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Abstract
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Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, which was published in 1895, has long been celebrated as a pinnacle of comic drama, admired for its wit, paradox, and linguistic brilliance. Yet the play’s apparent frivolity has often obscured the seriousness of its social critique. The necessity of the present research arises from a critical gap in Wildean studies where comic form, social satire, and modern critical theory have not yet been brought into sustained and systematic dialogue. Although The Importance of Being Earnest is among the most frequently studied plays in the English literary canon, its reception has been shaped by a tendency to privilege wit, aestheticism, and biographical resonance over rigorous theoretical engagement. The primary goal of this research is to produce a theoretically grounded reinterpretation of Bunburyism in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest by situating it within a Foucauldian framework of power, discourse, and subject formation. Another key goal is to reassess the satirical function of The Importance of Being Earnest. This research intends to demonstrate that satire in the play does not operate through direct moral condemnation or ideological opposition. The research also aims to contribute to Wilde scholarship by offering a model for reading his comic drama as theoretically complex. By applying Foucauldian analysis to a farcical text, the study challenges the persistent critical assumption that high comedy lacks philosophical or political depth. In addition, the study seeks to refine existing understandings of Victorian identity formation. Finally, the research aims to establish a coherent analytical foundation for the subsequent thesis chapters. Each goal is designed to be achievable through close textual analysis supported by theoretical concepts and critical interpretation. In this sense, the goals are not speculative but operational, ensuring that the proposed thesis can be developed in a structured, methodologica
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