Abstract

Oscar Wilde is one of the most popular playwrights in the history of English literature and he is also one of the representatives of Aesthetic movement. People read his works in order to get some knowledge of that period of time, because many of them fully describe the real situation of the society. Among them, The Importance of Being Earnest is of the most important, which depicts the life of the Victorian upper class and their views of marriage, education and many other issues. Through people’s conversations, Wilde satirizes the hypocritical society and people’s morbid attitude of being earnest. This thesis will analyze the satirical attack on Victorian social conventions from the perspective of cooperative principle. By using it, people will understand better of the real situation of Victorian age in Wilde’s time.

Key words: The Importance of Being Earnest  cooperative principle  satirical attack
 
摘 要

奥斯卡•王尔德是英国文学史上最著名的剧作家之一，他还是唯美主义运动的代表。因为他的作品真实描述了当时的社会状况，所以为了更多掌握那个时代，人们会去阅读他的作品。在他的众多作品中，《认真的重要性》是最重要作品之一。这部作品展示了上层阶级对婚姻，教育以及其他一些事情的观点。通过人物的对话，王尔德讽刺了社会的虚伪以及人们病态的认真态度。这篇文章利用合作原则来分析《认真的重要性》，从而了解作品对维多利亚时期社会传统的讽刺攻击，从而更加了解维多利亚时期的社会状况。

关键词：《认真的重要性》  合作原则 讽刺攻击

1. Introduction 
Oscar Wilde is one of the most popular playwrights in the history of English literature. “One of the most radical aesthetes who demonstrated ‘art for art’s sake’ in the late Victorian Age．His brilliant comedies，for the witty paradoxes and epigrams in the dialogues and the cleverly constructed plots，have been acknowledged his greatest contribution to English literature”. He has four comedies in his life: Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest. Among these four important works, The Importance of Being Earnest is the most famous and charming one and it has regained widespread popularity and is among the most frequently produced British plays.