#3

    In Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde makes light of marriage during the Victorian era. Upon realizing that her daughter has run away, Lady Bracknell travels to the Worthing country estate where she finds not only her daughter Gwendolen engaged, but also her nephew Algernon to Mr Worthing's ward, Cecily Cardew.   Lady Bracknell approves of her nephew's union and responds to it saying, "The marriage, I think had better take place quite soon... To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements.  They give people the opportunity to get to know each other, which I think is never advisable" (Wilde 48).  Lady Bracknell speaks of a Victorian ideal of marriage.  She sees matrimony not as a union in which the couple knows each other well and has grown to love each other.  To her marriage is a pragmatic arrangement to create connections between families.  To her, it is best if the couple does not know each other too well, otherwise they may find that they do not like one another and the possibility of a connection would be ruined.  In essence, Lady Bracknell views marriage as a business deal which may come to a close if not finalized quickly.  Wilde essentially laughs at Lady Bracknell's view of marriage which reflects the upper class's view of marriage during the Victorian era.  This business that is marriage may start passionate, however as the couple come to know one another their passion dies.  This was especially true for the Victorian era when men and women of the upper class often underwent arranged marriages where the couple may or may not know each other well.  Had many known one another better they may have seen Wilde's view of marriage, a mere business.

#2

  Wilde's interpretation of marriage and the journey leading up to it is very humorous.  In Act II, Cecily cardew, the ward of Mr. Jack Worthing, finally meets Mr. Worthing's imbecile of a brother, Ernest (Algernon in disguise).  Upon meeting Cecily, Algernon is caught up in a web of attraction and immediately falls in love with her.  Cecily, however has already fallen in love with the man before even meeting him; "ever since dear Uncle Jack first confessed to us that he had a younger brother who was wicked and bad, you of course have formed the chief topic of conversation... And of course a man who is much talked about is always very attractive...I daresay it was foolish of me, but I fell in love with you, Ernest" (Wilde 32).  Here Miss Cardew falls for a man she has never met.  In addition Cecily falls in love because he is much talked about and therefore must be attractive.  Here Wilde mocks the foolishness of people getting married.  He believes they marry only out of infatuation with the appearance.  ?They run into passion to kill their passion for the attractiveness of each person.  In the end as they get to know one another they will be awakened to the bad qualities each has just as Cecily would eventually recognize the wickedness of Ernest.  Thus marriage is a laughable institution.

#1

"To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.  Who was your father?  He was a evidently a man of some wealth.  Was he born in what the Radical papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy" (Wilde 14).
        In Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde pokes fun at the folly of the rigid class structure in Victorian England.  The character Lady Bracknell is a model for the upper class.  During the Victorian era the wealthy were concerened with keeping their class exclusive.  They looked down upon others who would try to join.  Much attention was paid to what class one was from and whether or not he could truly be counted as one of the upper class.  Lady Bracknell takes this same approach when Jack (Ernest Worthing) proposes to her daughter.  Lady Bracknell puts Jack through the inquisition, inquiring as to his family background and whther or not he is a man of the upper class. This folly is seen time and time agin throughout Lady Bracknell's interview with Jack.  She even acts rudely about Jack's parents not feeling sympathy that he was abandoned but rather annoyed that such a man would try to marry her daughter. This society which focuses mainly on class is protrayed as ridiculous by Wilde.  The upper class with its concern with social status is made light of by Wilde.

#13

  "The fact is that you were sick of civility, of deference,of officious attention.  You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking and looking and thinking for your approbation alone.  I aroused and interested you, because I was so unlike them.  Had you not been really amiable you would have hated me for it; but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just; and in your heart, you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you" (Austen 319)
        Elizabeth and Darcy's courtship is an unconventional, there love and engagement are unconventional.  Unlike other relationships in the novel their relationship subsists against the gender roles of the day.  During their courtship it was Darcy who worked for the attentions and approbation of Elizabeth.  Elizabeth did the exact opposite of what women of her day usually did, she acted impertinently towards her potential suitor.  Their love did not come with celerity.  Rather it was a gradual process.  But this impertinence and hard work was good.  It was Elizabeth's lack of regard for Darcy and her true intellectualism that attracted Darcy in the first place.  Her failure to fawn over Darcy and chase him, as other women did, resulted in equality between the two.  This egalitarian match looks to be the best and begets the most felicity of all the other marriages in the novel.  Austen chooses a modern view in her characterization of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship.  Through the character of Darcy and Elizabeth's marriage, Austen argues for a marriage to truly create happiness there must be both love and equality between partners.  Both parties must overcome obstacles and come together on an equal plain, in the end love and happiness are the only consequence.

#12

     "It ought to be so; it must be so, while he retains the use of his reason.  But your arts and allurements may, in a moment of infatuation have made him forget what he owes to himself and to all his family.  You may have drawn him in" (Austen 297)
      Alas, it would seem that just when Elizabeth and Darcy may be able to come together in love, one more obstacle stands in their way, familial obligation.  Lady Catherine de Bourgh's arrival comes under no pretense.  She means business, and her business is to demolish any hope Elizabeth may have of marrying Darcy.  With asperity, Lady Catherine launches into the purpose of her visit to Longbourne.  Based on Lady Catherine's visit it can be assumed that Elizabeth and Darcy's love has become obvious.  So obvious, in fact, that rumors of marriage between the two are circulating.  Even though Darcy and Elizabeth have overcome prejudice and pride in order to come to this place of felicity, problems still remain.  As stated before there is the problem of familial obligation.  Darcy has the duty of keeping the family name clean and without reproach.  Elizabeth's family is of ill-repute due to Lydia's latest folly.  Marrying Elizabeth would bring the Darcy clan into connection with people of minimal appeal.  In addition Darcy and Elizabeth must overcome the opinions of others.  Lady Catherine in the least cordial way possible lays out what others may think of Elizabeth and Darcy's romance.  She calls it "a moment of infatuation" on Darcy's part.  Thus she says that their love is not true and is not to be taken seriously within the aristocratic circles.  She also says that Elizabeth only manages to procure Darcy's affection through "arts and allurements".  In saying this, Lady Catherine makes known the belief that Elizabeth gained Darcy's love for the sake of marrying her way into aristocracy and connection. All of these opinions can either be cast aside by Elizabeth and Darcy, or taken into consideration and used as reasons for them not to come together.  What they do with knowledge of these opinions will determine their fate in love and happiness, or loneliness and misery for the rest of their days.

#11

     Lydia's marriage to Mr. Whickham is obviously capricious and ill thought out.  When Lydia comes home on her wedding day it is seen that she is still a very immature girl when she says, "Good gracious! when I went away, I am sure I had no more idea of being married till I came back again!  I thought it would be very good fun and it was!" (Austen 264).  Lydia only sees marriage as a game.  It is sad to see that she may only end up in this marriage due to poor thought.  She frivolously remarks that she ran off without the intention of marriage and capriciously came to the decision afterward.  Lydia's immaturity in such a serious matter leaves no room for veneration or approbation.  Rather one can only be vexed at the fact that Lydia does not see marriage as a serious issue.  She does not have the foresight to see that Wickham is only using her.  She does not realize that marrying Wickham is one of the biggest mistakes a female can make.  She is obviously too immature to be involved in a responsibility like marriage.  Unlike other marriages of the Victorian era Lydia's was not well thought out.  It was not an elopement born out of love, rather it was born out of a lust for adventure.  In Lydia's marriage to Wickham, her youthful immaturity is on full display. This immaturity is foolishness, and may lead to sadness in the end.

#10

       Elizabeth Bennet is known as a prejudiced protagonist.  Her tendency to venerate others or find them odious due to first impressions has lead to many mistakes in love and relationships.  However, when crisis strikes Elizabeth's prejudices are proven to be completely false and bring her to the realization that her flaw of prejudging others brings no good.  Of late, Elizabeth finds that her younger sister Lydia Bennet has commited the impropriety of eloping with the horrible Wickham.  Elizabeth is greatly vexed at this news and realizes that "had his [Wickham's] character been known, this could not have happened" (Austen 231).  This is the complete destruction of Elizabeth's positive prjudice towards Wickham.  She realizes without any posssible doubt that Wickham is a man arousing repugnance.  She realizes that first impressions do not allow a person to know someone's character.  She realizes that quick judgements can lead to tragedies, like the one of Lydia eloping with Wickham.
        In light of the demolition of Elizabeth's prejudice towards Wickham, Elizabeth is exposed to the truth. Elizabeth realizes, in relation to herself and Darcy, that "never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved him as now, when all love must be in vain" (Austen 232).  This epiphany comes at a time when Mr. Darcy tries to aid Elizabeth in the time of her family's crisis.   Finally Elizabeth's eyes are open.  She is in love.  She has come past the prejudice that made her insolent and hateful towards Darcy.  Yet, due to current circumstances and the lowering of her family's status due to her sister's folly, all hope of a relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy seems lost.  This is the price Elizabeth pays for holding stauchly to false prejudgements.