In my first post I will be discussing Michael Vance's
personal analysis on Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest,
posted on May 2000. Wilde’s play was first preformed in 1895, with a purpose of
satire of his age’s society and their customs, or in Michael Vance’s words “a
caricature in its ability to point up flaws and distinctive features by
enlarging and expanding upon them to the point where they dominate the portrait
and give it a distinctly comic dimension.” (Vance). The play includes some issues
which todays society still faces such as wealth, social class, and dishonestly.
Michael Vance focuses on the central subject being teased, which is marriage.
The main plot of the play involves two men, who are in
love with women that only accept them in marriage because they believe that
both their names are Earnest. With this idea, Wilde clearly states his opinion
about how people interoperate marriage, and what it really is. He also makes
the brides seem shallow, childish, and a little foolish. For example, Cecily
(one of the two brides) creates her wedding fantasy with ‘Earnest’ in her
journal before she even has a chance to meet him. Vance also mentions that the
one of the early signs of marriage being criticized is when Algernon (one of
the two men) claims that he believes marriage is more business then pleasure.
He continues to explain that romance ends when the marriage has begun.
Vance’s analysis of Wilde’s play is
in my opinion quite accurate, I agree with the fact that Wilde does a great job
pointing out the soullessness and simplicity of marriage in his time. What
puzzles me though is the question of marriage still being this way in today’s
world, although the lenience of class/race/ethnicity between two partners has
grown greatly, has marriage really changed from what it used to be? Todays
divorce rate in the United States is continuously estimated to be about 50% of
marriages, wouldn’t that statistic apply to Wilde’s era if divorce was as
socially acceptable as it is today?
(polished)
Your summery was concise and well-stated, providing a general insight into your source. The quote you selected was rich and informative showing great use of citation. I really liked your statement about "the soullessness and simplicity of marriage" since it offered a critical description about a very powerful and historical tradition. Perhaps take it a step furthur by writing about the implications of marriage in various contexts such interracial relationships or even class differences. Although you provide a brief synopsis of the play in the second paragraph, you barely express your own ideas. I would like to read more about what you have say in terms of the concerns adressed in the assignment. For instance you can hint a possible answer to one of your questions which you pose in the third paragraph so as to offer the reader some perspective into the subject matter besides their own. Overall, you did a great job on fufilling the assignment.
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