Part 1: A Comedy of Manners: The Importance of Being Earnest

Instruction

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Identifying a Feature of a Comedy of Manners

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Jack: I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her.

Algernon: I thought you had come up for pleasure? . . . I call that business.

Jack: How utterly unromantic you are!

Algernon: I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.
–The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

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What feature of a comedy of manners is present in the passage?


the differences between country and city life

an illustration of class differences

a commentary on marriage