The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (Edexcel A-Level English Literature): Revision Notes

Key Quotations

Act 1

"I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance."

• Lady Bracknell expresses her disdain for anything that disrupts the natural state of ignorance.
• This quote uses irony to criticise Victorian attitudes towards education and knowledge. Wilde highlights the absurdity of valuing ignorance over enlightenment.
• Key themes: Education, society, ignorance.

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

• Algernon comments on the complex nature of truth.
• This quote employs paradox to reveal the complexities and contradictions inherent in truth. It underscores the play's exploration of deception and honesty.
• Key themes: Truth, complexity, deception.

"In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing."

• Gwendolen prioritises style over sincerity in important matters.
• This quote uses inversion to satirise Victorian superficiality, where appearances are valued more than genuine emotions.
• Key themes: Superficiality, appearance vs. reality.

"To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."

• Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack about his parentage with a humourous reproach.
• The quote uses hyperbole to mock Victorian concerns with social etiquette and the absurdity of their values.
• Key themes: Social propriety, absurdity, family.

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."

• Algernon comments on the inevitable resemblance women develop to their mothers.
• This quote employs an epigram to provide a witty critique of gender roles and expectations in Victorian society.
• Key themes: Gender roles, expectations, family.

Act 2

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

• Gwendolen explains why she always carries her diary.
• The quote uses irony to emphasise the trivial pursuits of the upper class, highlighting their focus on entertainment over substance.
• Key themes: Triviality, upper class, entertainment.

"The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means."

• Miss Prism defines the moral structure of fiction.
• This quote uses didacticism to underscore the moral expectations of literature during the Victorian era, contrasting with the play's more ambiguous moral stance.
• Key themes: Morality, literature, expectations.

"Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone."

• Lady Bracknell metaphorically describes ignorance.
• The quote uses the metaphor to convey the fragility of ignorance, critiquing those who cherish it over knowledge.
• Key themes: Ignorance, fragility, knowledge.

"If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated."

• Algernon justifies his appearance and education.
• The quote uses juxtaposition to highlight the balance between superficial appearance and intellectual depth humorously.
• Key themes: Appearance, education, balance.

"The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is plain."

• Algernon provides his opinion on how to treat women.
• This quote uses satire to critique the superficial and sexist attitudes towards women in Victorian society.
• Key themes: Superficiality, sexism, and societal attitudes.

Act 3

"I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest."

• Jack acknowledges the significance of honesty and his true identity.
• The quote uses wordplay on "Ernest" and "earnest" to highlight the play's central theme of identity and deception.
• Key themes: Identity, deception, honesty.

"A handbag?"

• Lady Bracknell reacts to Jack's revelation about his origins.
• The quote uses repetition and incredulity to emphasise the absurdity of social status and origins.
• Key themes: Social status, origins, absurdity.

"Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years."

• Lady Bracknell comments on the age of women in society.
• The quote uses irony to mock the obsession with youth and appearance in Victorian society.
• Key themes: Age, appearance, society.

"I never change, except in my affections."

• Gwendolen declares her constancy in everything but love.
• This quote uses paradox to reveal the fickle nature of human emotions and the superficiality of societal values.
• Key themes: Constancy, emotions, superficiality.

"You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel."

• Lady Bracknell objects to Gwendolen's marriage based on Jack's origins.
• The quote uses sarcasm to critique the absurdity of social class distinctions and the emphasis on origins.
• Key themes: Social class, origins, absurdity.

"To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable."

• Lady Bracknell voices her opinion on long engagements.
• This quote uses irony to satirise the Victorian attitude towards marriage and the superficial nature of courtships.
• Key themes: Marriage, courtship, superficiality.

"Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can't get into it do that."

• Lady Bracknell advises Algernon on societal criticism.
• The quote uses irony to expose the elitism and exclusivity of Victorian society.
• Key themes: Society, elitism, exclusivity.

"I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing. Which do you know?"

• Lady Bracknell questions Jack's knowledge before marriage.
• This quote uses paradox to highlight the unrealistic expectations and contradictory nature of Victorian marital norms.
• Key themes: Knowledge, marriage, expectations.

"Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth. Can you forgive me?"

• Jack asks Gwendolen for forgiveness upon discovering his true identity.
• The quote uses irony to emphasise the play's theme of deception and the complexity of identity.
• Key themes: Deception, identity, forgiveness.