The Importance of Being Earnest - Softcover

2011 Reprint of 1899 Edition. "The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" was first performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London. It is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satirical treatment of Victorian manners and customs. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make it Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

"The Importance of Being Earnest," Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers' entanglements, still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a mainstay of the high school curriculum for decades. In "The Importance of Being Earnest," Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gewndolen 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 in "The Importance of Being Earnest," the rivals to fight for Ernest's undivided attention and the Ernests to claim their beloved's pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!