Taking a Look at Relationships in The Importance of Being Ernest

When one thinks of The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde, one normally thinks of the ridiculously silly things that the characters have to go through in order to “prove” that they are worthy of another person. These things are all over the place, from insisting that both men be baptized again (or in Jack’s case, for the first time), to Algernon and Jack’s entire conversation about muffins. Algernon and Cecily’s relationship, as well as Jack and Gwendolen’s relationship seem to be those that reflect this hilarity most clearly. However, this element is in one other relationship– that of Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism. Dr. Chasuble has a tendency to talk about silly things when he is around Miss Prism, as is demonstrated in his ability to speak metaphorically. His “metaphor was drawn from bees” (1715) at one point, when he made a slip up in front of Cecily and Miss Prism. However, it is the language patterns I hope to shed some light on here.

Each of these relationships has a very distinctive language. In general, the language patterns of each relationship can be divided into three groups: the Fantastical, the Upper Societal, and the Chaperonal. Cecily and Algernon’s conversations, as well as conversations they have outside their pairing are that of the Fantastical. They often have a made up story ready on hand. Whether or not they actually believe that story can be either totally unapparent and we have to guess, or quite obvious. Our Upper Societal pairing is Jack and Gwendolen. Upper Societal language is apparent in it’s constant use of what is fashionable, or what fits in. While Jack may have been “born” in a handbag, he certainly knows the rules of society and abides by them (for the most part). Chaperonal language is a bit harder to define, but it does dictate much of the language between Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism. It is the language of those who should and must set an example for those around them. Whether or not they want to abide by the rules that being a chaperone has gifted them can be up to some debate, especially when they have to start drawing on metaphors to get them out of tight situations.

Starting with our famous Fantastical couple, we see a couple of things in their conversations pointing to their need for fantasy and imagination. First, Cecily claims that she and “Ernest” have been engaged for quite some time. Cecily’s evidence lies in something she wrote in her journal. Apparently the engagement was settled “On the fourteenth of February last. Worn out by you entire ignorance of my existence, I determined to end the matter one way or the other, and after a long struggle with myself I accepted you under this dear old tree here. The next day I bought this little ring in your name, and this is the little angle with the true lovers’ knot I promised you always to wear.” Were that not enough, Cecily has entirely made up parts of “Ernest’s” personality. “Yes, you’ve wonderfully good taste, Ernest. It’s the excuse I’ve always given for your leading such a bad life.” The fact that, for the most part, Algernon actually does have quite good taste is mostly coincidence. Had he not, the point of this play would probably have been moot.

However, Algernon himself has quite the imagination. This is seen for the most part by his Bunburying and his schemes. To make a modern day reference, he is very much the young Sirius Black from Harry Potter, willing to get up to trouble as long as it amuses him. While Algernon is very much aware of his lies, he does use them quite extensively. Poor Bunbury, though an imaginary friend, is only treated as a real person by those around Algernon with the only real exception being Jack as Algernon let Jack in on the secret and, at least until the very end of the play, Jack is not family. Algernon also accuses Jack of being a “Bunburyist” as well– a Bunburyist of the most advanced kind. However, Jack is not a Fantastical person. Why? Jack’s use of the Bunbury principle is very simple. He is not pretending to be anyone different. He is simple using the alternate name as a way to escape the pressures of country living. Ernest on the other hand decides to become this “awful fellow” Ernest in order to get to meet Jack’s ward. As much as it is in order to meet Cecily, it would appear that Algernon falls under Cecily’s spell quite quickly. Perhaps it is her insistence that they have known each other for as long as “dear Uncle Jack” has been telling stories about “Ernest”.

Upper Societal is a bit more complex to explain, but is rather simple in theory. To pull in other references, if Dracula spoke in an Upper Societal fashion, he would have fit in quite easily– that is to say, he did, and that was scary to people of the time period. However, Jack and Gwendolen are not vampires, so to fit in for them is a much easier, and much more acceptable thing. It’s not scary in the least. The scariest thing about this part of the story of The Importance of Being Ernest is probably the fact that Jack fits in when he was found in a handbag in the Victoria Station cloakroom. Who would take in such a young and unfortunate charge when he could have easily just dropped the thing in an orphanage? Upper class people often didn’t see the challenges of living in the lower classes at the time, something that Charles Dickens did see. Many of them probably would have thought more along the lines of Scrooge. “Are there no prisons? No poor houses?” In the end, it was probably very fortunate that Jack had the upbringing that he did. If it hadn’t been for a Mr. Thomas Cardew, chances are Jack would have never found out that he was the younger brother of Algernon Moncrieff. He would have grown up in an orphanage and would have probably been sent to work in the workhouses at a very young age. However, that does not change the fact that a boy who assumedly belonged to some second or third class parents was able to, in the mind of the upper classes, infiltrate fashionable society. No one wants his or her daughter married off to a lower class individual.

However, the point still stands. Jack and Gwendolen speak of those things that are fashionable. They speak of these things to each other, and their way of speaking is suggestive of one who can fit in at any of the highest gatherings in society. Jack and Gwendolen’s conversations tend to go along the lines of thus:

Jack: Charming day it has been, Miss Fairfax.
Gwendolen: Pray don’t talk about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me so nervous.
Jack: I do mean something else.
Gwendolen: I thought so. In fact, I am never wrong. (1706)

Were this conversation one that was being had on stage, the accent would be highly indicative of a higher class as well. Terminology and accent tend to differ quite substantially between classes no matter what country you are in.

The best example, however, of Gwendolen’s higher taste is found in a conversation she has with Cecily. The two of them are discussing the fact that they both happen to be engaged to a man named Ernest Worthing while the man doesn’t actually exist. Cecily, thinking that Gwendolen is lying, insists that when she sees a spade she calls it a spade, a common “Pot calling the kettle black” type turn of phrase even today. However, Gwendolen decides to use this common phrase to put Cecily down, stating, “I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade. It is obvious that our social spheres have been widely different” (1726). This cuts straight into the fact that Cecily was raised in the country. While both are of equally high-class birth, Cecily’s out door upbringing is still looked down upon by those she would consider peers. It is no wonder that Algernon, who loathes town life, falls for the woman who grew up in the country when Jack, who loathes country life, falls for the woman who grew up in the town.

However we have one more situation to closely analyze– that of Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble. In their respected positions, it is not really seen as strictly necessary or proper that they should have any sort of romance. Dr. Chasuble is the minister of the local parish. Miss Prism is the governess for Miss Cecily Cardew. Their relationship appears a lot more restrained that the relationships of the younger generation. This is in part because the relationship is that of two much older and more experienced people, both of whom know what society expects of them and obey those rules firmly. However, this also creates a much more dangerous relationship– a fact that the movie version of this play takes advantage of. Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble are more worldly. They know what the adult world is made up of. Their speech patterns are a mixture of highly restrained and chastising. One conversation between them is a great example of this.

Miss Prism: You are too much alone, dear Dr. Chasuble. You should get married. A misanthrope I can understand– a womanthrope, never!
Chasuble: [With a scholar’s shudder.] Believe me, I do not deserve so neologistic a phrase. The precept as well as the practice of the Primitive Church was distinctly against matrimony.
Miss Prism: [Sententiously.] That is obviously the reason why the Primitive Church has not lasted up to the present day. And you do not seem to realize, dear Doctor, that by persistently remaining single, a man converts himself into a permanent public temptation. Men should be more careful; this very celibacy leads weaker vessels astray. (1717)

This conversation displays more than a very tenuous grasp on restraint, but it also displays a much more intelligent form of discussion than either of the two other couples. While many of the characters in this play seem to merely seem intelligent by playing with words, Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism have intelligent conversations consisting of very real subject matters. While the previous conversation in part seems like mere wit, one must pay attention to the real matter being discussed– the propriety of marriage when it comes to the church ministry. Dr. Chasuble insists that because the “Primitive Church”, also known as the earliest church as founded by Paul, didn’t allow marriage that it must not be allowed even now. Of course, this argument is not entirely well founded. Many of the rules concerning the marriage of ministers and priests are strictly rules of the Catholic faith– rules that were abolished by most Protestant ministers after Martin Luther began to break off from the Catholic system. However, Miss Prism makes an interesting point. Were Dr. Chasuble married, it would greatly reduce the temptation toward those things that are technically sins in the eyes of God.

All three couples are substantial enough for us to get a picture of where they may end up in the future. However, they are all different. Not in any way that could necessarily make us separate them from each other by more than the obvious at first. However, it is these differences that make each individual couple unique and interesting for their own themes and own commentaries on life in Victorian England.
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Sources:
Wilde, Oscar. "The Importance of Being Ernest". The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volumn E. Norton & Company, New York.
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I GOT AN A! Thanks, Prof. Vaccaro!

The Ladies' Room

They sat around in a circle. Alec had just finished telling a scary story, the fifth scary story that had been told that night. Now, at one in the morning, the weary youth group decided that they had evaded their bedtime for long enough. Soon the chaperons would come looking for them. Tay and Beth shared a look. Elizabeth Keeler and Taylor Lynn were really good friends, though Tay was originally friends with Beth's younger sister Phoebe. Phoebe hadn't come with them on this mission trip because she had gone with her boyfriend and the rest of their high school orchestra to Rome for the week.

Tay's boyfriend, Chris, looked over at the two girls eyeing each other. The rest of the youth group began to get up, leaving the room. When the last person left, Tay finally spoke. "I'm scared. That last story really scared me."

Beth nodded her head. "I feel like someone's watching me." She reached up to scratch her back where the tickling feeling was coming from.

Chris looked at both girls and laughed. "It's not that bad. Come on. Let's go to bed."

The three walked shoulder to shoulder out of the darkened gathering hall into the even darker hallway. Upon reaching the ladies' room, Tay stopped them.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Beth looked at her.

"I'll go with you." Chris rolled his eyes and decided to wait outside.

It wasn't even five minutes before a frantic knock came to the door. "Guys, can I come in?" Chris' voice came through.

"Why?" Beth asked, a little bit more paranoid from Chris' knocking than she had been previously when the bright lights of the women's bathroom had finally calmed her down.

"Because that hallway is just way too creepy to stand in by yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine," Beth said, opening the door for him. Beth and Tay had been standing around talking in the restroom anyway.

No one really knows what lead to it, but the three of them ended up sitting on the floor near the door chatting about everything and anything. They talked about Beth's boyfriend, the ever annoying Brad. Tay knew the minute that Brad came up that he wouldn't be lasting long. The pull between Beth and Gary was strong. The only thing keeping them apart on this trip was the fact that Gary was dating Emily and Beth was with Brad.

"I really don't know what you see in Brad. Honestly. You should probably just dump him now. If he's causing this much grief," Tay was saying.

"You know why I am still with him? Because I keep thinking it's going to work. I make these plans. He's just not fitting with the plans anymore. I get the feeling he's trying to play with my brain."

"Knowing him, he probably is," Chris chipped in, giving the girls some male perspective. However, it was at that moment, at three in the morning, that the door swung open and one of the female chaperones stepped into the ladies' room.

"What are you three doing here?" she asked, decidedly ignoring the fact that Chris was a male in a women's bathroom.

"We heard a few creepy stories before bed and couldn't sleep," Beth pitched in.

"Well you should get to sleep soon. We have a long day tomorrow," the chaperone said before leaving them to use the loo.

Of course, through out the entirety of the trip, this would not be the last time the ladies room was used as an escape. Beth, Gary, Chris, Tay, and Peter would end up using the space again in a desperate attempt to escape the other youth group that was there. Later, after being found by Sarah from the other group, they would end up using space behind a serving counter in the kitchen, fitting it with sleeping bags on a couple of occasions.

The fact of the matter was, that trip confirmed something for Beth. She spent a lot of time squashed between Gary and Peter discussing life. Though Beth and Gary had dated, Beth would realize then and there on that mission trip that she would be in love with Gary for a long time. Possibly for the rest of her life. But that would be okay. She would go on with life, live it for what it was worth, and if her and Gary were meant to be, it would be in it's own time.

Mid-Term Exam Essay

The Question: "Through a close reading of the texts, compare how Shelley’s Frankenstein and Stoker’s Dracula treat the concept of scientific/technological advancements. What is the relation between science/technology and the horrific activities within each gothic novel?"
Question posed by Prof. Chris Vaccaro.

The Answer:
At the beginning of time, there may have been a point at which technology has been a grand thing. As far as we know, no one looked at the wheel and exclaimed it the work of the devil– not that they knew what a devil was in those days. However, fire probably did have such a reputation. Even today, warnings against technological advancement exist. Movies such as Jurassic Park and GATTACA seek to point these terrors out. Articles in even scientific journals tell us that while some things might be cool that cloning mammoths and smilodon (saber-tooth cats) are not exactly at the top of the list in terms of safety, even if it is possible. Some of us may think that these warnings are brand new, but novels such as Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly will prove many people wrong. Ludite propaganda has been around for a while. Science and technology, while sometimes seen in a good light in Dracula, is something that people feared when both of these books came out, a theme that continues into today.

Dracula is a good place to start for many reasons. One of these is simply the fact that while there, the warnings against technological advancement are fewer and further between here. Many of these technological advancements are easier to see when you take the vampire out of Dracula and dump him elsewhere. Blood transfusions, a barely developing technology is used in more modern vampire fiction than any other– Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, the “Buffy’ verse” , and Dead After Dark by Charlaine Harris, just to name a few. A blood transfusion is one of the few times through out the entire text that we see modernity as being a good thing.

However, once you get past blood transfusion in the first place, technology just seems like a bad idea. You’re fighting an ancient, possibly immortal (depending on your definition) creature. Turns out that in these situations, the older the object (and apparently the more holy– though this could also be an age reference), the better it is for defeating a vampire. What are the ways to kill a vampire and how are these related to age? Crosses and sunlight are directly linked to God, which some might consider the true immortal because he cannot die. Stakes and garlic are firmly rooted in the earth, which most believe to be older than anything present on it. A beheading would separate the vital thinking part from the rest of the brain. Whether or not that has anything to do with immortality remains to be seen, though I assume it’s a bit hard to exist as just a head. Then again, the older the weapon used to behead, the better, right? (I wonder if anyone should have told Buffy this before she tried to behead a vamp with a car door.) Sunlight, the last one, is linked to the only thing other than God that is ever considered older than earth. All considered, we still have yet to look at a piece of literature that is more likely to point out the dangers of modern technology.

While Count Dracula had existed for some very long and unknown amount of time, Doctor Frankenstein is at fault for the creation of his creature. We all know this. Doctor Frankenstein knows this. Even Mary Shelly knows this (thought I suppose to her, it’s much more obvious). Frankenstein is one of the first ever books to point out the problems with creating life. There is a slight undertone here of the dangers of creating life naturally, but the real argument is creating life unnaturally. While the method at the time was scientifically unsound, the idea remained. What would happen if you could create life like this? We continue to watch, read, and hear warnings of this kind. Jurassic Park made it pretty clear, and the current arguments in the science world over the morality of creating smilodon, mammoths, giant sloth, and even Neandertals rings true for Mary Shelley’s original argument. Power gained from science corrupts. “If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind.” (33) This is a standard that must be maintained in all circumstances, because as far as technology goes, that is the real way to judge if you are going just a bit too far. Then again, with modern standards today, this might be just a little too difficult for some people to tell.

If anything, for it’s age, Frankenstein is one of the best loved and most referenced cautionary tales. Perhaps had a Doctor Frankenstein really existed, the cautionary tale would be more closely listened to. And yet, here we are, in an age where science is such a part of our lives that even the common individual would think scientific pursuits a good idea. Perhaps even a real Doctor Frankenstein’s story would be ignored in this day and age. The ludite propaganda is seen again and again through out history, and yet we never seem to listen. Most recently, and of particular pertinence as it came from England, was a couple of episodes of Doctor Who in which the inception of the cybermen was introduced. The ideas that had been planted in their heads combined with emotional inhibitors had made it possible for these human 2.0s to exist. However, this was again a cautionary tale. What technology can do– eliminating gender and death so that every human is the same– takes out the malleability factor. When the emotional inhibitor was disabled, the cybermen would die because they knew what they had become and their reaction to it caused them to lose their will to live. History repeats, cautionary tales repeat, we ourselves repeat our past mistakes. So why not step back and listen for once, even to a story as old as Frankenstein. We could learn some very valuable lessons.
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The quote is from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Norton Critical Edition, Copyright 1996.

The Field

It was a nice place, Mary thought. Simple. Its seeming neverending-ness. Perfect.

She looked around again before gently puting down her bag, undoing the zipper, and pulling out a blinket.

...

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Sorry this is incomplete... the system still seems to be under the impression that I posted spoilers for At Forest's Edge (which I did do briefly). I was trying to get them to print out, and it seemed the only way at the time. They are no longer available. I'm using this to stop disillusioning people.

The Balcony of Loneliness

It seems to me that to get to this spot upon the balcony, it feels like you have to be sneaky. Why? I don't know, beyond the fact that you have to take a very long trek through a series of passage ways.

In a way it seems quite silly. I got here at about three, when the sun was shining in the windows, near blinding me as I took up a seat for my belongings and then curled up on the floor to read The Idylls of the King– The Passing of Arthur by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Now the sun is setting. If I look carefully, I can just barely see Lake Champlain out the window. Outside it looks frigid. Earlier, when the sun was present, it looked warm for all the patches of snow covering the University Green. Now the only warmth comes from the colors of the room and the way the lights in here light everything up. I'm sitting here on the edge, teetering between the near darkness of the cold, frost-bitten outside world and the warm glow of this rotunda room. This room is truly beautiful. For all the fact that this room is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go here, today is the first day I've actually gone.

I suppose it's time for me to go, before it gets too dark. I've gotten more work done in here than I have any other day.

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day.

Defying Gravity, Defying Fear

They say that starting is half the battle. In this case it truly was. That first step was signing the safety waver. Once I'd done that, it was a matter of putting a harness on me and climbing those steps up the inside of the steel structure. The steps were coarse against my feet. It briefly passed through my head that this didn't seem so bad. Maybe I could do this.

Upon reaching the top that thought was still there... That is, until I had my toes grasping the edge of the stand, one arm holding on to the trapeze bar and the other still holding onto the left hand hold on the ledge.

"Okay, left," the woman holding on to my harness told me. Oh no, I thought. But for some reason I did it. It left me in a position about a hundred times more scary than the last position. My upper body hanging over the edge of the ledge, the only thing holding me there was the woman holding on to me.

"Ready." I bent my knees, just as I'd been told.

"Hup." I jumped. Relief. I was still in the air, and yet, I wasn't falling. I was swinging back and forth by my hands on a bar. I was instructed a few times to try some kicks. And that was the first swing. The instructor on the ground then said, "Okay, now three kicks and drop. On my count."

And I did just that. I let go. And then I was on the mat, staring up at the bar that was being reeled in. And then I was walking back up to the top again.

After the three kicks, I was told to pull my knees in. I did, and found myself flipping on my way down to the mats.

And then the third swing, the last swing. This time he told me to hang upside-down, using the up swing to get my legs on the bar. The whole world was upside down, my hands flying free underneath my head, though it felt like they were above. And then, once again, I back flipped down to the mats.

It was then that I saw the silk hanging from the cealing. I asked my instructor about it. "Yes, we do aerial tissue classes as well. The next one is on Sunday, two days from now." I smiled and said I would be there.

Little did I know that one of the greatest tests of my fear of heights would be then, when I fell by accident from three-quarters of the way up the silk.

Grapdorn Falls: Splashing in the River

Wulfric's face was pulled into a wide smile. Half sunken into the slow flow of the wide stream, he watched as Kaely desperately tried to pull Poppy over to the edge in order to get her to swim.

"Poppy, I'm royalty and I'm not nearly that concerned about getting wet!" Kaely shouted, laughing.

"But Kaely, it's cold!" Poppy protested. Wulfric laughed. Kaely pulled a face at Wulfric for not helping and the poor boy suddenly felt he had no choice. He lept out of the water and swung his smaller friend into his arms. "Wulfric! No!" Poppy screamed. He only laughed and took a running leap. By the time their heads emerged from the cold stream, Kaely was standing on the bank laughing. Poppy glared at her friend and reached an arm out of the water, yanking their royal friend into the cold water. Kaely's surprised face stared at Poppy a few moments.

"That's not fair!" Kaely pouted.

"Isn't it?" asked Poppy, not at all put off. It was a trait that Kaely loved about her two friends. They didn't treat her like royalty like the rest of the citizens of Grapdorn Falls did. Kaely's face turned up.

"Hey, at least we're all wet now!" Kaely exclaimed before splashing her two friends. Wulfric splashed back at the princess. Poppy laughed loudly.

Nothing could distroy the happiness between the three. At least, that's what they believed.