A comparison of the satirical techniques in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock with those of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest

The first 200 words of this essay...

A comparison of the satirical techniques in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock with those of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest

"What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs,

What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things"

Although written over 150 years apart, both Pope's The Rape of the Lock (hereafter referred to as The Lock) and Wilde's The Importance of being Earnest (hereafter referred to as Importance) share a significant characteristic - their respective elaborate and witty social satire. Wilde wrote Importance at the height of his popularity as a dramatist; but he was also a celebrity. From this position, Wilde created his deceptively flippant commentary on London society. Deeply embedded amongst the frills and frivolities of his position, the satire he presents is critical but not sanctimonious. A homosexual at a time that homosexuality was not only taboo but illegal, it is possible that even at his most popular and influential Wilde was something of an outsider, allowing him the position of an observer.

Pope too, although most definitely involved in London life, had been set apart from others throughout his life. Initially, this was due to his Catholic upbringing,