Wilde's Sincere Absurdity

      Oscar Wilde was more likely than not too clever for his own good, completely aware of the societal issues that plagued his day. In two of his most notable plays, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, he gives easygoing comedies that both amuse the audience and makes fun of them mercilessly. Take, for example, Gwendolen's assertion in The Importance of Being Earnest, "In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing." Sprezzatura, the glib and intellectual conversations of the Renaissance, had perhaps two children in Wilde's age. One is the insufferable cultural games the aristocracy play around each other with no sense of sincerity, and the other is Wilde's own wit- people's intellectual capacity to observe. The stiffness in society was brutal against any indiscretion, which An Ideal Husband deplores- forgiveness is necessary. Indeed, I think both plays are wasted on anyone who doesn't dare apply the lessons learned to themselves.
     
     For, of course, the lessons are just as well applied to us as they are to those of Wilde's time. The interchangeable nature of character and principles are found in The Importance of Being Earnest; the reprehensible refusal to forgive past errors in An Ideal Husband. One would think our age's moral ambivalence would allow for more forgiveness. Instead, we see any public figure with a controversial tweet ten years past fired or shunned. Cynicism is stronger in today's world than ever, which I think keeps us from an accurate portrayal of sincerity or vulnerability.
 
     The modern audience still loves Wilde's wit. Goodreads reviews are spattered with memes about the author and love of his audaciously ridiculous plots. They echo the praise of William Archer from 1895- "An iridescent filament of fantasy," as he said. Personally, I found his exploration of morality and personal character extremely insightful. You can see that he clearly has a serious interest in it, which he shows more willingly in The Portrait of Dorian Grey- just as witty, but closer to Wilde's real message to the world, in my opinion.

Image credit: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92303.The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest?from_search=true