Importance of Being Earnest



Importance of Being Earnest

Literary Terms:

Wilde’s wordplay takes many forms:

Pun: the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words

Ex. Dentists usually make good first impressions.

Aphorisms: brief, cleverly worded statements that make wise observations about life

Ex. Lost time is never found again. Benjamin Franklin

Epigrams: witty, pointed, often antithetical sayings which mean nothing or are quite simply silly

Ex. Here lies my wife: here let her lie!

Now she's at rest — and so am I.

— John Dryden

Parallelism: significant interactions involving characters who have a corresponding incident later on

Ironies: especially situational and dramatic

Comedic Conventions:

Exaggeration: the treatment of something as though it has more importance or greater significance then it actually has

Incongruity: something that seems out of place, time, or character

Anticipation: look forward to something funny (can be created with a plant: an idea, line, or action that shows up early on in the play and is repeated)

Deus ex machina: an artificial plot contrivance used to resolve comedic plots; Latin phrase that is used to describe an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (Wikipedia) Example: a protagonist waking up from a dream

Double-entendre: double meaning, one of which is usually risque

Ex. A nudist camp is simply a place where men and women meet to air their differences.

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