This week, in Brit Lit, we have begun reading Oscar Wilde's classic play The Importance of Being Earnest. Coming at the tail end of the Victorian Era, Wilde skillfully and wittily skewers what he views as the ridiculous and limiting social rules of the time.
For a modern audience, these rules of social order can seem both difficult to grasp and entirely absurd. But I do think it is imperative to our engagement with the text to not only understand the sort of complex rules Wilde was dealing with while also taking a step back and recognizing that, while they may be different, we too have our own cultural understanding of certain proper social behavior.
For this week's blog post, students have two issues I want them to address:
- Please read the chapter entitled "Evening Parties" (pg. 122-127) from the 1913 etiquette guide Manners and Rules of Good Society: or Solecisms to Be Avoided. In your blog, give a general response to this chapter and also identify one rule that seems absolutely ridiculous as well as one rule that still applies today. You can find the chapter here.
- Secondly, I want you to think about social media in particular. What are one or two "social rules of etiquette" that exist today regarding social media. What is okay and what is a no-no? How and why do you think these rules came into existence?
Have fun with this assignment. And remember, Wilde once said, "It is ridiculous to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious." Don't be tedious!!!
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