Importance of Being Earnest

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Oscar Wilde: Importance of Being Earnest (1901, Savvas Learning Company)

English language

Published Nov. 10, 1901 by Savvas Learning Company.

ISBN:
978-0-13-435456-9
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4 stars (1 review)

Set in England during the late Victorian era, the play's humour derives in part from characters maintaining fictitious identities to escape unwelcome social obligations. It is replete with witty dialogue and satirises some of the foibles and hypocrisy of late Victorian society. It has proved Wilde's most enduringly popular play. - [Wikipedia][1]

[1]: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest

50 editions

Review of 'Bunbury oder Es ist wichtig, ernst zu sein' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It's been years since I had read this or watched it performed, but I still remembered how crisp and clever was the dialog. After reading it again, I enjoyed it even more than the pleasant memory.

This play is about two men, John and Algernon, who lead double lives. They are habitual liars, and their mainstay fib is a "Bunbury", an invented friend/relative who they use to avoid social obligations. This concept of double life, of course, reflects other aspects of Wilde's life that later lead to his downfall. This play was actually still on stage when Oscar Wilde prosecuted the Marquess of Queensbury for libel, which led to disclosures about his homosexual relationships, crimes punishable by imprisonment.

The Importance of Being Earnest was Wilde's last dramatic work, and represents his top form. In the hands of Wilde the characters cut scalding paths through such topics as death, marriage, relative …

Subjects

  • British and irish drama (dramatic works by one author)