The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People by Oscar Wilde
"The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" by Oscar Wilde is a play written in the late 19th century. This witty farce revolves around the theme of mistaken identities and the absurdities of Victorian society, focusing on the lives of two friends, John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who both assume fictitious personas to escape their societal obligations. The opening of the play establishes Algernon Moncrieff's opulent flat, where
he converses with his manservant Lane about the complexity of life and marriage. John Worthing, or "Ernest" in town, visits Algernon, expressing his purpose of proposing to Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon's cousin. Through clever dialogue, the two men discuss their escapades and the concept of "Bunburying," a euphemism for creating a fictional identity to avoid responsibilities. This sets the stage for comedic misunderstandings and romantic entanglements that unfold as they both navigate their relationships with the women in their lives, Gwendolen and Cecily Cardew. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900 |
|---|---|
| Title | The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest |
| Note | Reading ease score: 77.9 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Credits | David Price |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | Comedy plays |
| Subject | England -- Drama |
| Subject | Identity (Psychology) -- Drama |
| Subject | Foundlings -- Drama |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 844 |
| Release Date | Mar 1, 1997 |
| Most Recently Updated | Feb 13, 2021 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 41905 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |
