is already in love.
After many complications, transpires that Jack, when was a baby, was left in a handbag at Victoria Station.
We finally discover that Jack and Algy are brothers, and the true name of Jack is Ernest.
He became really earnest. So Fairfax can marry Ernest.
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual è il legame tra la vita di Oscar Wilde e la sua arte?
- Qual è il significato del titolo "The Importance of Being Earnest"?
- Quali eventi portano alla scoperta della vera identità di Jack in "The Importance of Being Earnest"?
La vita e l'arte di Oscar Wilde sono strettamente collegate; la sua educazione e le sue esperienze personali hanno influenzato profondamente il suo lavoro, come dimostrato dalla sua adesione alla teoria "l'arte per l'arte" e dalle sue opere letterarie.
Il titolo contiene un gioco di parole, poiché "earnest" significa serio e sincero, ma è pronunciato allo stesso modo del nome "Ernest", che è il nome che Jack usa nella sua doppia vita.
Dopo varie complicazioni, si scopre che Jack, da bambino, era stato lasciato in una borsa alla stazione di Victoria e che lui e Algy sono fratelli, con il vero nome di Jack che è Ernest, permettendo così a Fairfax di sposarlo.
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