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Norms In The Importance Of Being Earnest

213 Words1 Pages
As it is mentioned in the course reader, in comedy, the laughter usually comes from a deviation from the norms. To analyze why the plot in a comedy is funny, we should focus on the inappropriate behaviors of characters in this comedy. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the first deviation I find is a deviation from linguistic norms. In the whole play, Oscar Wilde names the main character as “Ernest”. Due to the title of “Earnest”, which is only one-letter different from the character’s name, the audience may automatically think that Ernest should be a person who is serious and sincere. However, the author gives the audience a surprise! Ernest actually has double identities and hides his past. Another deviation I find is a deviation from
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