Lady Bracknell And The Importance Of Being Earnest

Superiority Complexes and False Beliefs

Both Lady Catherine, in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, and Lady Bracknell, in “The Importance of being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde represent the status-centric beliefs of marriage during the time each work was written. Both characters are members of high social classes and believe themselves to be superior to others and demand respect. This sense of superiority is why when Lady Bracknell enters the room in “The Importance of being Earnest”, she was sure to make the fact that she had arrived known to everyone. After entering the room, Lady Bracknell ordered Gwendolen, her daughter, to “sit down immediately.” (Wilde 48). Her disinterest in the rest of the occupants demonstrates her perceived superiority over others. Her abrupt entrance causes everyone to pay attention to her and not continue to talk over her, which shows that Jack, Gwendolen, Algernon, and Cecily respect her. The same can be said for when Lady Catherine entered

When considering who ones daughter will marry, most upper-class families would often focus on the political and social ties of the family that their daughter is marrying into. In “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Lady Bracknell represents the typical upper class woman. The reason she serves this function is because the author of “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wilde, wrote the play partly as a jest to the upper and ruling classes of his time. Lady Bracknell symbolizes these classes, her opinions and statements are intended to mock and shine a light on the social standards of this time. In “Pride and Prejudice”, Lady Catherine's attention to Elizabeth Bennet's qualities is typical for the time period, which is why Lady Catherine's function in the novel “Pride and Prejudice” is to represent the ideals of a woman as well a represent the upper-classes beliefs when it came to marriage during this time