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The Importance of Being Earnest and Related Writings
Oscar Wilde created his final and most lasting play, comic masterpieces of all time, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, in 1895. Considered one of the greatest THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is a farce, playing with love, religion, and truth as it tells the tale of two men. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who bend the truth in order to add excitement to their lives. Jack invents an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his dull country home and gallavant in town. Meanwhile, Algernon follows Jack's scam, but his imaginary friend, Bumbury, provides a convenient method of adventuring in the country. However, their deceptions eventually cross paths, resulting in a series of crises that threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits. Hailed as the first modern comedy in England, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is Wilde's most famous work. This collection also features two other plays that Wilde penned earlier in his career, LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN and AN IDEAL HUSBAND, that also display his ability to convey warmth and wit through his hilarious characters and their outlandish situations.
271 pages, Paperback
Published May 21, 1992
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About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,700 books39.2k followersOscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 10, 2024
This collection contains several plays, fairy tales, and works of essays/theory. I loved the plays and the fairy tales and took time away from the book during the essays.
Oscar Wilde was a genius. His writing is witty and ironic and satiric and sparkling. He turns everything comfortable and assumed on its head. To be serious is to be trivial. Style is more important than sincerity.
In "The Importance of Being Earnest" Wilde poke fun at English upper class. This play has been compared to Shakespeare. It has been characterized as nonsense literature. The characters are wealthy and live lives of idleness, focused exclusively on social interactions, namely marriage. They are all selfish. Being physically attractive and charming are of primary importance in society. The two main characters take nothing seriously; they talk nothing but nonsense. The characters fall in love in moments. The two main characters are silly and frivolous - both secretly resolve to change their names to Earnest b/c the women in their lives like that name. Lady Bracknell, Gwendolyn's aunt, cares more about which side of the street Jack lives on than whether the two lovers are compatible; she is so humorless that she is the funniest character. Wilde jokes that telling the truth is more shame worthy than telling a lie; the truth is often something that we don't want shared or don't want to hear, so a lie is better. Wilde argues that honesty and sincerity are both ways of being, and this is a style of living that is chosen just as much as lying and charm are - all are roles we assume when we are with other people. Both Jack and Algernon have created an imaginary person to use as an excuse to get out of social responsibilities. At the end of the play the truth is out, but despite the ugliness of truth, everyone is happily settled. In fact a paradox of this play is that everyone ultimately tells the truth. If one is to apply Wilde's philosophy on criticism, which is that the critic is not a slave to accuracy and re-representation but instead even more original than that which is being criticized, this play, as a satire and criticism of English society, rejects that society even while moving beyond it.
Oscar Wilde was a genius. His writing is witty and ironic and satiric and sparkling. He turns everything comfortable and assumed on its head. To be serious is to be trivial. Style is more important than sincerity.
In "The Importance of Being Earnest" Wilde poke fun at English upper class. This play has been compared to Shakespeare. It has been characterized as nonsense literature. The characters are wealthy and live lives of idleness, focused exclusively on social interactions, namely marriage. They are all selfish. Being physically attractive and charming are of primary importance in society. The two main characters take nothing seriously; they talk nothing but nonsense. The characters fall in love in moments. The two main characters are silly and frivolous - both secretly resolve to change their names to Earnest b/c the women in their lives like that name. Lady Bracknell, Gwendolyn's aunt, cares more about which side of the street Jack lives on than whether the two lovers are compatible; she is so humorless that she is the funniest character. Wilde jokes that telling the truth is more shame worthy than telling a lie; the truth is often something that we don't want shared or don't want to hear, so a lie is better. Wilde argues that honesty and sincerity are both ways of being, and this is a style of living that is chosen just as much as lying and charm are - all are roles we assume when we are with other people. Both Jack and Algernon have created an imaginary person to use as an excuse to get out of social responsibilities. At the end of the play the truth is out, but despite the ugliness of truth, everyone is happily settled. In fact a paradox of this play is that everyone ultimately tells the truth. If one is to apply Wilde's philosophy on criticism, which is that the critic is not a slave to accuracy and re-representation but instead even more original than that which is being criticized, this play, as a satire and criticism of English society, rejects that society even while moving beyond it.
December 10, 2019
My rating is more like 3.5. O. W. certainly has a way of expressing his opinions through his stories and plays.
May 21, 2012
I was impressed by the inclusion of the entire 'The Critic as Artist' and a good selection of his aphorisms - they seem to be more commonly included as partial fragments alongside The Picture of Dorian Grey . The introduction was interesting, highlighting the homosexual undertones of the play which I've always had trouble pinpointing, and I've never seen the name 'Bunbury' explained before! Perhaps I should have been more perceptive and realised the implications of both the name and the (non)character, but the introduction to this edition of the play was the sledgehammer needed for the penny to drop.
I was less impressed by the somewhat piecemeal critical commentary and notes that followed Wilde's writings. While the play itself, 'The Critic as Artist' and the third essay (which I didn't read, and therefore cannot remember the name of) were covered, there was nothing on the two sets of aphorisms. Not a thing. I didn't expect there to be a huge amount, as they took up less than ten pages, but I was disappointed in the complete absence of any mention of them.
Would I recommend this edition? Certainly - its criticism is interesting and retains the clarity that Wilde would surely have appreciated. So why have I only given it three stars, then? Brevity - and missing sections.
I was less impressed by the somewhat piecemeal critical commentary and notes that followed Wilde's writings. While the play itself, 'The Critic as Artist' and the third essay (which I didn't read, and therefore cannot remember the name of) were covered, there was nothing on the two sets of aphorisms. Not a thing. I didn't expect there to be a huge amount, as they took up less than ten pages, but I was disappointed in the complete absence of any mention of them.
Would I recommend this edition? Certainly - its criticism is interesting and retains the clarity that Wilde would surely have appreciated. So why have I only given it three stars, then? Brevity - and missing sections.
February 19, 2011
This Oscar Wilde classic play of hidden and mistaken identities centers on Jack Worthing, a pillar of his country community. Jack frequently travels to London under the name Ernest seeking entertainment and interesting ladies, where he meets Algernon and Algernon's lovely female cousin.
Although the setting of this play is later than Jane Austen's novels,
I see similarities and would recommend this play to Austen fans. I would also recommend the movie starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, and Judi Dench--I actually enjoyed that more than the book!
Although the setting of this play is later than Jane Austen's novels,
I see similarities and would recommend this play to Austen fans. I would also recommend the movie starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, and Judi Dench--I actually enjoyed that more than the book!
March 25, 2011
One of Oscar Wilde's best works, in my opinion. Great comedy about 2 men, friends, who share the same fake identity while trying to woo 2 women. Then there's the governess and the pastor who can't seem to do anything except yearn for each other from a distance, and a draconian dowager who may just upset everyone's plans for happiness.
June 24, 2011
This was hilarious. Now I have to go find a dramatic version to watch. Almost every line is clever. Maybe I'm a sucker for this kind of humor but Wilde was a master of the tongue in cheek. Reminded me of Evelyn Waugh
June 22, 2015
Don't worry about being a unicorn, be earnest.
Always be Earnest.
It's very important.
Always be Earnest.
It's very important.
April 16, 2007
Great play. Very cute. Quick read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews