Something about Oscar Wilde - HERE
Did you know that Oscar Wilde...?
* was celebrated as one of the most flamboyant and brilliant playwrights of the 1890s
* was declared bankrupt after losing his famous libel case agains the Marquess of Queensberry who publicly called him a sodomite
* was tried for homosexual offences (then illegal), was sentenced to 2 years' hard labour and was imprisoned
* lived in exile in France after his release
* attempted to 'prove' his heterosexuality by making a well-publicized visit to a French brothel
* collected blue china and peacocks' feathers
* smoked cigarettes and drank absinthe
* caught syphilis from a female prostitute while at Oxford
* died of cerebral meningitis after an ear infection, aged 46
STUDY QUESTIONS - THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the play.
2. What is the genre of the play?
3. Name and characterize major characters. Analyze their social backgrounds.
4. Why do Jack and Algernon lead double lives? Compare their reasons.
5. In what ways are Victorian social or moral stereotypes preserved in the play?
6. Characterize the character of Lady Bracknell. Can we draw any conclusions about the Victorian high class society from her character?
7. Compare Gwendolyn and Cecily.
8. How does humour work in the play? What is the main object of Wilde’s satire?
9. Explain the pun in the title of the play.
10. Summarize the main subject matters and formulate the theme of the play.
STUDY QUESTIONS - THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel.
2. Name and characterize the major characters.
3. What supernatural elements can be found in the novel? Do they influence the atmosphere / mood of the work?
4. What is the tone?
5. Discuss the importance of Henry’s influence on Dorian and comment on Dorian’s transformation.
6. What is the breaking chapter in the novel in terms of the time references?
7. How does art influence the lives of the characters? What role do beauty and pleasure play in their lives?
8. Try to interpret the motto: “Life imitates art, art imitates life” and relate it to the story.
9. What significant symbols do you find in the text? Explain their meaning.
10. Comment on the preface to the novel. Why is it included in the book?
11. Think of some parallels between this novel and its motives or characters and other works or characters from world literature.
12. What may be the main theme of the novel?
13. Do you see any similarities between the life of Oscar Wilde and his most famous character?
14. What is the genre of the novel?
oscar wilde
Ideas for presentation activities:
Character profiles
In order to ensure a characterization of the main protagonists, you may use the form of an advertisement. You may ask your classmates to write an ad for a specific character in which you would describe his/her specific requirements for a partner. E.g. Lady Bracknell is looking for a man (for her daughther) with appropriate possession, proper origin, but he must also live on the proper side of the street, etc.
Or you may distribute a list of desirable qualities from which the students choose those preferred by the specific character. Then they have to provide an explanation for their selection.
You may also ask your classmates to draw a simple picture of an ideal partner for the given character and explain their choice.
