Ernest and Bunbury
What do these two people have in common? Yup: they're both totally made up.And what do they symbolize in a play that lampoons shallow Victorian society? You've got it: the empty promises or deceit...
The Handbag in the Cloakroom at Victoria Station, the Brighton Line
You might remember the whole baby-in-a-basket motif from such places as the Book of Exodus and The Winter's Tale. You know the drill: the infant found in a weird bag somewhere other than a nursery...
Diaries and Miss Prism's Three-Volume Novel
You might wonder what the heck Cecily’s and Gwendolen’s diaries have in common with Miss Prism’s three-volume novel. Let's start with the nitty-gritty: they're all written. Think about what y...
Food
Every instance where food is mentioned—from Algernon’s opening discussion of wine with his servant, Lane, to the girls’ insults over tea and the guys’ climactic fight over muffins—is frau...