What is the object of Wilde's satire?

• A. Victorian Society
• B. Farce
• C. Aesthetic Movement
• D. Brothers

Answer: (A)

Victorian Society. Wilde uses sharp wit and irony to poke fun at the era’s obsession with appearances, propriety, and social status—especially around marriage and class. The jokes and situations reveal how people publicly cling to virtue and respectability while privately maneuvering for advantage or expressing hypocrisy. Lady Bracknell personifies the rigid social gatekeeping of the time, showing how rules about lineage and etiquette govern behavior more than moral truth. The farcical plotting and rapid reversals reinforce how flimsy these norms can be in daily life. The other options miss the target: farce is the method, the Aesthetic Movement is part of Wilde’s milieu but not the primary target, and “brothers” isn’t related to the satirical aim.