Satire inspiring more than just a laugh
SATIRE
INSPIRING MORE THAN JUST A LAUGH
Through evoking laughter, the ability of
satire to remedy human weaknesses and follies inspire us to wonder, is satire
more than just trivial comedy? PENNY CHEN
Somewhere
between a hilarious ridicule and a savage swordplay against human failings,
lies the sharp needle of satire, a stinging antidote to the poisons of society.
More often than enough, we as humans are happy to reside in our little bubble
of oblivion, blind to the very ugliness of our human nature. In essence, it is
satire, with all its witty quips and biting humour that seeks to mend the
fragmented shards of a society.
A brilliant combination of both wit and
intellectual farce, Oscar Wilde’s The
importance of being Earnest can be described as a satirical masterpiece of
the 19th century. However, beneath the exterior of a humourous
Victorian melodrama lies more than just a comedic duel of euphemisms.
Exploring
the social norms of Victorian England, the trivialization of sacred
institutions such as marriage is a prominent theme in Wilde’s play. Composed
earlier, is Austen’s Pride and Prejudice,
which also scorns such a weakness in the society of Regency England. Marriage
is ironically not a commitment of love, but rather a way for an individual to
get what they want.
You
might think them silly, but before scorning, think again my dear friend. For
even in our society today, there is an astonishing 46% of new marriages which
end in divorce. Who’s to say we are any better in terms of commitment?
Lady
Mary Wortley Montagu once said, “Satire should, like a polished razor keen,
wound with a touch that’s scarcely felt or seen”. Conforming to the
conventions of the gentle Horation satire, Oscar Wilde’s The importance of being Earnest subtly criticizes through ridicule.
Gender roles are reversed and it is the female characters who take charge of
their own love lives while men
herded around like sheep, happy to contend
with the wishes of their partner.
Pictured:
Jack and Gwendolen; Algernon and Cecily
Superficiality
at its best, Gwendolen Fairfax is a silly and shallow character whose
engagement is all about her ideal to “love someone of the name Ernest”. Such a
narrow-minded obsession is thoroughly exposed when she insists even that prior
to her acquaintance with Jack she had been “far from indifferent” to him.
Supposedly
head-over-heels in love with a man whom she believes to be called Ernest, one
cannot help but chuckle at such absurdity. Simultaneously, we learn of Wilde’s
disdain towards the superficiality of marriages in Victorian England.
Jane
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice starts off with a curious statement, “It is a
truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife”.
However, from delving into the historical setting of the novel, we must
note that ironically, the reverse appears to be more applicable. Women of the
18th century it seemed, were expected to find themselves a partner
to which marriage would prove financially beneficial.
For
Charlotte Lucas, being the age of 27 and “without having ever been handsome”,
marriage had “always been her object” as it was the “only provision for
well-educated young women of small fortune”. Her marriage to the ridiculous Mr.
Collins was based “solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an
establishment” and to put it bluntly, a mercenary marriage.
Don’t
get me wrong, it is not her character at fault but rather, Austen utilizes
Charlotte’s dire situation to criticize the family reliance upon a female’s
marriage for financial security. Contrary to the opening sentence of Austen’s
novel, it is the poor Charlotte who must throw
herself at the buffoon, Mr.
Collins, with love not even being close to a contributing factor.
Pictured:
Elizabeth, Mr. Collins and Charlotte
Like
sharks drawn to blood, there are also those who wait to leech from the benefits
of matrimony. Oscar Wilde’s Lady Bracknell is one such character. As Algernon’s
domineering and social-climbing aunt, she is at first disinterested in the idea
of union between her nephew and Jack’s ward, Cecily.
When
broached with questions concerning Cecily’s fortune, Jack casually replies,
“Oh, about a hundred and thirty thousand pounds in funds. That is all”.
Although understated, this instantly piques the interest of Lady Bracknell who
suddenly claims, “Miss Cardew [Cecily] seems to me a most attractive young
lady, now that I look at her.”
Anyone
possessing even a shred of common sense could tell you that Lady Bracknell’s
newfound affection for Cecily was spurred by her interest in the fortune. Ironically, despite the plethora of social
mannerisms, being a ‘gold digger’ was considered okay.
Pictured:
Algernon, Lady Bracknell and Cecily
Not to
fear though, for Lady Bracknell is hardly alone. To the women of the Regency
era, it seemed that the word ‘marriage’ had only a nice ring to it. A vulgar
and foolish character, Mrs. Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice possesses only one ambition: to marry her
daughters off to wealthy gentlemen.
The
marriage of her eldest daughter proved to Mrs. Bennet “a promising thing for
her younger daughters, as Jane’s marrying so greatly must throw them in the way
of other rich men”. The very example of a burlesque and exaggeration of a
social misfit, Mrs. Bennet is Austen’s comical yet controversial criticism of a
society that trivializes the true meaning of matrimony.
Laugh
as you may, at the outrageous and absurd puppets that depict our own weaknesses
and inanity, for in the end it is ultimately the best medicine. We ourselves,
have seen the wrongful exploitation of marriage, a match made not out of love
but more similar to that of a business deal.
Having
chortled at the clever interplay of characters in such satirical texts, it is
hardly surprising that we might also feel a little embarrassed. For think about
it, if we laughed, we must’ve been able to relate. With the ability to gently
poke fun at the flaws whilst encouraging positive change, satire is ridicule
with a twist that will always prove invaluable to progressive development.
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