Satire is a wonderful literary tool, it has been used across the centuries as a tool to reform society and to provide comic entertainment. Both Oscar Wilde and Jonathan Swift were prolific satirists. They both urged change in their respective societies through the use of satire. This being said, they each went about satire in completely different ways. There are three main ways in which these two authors differed in their writing styles. They differed in tone, purpose, and form. Wilde's tone in his works is very different from the darker, more serious, tone of Swift. Moreover their very purposes for writing are different. Also, the form in which they present their pieces is varied.
One key difference in the writing style was each author's tone. In Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," a lighthearted tone can be seen throughout the piece. Even when the piece dwells on darker matters, they are presented in a lightened way, void of seriousness. In Act III of this piece this can be seen,"Oh! No! Bunbury doesn't live here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In fact, Bunbury is dead,/ Dead! When did Mr. Bunbury die? His death must have been extremely sudden./ [Airily.] Oh! I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon./ What did he die of?/ Bunbury? Oh, he was quite exploded./ Exploded! Was he the victim of a revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr. Bunbury was interested in social legislation. If so, he is well punished for his morbidity./ My dear Aunt Augusta, I mean he was found out! The doctors found out that Bunbury could not live, that is what I mean - so Bunbury died./ He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice." (Act III) They are talking about the supposed death of Bunbury; however, they do so in such an outrageous way that it is not taken seriously.
