How does Wilde's dialogue convey his critique of social seriousness?

• A. By using long, serious lectures that drown out humor.
• B. By showing that conventional wisdom is always right.
• C. By using light, exacting, and paradoxical statements to turn serious topics into humorous ones.
• D. By avoiding humor entirely.

Answer: (C)

Wilde exposes social seriousness by mixing light, precise, and paradoxical language with serious topics. The dialogue treats topics like marriage, class, and morality in a witty, epigrammatic way, so lofty moral claims are tangled in clever quips and contradictions. That contrast—the moment of a sharp, almost clinical line about “earnestness” or social convention, followed by a humorous twist—shows how social pretensions are performative and often ridiculous. The effect is to make the audience laugh at the solemn attitudes of the characters while also seeing the hollowness behind those attitudes.

For example, when characters present themselves as utterly sincere or upholding strict rules, Wilde’s phrasing keeps things breezy and pointed at once, turning seriousness into humor and revealing the underlying vanity of social conventions. This approach is why the dialogue can critique social seriousness so effectively: it uses wit to puncture pretensions without moralizing, inviting readers to question the seriousness of the very norms it displays.