The Importance of Being Earnest

· L. Smithers and Company
4.0
6.77K reviews
Ebook
151
Pages

About this ebook

Subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” Wilde’s play is a brilliantly satirical comedy of manners, sending up the absurdity of Victorian social mores and cleverly critiquing the conventions of love and marriage. The tale of two gentlemen who adopt fictitious identities in order to woo the objects of their affections is Wilde’s most beloved work, considered to be one of the wittiest plays ever written in English. The glowing critical reception in London on opening night at the St. James Theater in 1895 marked the high point of Wilde’s career as a writer.

Ratings and reviews

4.0
6.77K reviews
Damian Gomez
December 11, 2012
first off, i give it four stars for its amazing finishing act. the story starts off slow, and for good reason. i can't say much about it without giving away its dynamite. it is full of rather prudent humor and fueled by a puppy love romance. but the end is hilarious and ends with a cliff hanger. which I am not fond of, but too funny to easily overlook. quite enjoyable and a quick read.
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A Google user
December 8, 2010
its a typical oscar wilde's work. but its a sad truth that i laughed out while reading it only thrice, when the book is supposed to be a hilarious comedy. i assume it would be a better entertainer when you watch it as a play. the characters have neither sense nor etiquette, and the author has done his job well in making the play nonsense till the end. one place that i really could not help laughing is that when the governess says she missed her old handbag badly all those years. well, its worth reading anyway, but i hope its a hundred times worthier watching.
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Yash Danak
April 4, 2013
I love classics and I totaly loved this one. It's such a good read while u are traveling. Oscar Wilde hardly disappoints and after reading it I realized a lot of mistaken identity plots in movies are inspired by this play. The playbook has a lovely touch. Four stars it is!
2 people found this review helpful
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About the author

Oscar Wilde, a writer remembered for his sharp wit and biting social satire, was born in Dublin in 1854. His natural ease with language was further honed at Oxford, where he studied classics. At the height of his fame, following the London premiere of his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde was charged with “gross indecency” for his homosexuality and imprisoned for two years. He then abandoned England for Paris, where he lived until his death in 1900.

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