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Although Oscar Wilde differs from other modern dramatists who are baptized with Ibsen and Strindberg’s influence, such difference makes him distinctive as a modern writer. Not only the themes in his works but his personal life shows his modernity, and he benefitted from the modern flow in British theatrical world in the late 1800s. In his 1895 play, The Importance of Being Ernest, he deliberately brings up the topic of modernity. The author satirizes his time through the characters’ constant reference to modern life. The characteristics of modern society narrows down to complexity and impressions, and the existence of Ernest and Bunbury as masks reflects individuals’ response to such a society. However, Wilde’s ultimate purpose through this play is not to merely disclose modern traits, but to suggest a solution for the new era; as the play borrows the form of a farce to parody the genre, Wilde uses exterior masks to expose ulterior truth. In this manner, he expands the meaning of being earnest to being modernist by indicating the importance of discarding one’s mask and finding his or her true self.
