In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, explain the theme of "the dandy" (Wilde as Algernon).

Great question!

In order to
understand the character of Algernon Moncrieff, one must first understand the concept of
dandyism, its origins, and its role in
literature.

Victorians witnessed the advent of the middle
class as a powerful socioeconomic stratum in which individuals could earn their way to
the riches that once were exclusive to the aristocratic classes. The growth of
industrialization propelled new types of jobs, and more people were earning a good
living from the benefits that came as a result of the creation of many new sources of
work.

Meanwhile, those who had acquired their riches
through inheritances, or family names, noticed how their own funds were decreasing
since the increase in population and businesses made life in London quite
expensive.

Interestingly, the upper classes would not budge
and stuck strongly to their pride as well as to their supposed "rights" as aristocrats
to still be placed on a social "pedestal". An example of this in the play can be seen in
Lady Bracknell's ill treatment of Jack Worthing, and her interest in knowing his
finances prior to learning about his family
name.

Conversely the middle classes, with no family names
to boast, wanted to mingle with the upper classes (many of whom were now bankrupt) to be
able to earn a status. Both sides would benefit in the end. The friendship between Jack
and Algernon is an example of this. Algernon clearly was bankrupt and broke, but used
Jack as his resource for meals and entertainment. Jack, who had more money than Algernon
but no family name, could have at least the honor of meeting Algernon's aristocratic
friends.

These social dynamics compose the background from
which the dandy comes. The dandy represents excess without responsibility, charm without
the need for intelligence, and fun without consequences.  The dandies in Victorian
England (such as Disraeli, D'Orsay, and Byron among others) were notorious for
possessing the qualities that would equal the metro-sexual uber fashionable man of the
21st century: Well dressed, exquisite tastes, Renaissance men-types, and charmers to the
maximum.

Oscar Wilde was also a dandy, but not to the
extent of the previously mentioned. He adopted his dandy persona during his second
transformation (after his aesthetic years), and his purpose was to embody Balzac, who
was also known for his dandyism.  Wilde, as an observer of society, viewed dandies as
the ultimate models of pleasure: They went around well-dressed and well-fed living only
of their charms. Thus, he embodied Algernon as one of those famous Victorian characters
whom seem so admirable, and yet were so naughty and
irresponsible.

One cannot deny that he did the trick.
Everyone loves Algernon, and the biographies of dandies are irresistible. Wilde did his
best at always adding a dandy to his plays and works. They are famous for their wit,
their charm, and their personal beauty. They are the force that drives most of his works
and carry his most famous epigrams. Therefore, their role in Wildean literature is to
charm in paper as much as their charmed in person.