To begin, OSCAR WILDE IS FANTASTIC. Now to continue...
A delayed moment of epiphany happened when I was reading the first few pages and saw with the list of Wilde's accomplished, The Picture of Dorian Grey. Immediately, my literary senses tingled and were awake and excited for what this play written by Oscar could be like...and the similarities, are apparent, yet also different, and a few different themes jumped out at me.
Firstly, the main character Algernon appears to me as a walking argument, contradiction, and little affected gentleman of little moral standing. Similarly to Dorian Grey, he posses strange ideas and enjoys confusing other people in the story and making them question him so that he can talk about his own opinions and thoughts that are generally sassy statements of society and the ridiculousness of people. I often felt reading the novel and now the play that this is Oscars main voice as a narrator coming through his characters. For example, Algernon says to Ernest, "The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility!" (209), personally the later part of this line seemed slightly out of context to the conversation until I thought of it as Oscar's own voice on literature. It is also a bit horrid to consider that the truth is not as simple as not telling a lie.
Algernon makes a comment near the beginning which expresses his attitude, perhaps towards life although in this case, piano playing; "I don't play accuratley-anyone can play accurately-but I play with wonderful expression" (5). Algernon seems hold creativity and a individualist approach higher than the polite, socially restricted lifestyle Jack/Ernest holds, although they hold similarities as well. I think its terribly ironic that this play as well as As You Like It, dabbles with the idea that characters, don't accurately know each other, and within a play pretend to be other people than they are. Perhaps this idea is central to literature and I am just realizing it, but also perhaps it is used to cause more conflict to develop. In the case of Ernest/Jack wanting to marry Gwendolen, it appears like a worsening issue.
I am exciting to further delve into this text and explore the similar themes of performance within a performance and see how Oscar develops this issue, and solves it while raising interesting comments and questions about society.
2 comments:
I am also a huge fan of Oscar Wilde and his play "The Importance of Being Earnest." I guess I never realized it before, but it does seem that Algernon takes pleasure in confusing others, or having others explain themselves to him, which, I think, makes Algernon a very interesting character. It is also interesting to me how he criticizes almost all of the other characters, especially Jack/Earnest.
I think that he is fantastic as well! I absolutely love the literary context of the class and societal interests. This will be interesting as well to see how the conflicts within the society changes and develops throughout the play. I really love the ideas that Wilde is exploring and cannot wit to delve into more of the play.
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.