Wells review of Human Nature

Blake Ogden
H.G. Wells gives very interesting insight into how The Importance of Being Earnest was originally seen in his review. Wells praises the play for its originality. It was something new and unsuspected. According to Wells, comedies had been becoming very mundane and repetitive, but this play came with “a flavor of rare holiday” (101). Wells acknowledges that the play was complete nonsense but acknowledges that nonsense was good nonsense and very funny. He believes it challenged all the standard conventions of the day in a way that could not possibly be done any better. What may be most interesting of Wells review is his questioning of how “the serious people who populace the city, and to whom it is addressed, how they will take it is another matter” (101). Wells fears that these serious people will miss the entire point of the nonsense by taking it seriously. They will not be able to see the humor taking place before them because instead of enjoying the ridiculousness they will be distracted by it. Wells notes that one such viewer was completely taken away from the play by the simply unconvincing the story of Jack being born in a bag and how it got from one place to the other. By looking at the review we may be able to see into the seriousness this Victorian culture had become submerged in. Wells notes that the majority of the population was the serious people he noted. Because of all the seriousness, they were unable to find something like a satirical play humorous. They could not see the sheer absurdity of some of the actions they themselves might perform. They were unable to laugh at themselves. Wells’ review brings up interesting theories about the people of the day’s nature. For example his statement that “the last production of a play by Mr. Oscar Wilde we said it was fairly bad, and anticipated success” (101) causes one to believe that perhaps the people had become monotonous and set in their ways. They were looking for something new within the theatre but the same “old comedies posing as their own imaginary brothers” (101). They had no desire for something new, a “revival of theatrical satire” (101), something like Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Wells sees the play as inventive and worthy of praise. However, he seems to fear that the majority of the culture is to set in their ways, and while it is easy to criticize this culture now we have to examine if our culture’s nature has really changed. Perhaps, Wells is just observing human nature. The idea that the majority will distrust and dislike what is unknown. Often times the majority populace is not welcoming of new and different art. And I’m not so sure that the modern-day majority would openly welcome a play or movie that attempted to humor in a new and unseen way.