1. Wilde’s play has two settings — the city of London and the country. How does he create differences between the two settings?

2. What attitudes toward marriage do Wilde’s characters explore?

3. How does Wilde create and comment on the differences between the social classes in England as represented by Lady Bracknell and the servants in both settings?

4. Manuscripts are used by various characters — diaries, sermons, and a three-volume novel. What function does each have in the play?

5. What attitudes of the aristocracy can be seen in Lady Bracknell’s dialogue?

6. How is conflict developed in the play?

7. How does Wilde turn around well-known proverbs or epigrams to comment on Victorian attitudes?