Abstract

Oscar Wilde is a playwright in Victorian Era. The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Oscar Wilde’s masterpieces. Oscar Wilde made great contribution to the world literature by inheriting and developing aesthetic views in his literary creation. He advocates the correspondence between play and aesthetics. One of his comedies The Importance of Being Earnest shows his aesthetic views completely. 

This paper is imported with Western Comedy Theory and analyzes the comedy aesthetics in the play from the language as well as the characteristics of the main characters. Meanwhile unearth the special technique of the comedy expression and unique aesthetics view the author used and sum up the comedy art based on aesthetic theory. This paper analyzes the main characters and the relationship between comedy aesthetics and this play with two methods. At last, it disserts the intention and the inevitability of the creation supported by comedy aesthetics.

Key words: world literature; aesthetic views; Western Comedy; qualitative analysis

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction.1

2 Literature Review2

3 A General Knowledge of Western Comedy.2

3.1 The Definition of Western Comedy2

  3.2 The Forms of Western Comedy .3

  3.3 The Functions of Western Comedy4

4 Background Collection and Research Methodology4

4.1 The Collection of the Author’s Life4

  4.2 The Definition of Qualitative Analysis and Literature Research.5

5 An Analysis of The Importance of Being Earnest from Perspective of Western Comedy 5

5.1 The Introduction of the Play.6 

  5.1.1 The Background of the Play6

  5.1.2 The Roles of the Play6

  5.1.3 The Plot of the Play.7

 5.2 An Analysis of the Six Main Roles Based on Two Methods8 

  5.2.1 An Analysis of the Roles by the Qualitative Analysis Method.8

5.2.2 An Analysis of the Roles by the Literature Research Method9

  5.3 The Relationship between the Play and Western Comedy and the Inevitability of the Story .11

 5.3.1 Unscrambling the Play with Western Comedy Theory11

5.3.2 Speculating and Analyzing the Intention of the Creation.14

6 Conclusion.14 

References16