This page is intended for teachers looking for approaches to teaching this play in preparation for AP or college-level study. Also, if you are a student, please keep in mind that teachers are the intended audience here. Feel free to read this page -- it contains no state secrets -- but please be aware that the issues here will be less helpful for you personally than they would if you yourself were teaching this class. Additionally, if activities, film clips, selections from the play, articles, or other information is not appropriate for you, your class, or your community, please be aware that these selections and activities are suggestions, not mandates.
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See the Play
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Film or Filmed Stage Versions of Earnest
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The purpose of the prereading questions will be to alert students to the major themes and motifs which will be addressed in this play, but do so "fresh," without any necessary preconceived notion of how these issues or questions play out during the course of the drama.
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Before you delve into Wilde, it's important to explain about his use of paradoxes as a tool to critique conventional thinking. Use this page to help.
NOTE: Students may need to discuss the general vibe of the Victorian era, particularly with a focus on the importance of duty and convention. |
RESOURCE: Helpful Guide from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival
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The Victorian Era
Overview // Wilde's Background
Overview // The Importance of Being Earnest
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Opening Questions
Discussion Questions
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