Richard Foster states that The Importance of Being Earnest has a "multivalent nature" and thus implies that a farce or a comedy of manners are not genres particularly urban and are therefore “inappropriate”. ' for The importance of being serious. Foster argues that the play could be interpreted as more satirical and complex than a farce or comedy of manners. The play contains many intelligent, complex and inventive concepts specifically regarding the hypocrisies of Victorian society, which Wilde exposes, as well as the subtle comparison between the play and Wilde's own life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Despite many describing the play as a comedy of manners, Foster calls Wilde an "elaborate literary lampoon" because of its satire of conventional conventions. Victorian literature and thus interprets the play as a parody. Wilde satirizes the traditional romantic idea of ​​love as written by authors such as Austen and Shakespeare. The superficial love shared between Jack and Gwendolen hardly compares to the undying love felt between Darcy and Elizabeth. This is evidenced by the lack of true Victorian values ​​and the choice of 'style over substance'. Such notions are subtly displayed by the fact that Gwendolen knows a man named Ernest and knows that she was "destined to love him" simply because of his name. This hardly promotes the undying, sincere, passionate love seen in other Victorian texts such as Jane Eyre and thus parodies traditional Victorian passionate love stories. Gwendolen herself recognizes this concept because "in matters of great importance, it is style, not sincerity, that is the vital thing." This subtle parody is an example of how the term "farce" is not suitable for such a play as it seems more satirical. This coincides with Wilde's satirical view of Victorian society. Wilde satirizes the hypocrisies of Victorian society specifically through the play on words in the title regarding the Victorian ideal of "seriousness." Seriousness was considered a conventional value of upper-class society. Jack represents the conventional Victorian values ​​of wanting to appear as a man of duty, moral responsibility and seriousness, namely a "man of the world". However, his alter ego is a man without morals and without a sense of duty or seriousness, which translates in his language into a contempt for morality by inventing a brother “who finds himself in the worst troubles”. It is a contradiction of Victorian values ​​and a satire of the general tolerance of hypocrisy in upper-class societies. The subtlety of this inversion and the complexity of the play is revealed through the language of the play displaying the irony of the unserious alter ego named Ernest. Algernon, conversely, is a moral character who does not care about "appearances" and is therefore the foil to Lady Bracknell and Jack. Algernon closely compares himself to the flamboyant character of Lord Darlington in Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan", revealing that satire of Victorian values ​​and hypocritical tolerance is a recurring theme for Oscar Wilde. The play's emphasis on style over substance, according to Nicola Onyett, allows for gambling, homosexuality, deception and illegitimacy as long as "an appropriate veneer of respectability is maintained", which shows the Victorian demand for sincerity and seriousness as hypocrite. This irony provides a "complex" interpretation of the play and implies that it is more "complex"than a simple prank. Wilde observed that "life imitates art" and therefore the play could be considered artistic in its subtle and personal imitation of Wilde's. life. Algernon could be interpreted as a recreation of Wilde himself due to his flamboyance, dandy characteristics, and indiscreetly discreet nature regarding his idea of ​​"Bunburying". The play's artistic subtlety is evident in the homosexual subtext it contains. The play, said to have been directed against Wilde's gay community and not often noticed by others, particularly in the Victorian era in London, was significant and discreet. It is believed that the name "Cecily" was slang for a prostitute while Algernon professes his love for her, could be seen as a metaphor for Wilde's love for Lord Alfred Douglas. There are also implicit double meanings in the word "Bunbury" and cucumber sandwiches. Modern critics are sometimes thought to have explicitly exposed the subtext behind the play by reading the division between "bun" and "bury" as code for sex between men, aimed at Wilde's gay audience in an implicit way. in order to maintain the Victorian rhythm. the importance of appearance. Algernon's words "nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury." A man who marries without knowing that Bunbury is having a very tedious time" would be a reference to Wilde's own "masked life", forced to marry a woman to cover his discreetly indiscreet adventures in the world of homosexuality. This subtle, implied subtext is a clear example of how the play is more "subtle" and "artistic" than a simple farce or comedy of manners. However, the themes of the play have a certain explicitness revolving around a comedy of manners, which is why it can be interpreted as such. Extensive verbal wit is used to provoke humor, but it is quite obvious and lacks subtlety. As shown in Lady Bracknell's acerbic repartee in her interview with Jack, with her intelligent response of forbidding her daughter "to marry in a dressing room and form an alliance with a parcel." The play is clearly influenced by Restoration Comedy due to its pointed repartee and plot revolving around love and marriage. The ban on engagement is a classic plot twist in a comedy of manners and is therefore obvious in that it has no deeper meaning other than creating long-running humor and jokes, as is seen in Act III where Lady Bracknell continues with her reference to Jack's origins. , "I didn't know that there were people whose origin was a Terminus". This palpable joke could support the argument that The Importance of Being Earnest lacks subtlety and complexity and implies that the play is more of a comedy of manners, this is also reflected in the structure of the play. The structure demonstrates a comedy of manners and farce rather than satire. The exposition of The Importance of Being Earnest prepares the audience for a comedy of manners as the opening scene shows the interaction between Algernon and his servant, which is an aspect of comedy in a comedy of manners. morals. Their exchange establishes a tone of light, witty commentary and linguistic humor “beyond the reach of conventional morality.” The use of epigrams in reference to the theme of marriage illustrates a reversal of the social norms of the time, as they are both equal in spirit even though Lane occupies a lower social position. Typical of a comedy of manners, the unscrupulous characters, Jack and Algernon, are rewarded by Lady Bracknell's approval of their marriage at the play's resolution..