Flouting Maxim as Social Criticism: Rhetorical Manifestations in Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

Rani, Silva; Utami, Almira Irwaniyanti

doi:10.15294/rainbow.v15i2.57513

Akses terbuka Jurnal

Flouting Maxim as Social Criticism: Rhetorical Manifestations in Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies · Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026) · hlm. 63–74

DOI: 10.15294/rainbow.v15i2.57513
ISSN: 2721-4540, 2252-6323
Terbit: 2026-08-03
Penerbit: Universitas Negeri Semarang
Bahasa: eng
Lisensi: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Abstrak

Language is not always used literally; speakers often communicate meanings that are not explicitly conveyed. This study investigates how flouting Grice's maxims functions as a pragmatic strategy generating social criticism in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Previous research has treated Wilde's satire and irony as literary devices without examining maxim flouting as the underlying pragmatic mechanism, leaving a gap between pragmatics and literary studies. This study identifies flouting of the four Gricean maxims and examines how their rhetorical realization through irony, repetition, hyperbole, and simile contributes to criticism of Victorian norms on class, marriage, morality, and identity. Data were collected through close reading and analyzed in four stages: identifying flouting, examining rhetorical realization, decoding implicature, and categorizing social criticism. Findings show the quantity maxim is flouted most frequently, mainly through exaggeration, repetition, and irony, followed by relevance and manner, with no quality flouting found. Linking maxim flouting to rhetorical realization, this study offers a sociopragmatic model illuminating pragmatic deviation as a literary device, contributing to interdisciplinary work bridging pragmatics and literary criticism. The study concludes that Wilde's humor is a deliberate linguistic strategy exposing the falsity of Victorian aristocratic norms, rather than mere entertainment.

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State University of Semarang

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Rekan penulis	Organisasi	Artikel bersama
Ummi Nur Laila Sulistyani	State University of Semarang	1
Yuliati Yuliati	State University of Semarang	1
Aditya Rangga Putra Cahaya	State University of Semarang	1
Nira Amalia	State University of Semarang	1
Farrel Maulana Azhani	State University of Semarang	1
Naura Makiya Faily	State University of Semarang	1

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Sumber metadata: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/oai, pertama di-harvest 6 Nov 2026, terakhir terlihat 8 Nov 2026.

Metadata asli (oai_dc)

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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Flouting Maxim as Social Criticism: Rhetorical Manifestations in Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rani, Silva</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Utami , Almira Irwaniyanti </dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">conversational implicature</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en"> flouting maxims</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Gricean maxim</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en"> rhetorical device</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">social criticism</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">Language is not always used literally; speakers often communicate meanings that are not explicitly conveyed. This study investigates how flouting Grice's maxims functions as a pragmatic strategy generating social criticism in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Previous research has treated Wilde's satire and irony as literary devices without examining maxim flouting as the underlying pragmatic mechanism, leaving a gap between pragmatics and literary studies. This study identifies flouting of the four Gricean maxims and examines how their rhetorical realization through irony, repetition, hyperbole, and simile contributes to criticism of Victorian norms on class, marriage, morality, and identity. Data were collected through close reading and analyzed in four stages: identifying flouting, examining rhetorical realization, decoding implicature, and categorizing social criticism. Findings show the quantity maxim is flouted most frequently, mainly through exaggeration, repetition, and irony, followed by relevance and manner, with no quality flouting found. Linking maxim flouting to rhetorical realization, this study offers a sociopragmatic model illuminating pragmatic deviation as a literary device, contributing to interdisciplinary work bridging pragmatics and literary criticism. The study concludes that Wilde's humor is a deliberate linguistic strategy exposing the falsity of Victorian aristocratic norms, rather than mere entertainment.
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	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-08-03</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
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	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/article/view/57513</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/rainbow.v15i2.57513</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies; Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026): Special Issue ; 63-74</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2721-4540</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-6323</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/rainbow.v15i2</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/article/view/57513/10905</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Silva Rani, Almira Irwaniyanti  Utami  (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</dc:rights>
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