ABSTRACT:The Importance of Being Earnest is the representative of Oscar Wilde’s comedies. It is a typical display of Wilde’s using of lies. These lies are witty, humorous and interesting. This paper examines the role of using lies plays in the aspect of plot, language and characterization. As for the plot, the whole play is based on all the lies told by the characters and the lies also contribute to each part of the plot; as for the language, using lies attaches double meanings to the language, create a musical and coherent sense of the language and adds paradox and philosophy to the language; as for the characterization, using lies helps to shape a group of fresh and impressive figures through words and actions. This paper aims to help the readers to gain a better understanding of how lies contribute to the creation of a literature work.
Key Words: Using of lies, plot, language, characterization
中文摘要:《认真的重要性》是王尔德喜剧的代表作。这部剧作对体现王尔德谎言的运用具有典型性。剧中的谎言机智、幽默而且有趣。本文将研究王尔德在《认真的重要性》中谎言的运用对该喜剧情节、语言和人物塑造三方面的作用，目的在于帮助读者更好的理解谎言的运用在文学创作中的作用。情节方面，整部喜剧都是建立在谎言之上，而且谎言的运用对情节各个部分有很大作用；语言方面，谎言的运用赋予了语言双重意义，使语言本身具有节奏感和流畅感，并且有效呈现了语言的矛盾修辞和哲学意义；人物塑造方面，谎言的运用通过人物的语言和行动塑造出了一群性格鲜明多样的人物。
关键词：谎言的运用；情节；语言；人物塑造
This paper examines the role that Wilde’s using of lies play on the plot, language and characterization of the play The Importance of Being Earnest. As for the plot, lies not only help to introduce the characters at the beginning of the play but also to provide a dramatic development and a unexpected resolution at the end of the play; as for the language, using of lies greatly adds to the charm of the lines in that it attaches double meanings to the same word, strengthens the musical sense of the lines, smartly enhances the effect of paradox, and makes the conversations more coherent and philosophical; as for the characterization, by describing changing words and actions of the characters on the basis of the lies, several-sided characters are created and the combination of one’s characters is obviously displayed. Since using of lies has such an important role in the creation of a comedy, it is reasonable that it should be more adopted in other literature works because the plot, the language and the characterization are the common elements in all creation of works.
