"De-Dandification" and the "Name of the Father": Masculinity and Fatherhood in Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
Tanner Sebastian
Abstract
Critics have long speculated the exact subversions of Victorian society Oscar Wilde intended in The Importance of Being Earnest, but fatherhood has been largely ignored as a potential target. In this paper, I tackle the titular pun on Ernest, which not only happens to be Jack Worthing’s real name, but also his biological father’s. I argue that Jack, who struggles throughout the play to overcome his lack of any biological parents and family name, essentially “becomes” the father whose absence almost costs him his marriage to Gwendolyn. I first establish that the character of Jack (and his partner-in-crime, Algernon) are intended to represent Victorian gentlemen through exploring the edits Wilde made between his original four-act edition of the play and the three-act version most often performed today. Then, I discuss how Jack and Algernon represent the Victorian gentleman, who generally viewed his relationship to his father as antagonistic. The subversion, I argue, is that these two Victorian gentlemen “become” their father by taking on his name, Ernest, to pursue their respective relationships. Thus, the Victorian gentleman believes he is fighting against his father’s influence but in reality becomes the same man his father was. Wilde’s use of the name “Ernest” acts as a subtle signal for this subversion so that Wilde’s dandy audience can laugh at the gentleman’s expense without his knowledge.
Critics have long speculated the exact subversions of Victorian society Oscar Wilde intended in The Importance of Being Earnest, but fatherhood has been largely ignored as a potential target. In this paper, I tackle the titular pun on Ernest, which not only happens to be Jack Worthing’s real name, but also his biological father’s. I argue that Jack, who struggles throughout the play to overcome his lack of any biological parents and family name, essentially “becomes” the father whose absence almost costs him his marriage to Gwendolyn. I first establish that the character of Jack (and his partner-in-crime, Algernon) are intended to represent Victorian gentlemen through exploring the edits Wilde made between his original four-act edition of the play and the three-act version most often performed today. Then, I discuss how Jack and Algernon represent the Victorian gentleman, who generally viewed his relationship to his father as antagonistic. The subversion, I argue, is that these two Victorian gentlemen “become” their father by taking on his name, Ernest, to pursue their respective relationships. Thus, the Victorian gentleman believes he is fighting against his father’s influence but in reality becomes the same man his father was. Wilde’s use of the name “Ernest” acts as a subtle signal for this subversion so that Wilde’s dandy audience can laugh at the gentleman’s expense without his knowledge.
| etudesdec2016sebastian.pdf |
