Traditional Values on Males in Victorian Age——A Case study of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

In Victorian Age, many literary works recorded the social realities and traditional social value system, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a good case in point. In this play, males are valued in terms of both birth condition and economic basis, which are two general standards from the traditional value system of the mainstream society. Oscar Wilde in this play satirizes the restrained and distorted traditional values and the hypocritical Victorian society. This paper will probe into how the social status and economic conditions determine males' fate in Victorian Age and on Oscar Wilde's creation.