Satire In Pride And Prejudice And The Importance Of Being

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In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the authors satirize the institution of marriage and the role of women in Regency and Victorian era society. Both Austen and Wilde create this satire through their characters; however, while Wilde places his characters in absurd situations that often delve into farce to critique these aspects of society, Austen comments through more rational and realistic approaches to her characters. Wilde portrays the triviality of marriage and presents it as a restrictive social duty and business transaction through the ludicrous concept of “Bunburying” and the absurd marriage requirements of his characters. In The Importance of Being Earnest, characters often make use …show more content…
The absurd nature of Bunburying and its role in a marriage adds to Wilde’s criticism of the absurd nature of marriage. Additionally, marriage is presented as a business transaction. During the era, mothers sought out men of high economic worth and social status to marry their daughters. Wilde mocks this practice through a ridiculous conversation between Jack Worthing and Lady Bracknell, the mother of the girl he wishes to wed. Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack to ensure that he is a suitable match for her daughter, Gwendolen. She reasonably inquires about his income, properties, and politics. However, when she finally asks Jack about his family, as family name and prestige were important in marriages of the upper classes, the conversation falls into farce. Jack reveals that he does not have a family and he came from “a handbag—a somewhat large, black leather handbag, with handles to it—an ordinary handbag in fact” (Wilde I.455-456) that was kept in a cloakroom at Victoria Station. This origin story is absolutely ridiculous and highly improbable, and the fact that Lady
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