LADY BRACKNELLThirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years. Lady Dumbleton is an instance in point. To my own knowledge she has been thirty-five ever since she arrived at the age of forty, which was many years ago now.

Summary

In this quote from Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest," Lady Bracknell comments on the societal expectation for women to always appear young and attractive. By sarcastically suggesting that many women in London society have managed to maintain the age of thirty-five for years, Lady Bracknell satirizes the unrealistic standards placed upon women. Through her reference to Lady Dumbleton, who has supposedly been age thirty-five since turning forty, Lady Bracknell highlights the absurdity of attempting to defy the process of aging, emphasizing society's obsession with appearances and the deception that often surrounds it.

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