The Importance of Being Earnest Commentary

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
English 10 IB, Hr 4
20 May 2009

"The Importance of Being Earnest"

"MISS PRISM: Lady Bracknell, I admit with shame that

I do not know. I only wish I did. The plain facts of the

case are these. On the morning of the day you mention,

a day that is forever branded on my memory, I pre-

pared as usual to take the baby out in its perambulator.

I had also with me a somewhat old but capacious hand-

bag in which I had intended to place the manuscript of

a work of fiction that I had written during my few

unoccupied hours. In a moment of mental abstraction,

for which I never can forgive myself, I deposited the

manuscript in the bassinette, and placed the baby in

the hand-bag." (Wilde 185)

This section of "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde is about when Miss Prism confuses a baby with her manuscript. She mistakenly puts the baby in her handbag instead of the manuscript. The author's purpose in this passage is to be humorous and entertaining. This is achieved through the use of imagery, connotation, and farce.

Imagery is used to describe the surroundings and the typical actions that were to take place. Miss Prism says she "prepared as usual to take the baby out in its perambulator" (Wilde 185). This is funny because of the irony. The reader knows what really happened and how Miss Prism actually put the baby in an "old but capacious handbag" (Wilde 185). This presents another image of the handbag. It is humorous because of how outrageous a picture it provides of a baby in a large, extravagant handbag.

Similarly, connotation is used to provide entertainment. Miss Prism calls that day one "that is forever branded on my memory" (Wilde 185). The word branded implies that it is unforgettable, which is humorous because she forgot about the baby, confusing it with a manuscript and then leaving it in ia handbag at the train station. The word shame, when Miss Prism said, "I admit with shame" (Wilde 185), has strong connotation symbolizing embarassment and remorse which is funny because it seems like she made no effort to fix her mistake after it happened.

Finally, Wilde uses farce as a final way to ensure the humor in this passage. Miss Prism said, "In a moment of mental abstraction, for which I never can forgive myself, I deposited the manuscript in the bassinette, and placed the baby in the hand-bag" (Wilde 185). This mistaken identity is so improbable that it is comical and extremely entertaining.

In these ways Wilde makes this section humorous and enjoyable for the reader. This was accomplished through his use of imagery, connotation, and farce.