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GATE 2025 XH2 (English) – Question 64

History of English Literature and Literary Studies · English Literary Traditions across Time: Chaucer to contemporary English literature · 2 marks · Multiple choice

In The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde repeatedly uses the term ‘Bunbury’. It refers to the ___________________.

  1. witty act of Jack Worthing to invent a fictional brother
  2. queer strategy of coding transgressive sexual desire
  3. invention of new bread making technique
  4. stance of Wilde on the role of criticism

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Correct answer: (B) queer strategy of coding transgressive sexual desire

Explanation

Bunbury is Algernon's invented sickly friend, used as an excuse to escape duties and lead a double life. It is usually read as a code for hidden, transgressive desire. Jack's fictional brother is Ernest, not Bunbury.