By This play was surprisingly clever and hilarious– though I suppose I should not have been surprised as it is Oscar Wilde.
About the Book
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
Published: 1895
Series: (standalone)
Genre: classics, humor, plays
My Rating: 4/5 stars
The Premise
Synopsis (from Goodreads) (truncated):
“Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack’s ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack’s country home on the same weekend the “rivals” to fight for Ernest’s undivided attention and the “Ernests” to claim their beloveds pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!”
My Thoughts
The story told in The Importance of Being Earnest is convoluted and comically coincidental. The characters do outrageous and unwise things in the name of love and mischief– such as assuming false identities and being way too concerned with the given names of their love interests.
It’s overall very entertaining to read due to the constant influx of clever witticisms and commentary, a la:
“Well I won’t argue about the matter. You always want to argue about things.”
“That is exactly what things were originally made for.”
or
“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”
Not to mention the title, which I’m assumed was pun-intended.
The Verdict
Overall I found this play to be very funny with clever satire and I’d recommend reading it if you want something short and light-hearted. Also if you don’t mind a little quirkiness.
Have you read The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde? If so, what did you think of it? Feel free to leave a comment!
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one of my favorites
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It’s a great book!
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Yes it is .
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One of my favorite plays 🙂
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It was great!
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I loved this play! And if you haven’t watched the movie yet with Colin Firth, I’d definitely recommend it. It really stays true to the spirit of the play and Oscar Wilde’s wit, and as you pointed out, quirkiness!
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Ooh, I didn’t know there was a movie! I’ll have to put that on my to-watch list
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Definitely do! It’s one of my favorites 😀
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Honestly, I’m embarassed at how quickly I clicked on this post when I saw it (and, even more embarrassing, audibly gasped) – I’ve loved this play since I read the abridged version in an English lit textbook. Unfortunately we didn’t cover that one in class, but it did begin a love of Oscar Wilde plays! Glad you enjoyed it!!! 😁
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Lol! It was great!
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I’m using it for the first time in the classroom with seniors this fall and picked it for the lightheartedness, not to mention satire practice. 🤞🏻
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Nice!
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Wilde is so good at piling up those hilarious one-liners that people sometimes forget how good he was at building a comedic structure into which to fit them! And I mean that in earnest!
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Haha
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