Project Gutenberg
1997-03-01
Public domain in the USA.
26700
Wilde, Oscar
1854
1900
Wilde, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills
The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People
Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest
David Price
"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.)
Reading ease score: 77.9 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
en
Comedy plays
England -- Drama
Identity (Psychology) -- Drama
Foundlings -- Drama
PR
Text
Plays
Category: Plays/Films/Dramas
Category: British Literature
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