![]() ![]() So the roses function as part of Cecily’s fantasy-they're both a pretty background for her daydreams and a way to highlight her beauty. Remember that Cecily is constantly watering the roses and that Algernon later compares her to a "pink rose" (II.75). Instead, he uses details like the flowers as ornaments-pretty little trinkets that aren’t really necessary to the story. Only the second act takes place among the yew groves and rose gardens, but Wilde doesn’t emphasize the natural beauty of the place. In fact, the same frivolous tone established in the city transfers directly over into the country estate. ![]() ![]() Because of this, the distinction between the corrupt city and the innocent countryside is lost. Actually, both Algernon’s city home and Jack's country home display the same hoighty-toighty style. But Wilde is parodying the Victorian high society that these characters buy into, both in London and in Hertfordshire. It usually goes like this: the urban center of London is the heart of England-full of business, fashion, culture, and general decadence-while quaint Hertfordshire is an Edenic oasis where man can get close to nature and distract himself from the rush of city life. Usually, having two differing locales (like lavish London and an unspoiled countryside estate) would show readers a marked contrast. This might seem like a play that uses ye old City Mouse vs. London and Hertfordshire, England, in the Late 19th Century (The Victorian Era) ![]()
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