Victorian morality

Authenticity, or lack thereof, and artificiality are a big part of the play The Importance of being Earnest. Jack and Algernon, two of the main protagonists who are very present throughout this play, showcase examples of how artificiality is presented in Victorian society and how it is widely expected and accepted. Both Algernon and Jack create alternate personas for themselves which ultimately results in a few undesirable situations, but also aids them through their everyday lives. While this…

their reproductive health. According to Beth Bailey, in her article “Prescribing the Pill: Politics, Culture, and the Sexual Revolution in America’s Heartland”, “The Sexual Revolution [was] frequently linked [to] Furr 6 changes in the “morality” of youth to the introduction of “The Pill” (827). Although it was before the Women’s Liberation Movement, women during this time were well on their way to becoming more equal to men. It may be argued that the prostitute in “A Prominent Bar…

symbolic implications are multivalent: as Lynette Felber writes, ‘[the portrait] protests the power and authority of the male gaze; it anatomizes fetishistic desire; and it raises questions about the construction of women and their sexuality in Victorian society’. Structurally, the portrait heralds the fate of Lady Audley by revealing her dual nature, by implicating a significant secret, and by signifying, in its unfinished state, the uncertainty of her (and George Talboy’s) future. The portrait…

In the short story, “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck and in the poem “The Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti the authors portray a tremendous amount of symbolism. “The Chrysanthemums” is a short story about a middle-aged woman named Elisa, who is married with no children and is very unsatisfied with her life. The poem, “The Goblin Market” tells a story about two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, who are tempted by goblins to eat the forbidden fruit they offer them. In the short story and the…

Unique societal structures contribute to establishing the values and norms of the people during the Victorian era. In Wuthering Heights, society is divided distinctly between the wealthy nobles and the lower classes that are considered outcasts because they possess neither status nor recognition; therefore they are viewed down upon by the upper classes. This structure influences the way most characters are perceived throughout the story such as Heathcliff who is the only character to have a…

the Bennets. The Bennets were not poor, but they were not wealthy and stood in a position to lose their home to a relative, Mr. Collins. Society is organized according to where one falls on the social ladder. The three major social classes in the Victorian Era are: upper, middle and lower. These classes constantly changed, and the lower classes always tried to climb the social ladder. Climbing the social ladder was not an easy thing to do. The barriers between the classes were distinctive. In…

Within Victorian England, there existed a particular perspective surrounding the image of women, and ultimately, this molded the expectation of their roles within society. In Ian Wards book, Sex, Crime, and Literature in Victorian England, the author addresses four main areas of concern surrounding England. Within the text, Ward incorporates a significant amount of literature from the time period in order to better reflect the conditions of the country, and its people. Of these four areas of…

267). During the Victorian society, women were not meant to have too many choices, because it overwhelms them and every choice has consequences. Although the setting is Victoria England, but Bray make the characters, especially, GEmma, is anything but a Victorian. Gemma says, “I don’t know yet what power feels like. But this is surely what it looks like, and I think I’m beginning to understand why those ancient women had to hide in cave,” (Bray 207). Parents during the Victorian then wanted…

Annotated Bibliography: The Importance of Being Earnest Reinert, Otto. "Satiric Strategy in the Importance of Being Earnest." College English 18.1 (1956): 14-18. National Council of Teachers of English. JSTOR, Oct. 1956. Web. 5 July 2015. The main idea in this analysis of Wilde’s satire is to prove that Wilde does not just use satire for the sake of having his play being called a “farce,” rather he uses satirical strategy to enhance the experience of the play and how it differs from “normal”…

Many works of literature undermine, question, or rebel against aspects of society. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a satirical comedy that undercuts the British aristocracy of Late Victorian England. The novella Heart of Darkness calls into question British colonialism and imperialism. Both works of literature reveal human faults within the English aristocracy and imperialism. The novella Heart of Darkness criticizes imperialism and colonialism through the use of an evil tone…