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    The Importance of Being Earnest
    The Importance of Being Earnest
    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Ebook87 pages1 hour

    The Importance of Being Earnest

    By Oscar Wilde and Mint Editions

    4/5

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    Jack Worthington is an upstanding gentleman in Victorian society. He just has one secret—he tells everyone that he has a brother named Earnest, when, in reality, Earnest is his alter ego. This allows him a certain duality; he can go out and party as Earnest, but have a sterling reputation as Jack. However, he must merge the two when Jack discovers that his lover, Gwendolyn, will only marry a man named Earnest. Meanwhile, Algernon, a family friend, discovers Jack’s secret and (much to Jack’s dismay) becomes increasingly interested in Jack’s ward, Cecily. After inviting himself to Jack’s home and introducing himself as Earnest, Algernon quickly gains the attention of Cecily. Believing that he was the fictious Earnest Worthington, Cecily considered herself already to be engaged to him, as it is also her dream to be married to a man named Earnest. Chaos unravels as the men then find themselves with two matters of grave importance: Gwendolyn and Cecily can not both marry Earnest Worthington, and Jack and Algernon can not let them know that Earnest never existed in the first place.

    When first released, The Importance of Being Earnest was dubbed as a “trivial comedy for serious people”. While Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is certain to bring a smile to its audience, it also serves as witty satire of Victorian London and marriage. The Importance of Being Earnest has been revered on stage and on film, as well as in print. Wilde captures the audience with a comedic plot, authentic characters and a promise not to take itself too seriously.

    Enjoy The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde with new and modern fonts and an eye-catching cover. Though it has outlived the society it mocks, The Importance of Being Earnest continues to be comedic gold even in the 21st century.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMint Editions
    Release dateNov 17, 2020
    ISBN9781513267142
    Author

    Oscar Wilde

    Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on the 16th October 1854 and died on the 30th November 1900. He was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.

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    Reviews for The Importance of Being Earnest

    4/5

    3,055 ratings86 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Simply hilarious play. Wilde, as usual, has dialog that is just so hilariously witty, that it requires the reader to read every single line twice. The plot itself is nonsense, albeit hilarious and entertaining nonsense, but the magic is in the witty dialog and the eccentric characters.

      Favorite quotes:

      "The truth is rarely pure and never simple"

      “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

      "Algernon: All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.
      Jack: Is that clever?
      Algernon: It is perfectly phrased! and quite as true as any observation in civilized life should be.
      Jack: I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can't go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left.
      ALGERNON: We have.
      JACK: I should extremely like to meet them. What do they talk about?
      ALGERNON: The fools? Oh! about the clever people of course.
      JACK: What fools."
    • 5/5
      Very funny cleverly written. It's a dry humor with great dialogue.
    • 2/5
      zeer flauw, vol klassieke Wilde-oneliners. Misschien moet ik het nog eens herlezen.
    • 5/5
      This is a witty comedy of errors with a satirical view of the relations of London's gentry in the late 19th Century.

      Somehow Wilde manages to craft characters that are both perfectly likable and personally detestable. They trade quips, barbs, and unselfconsciously ridiculous statements with poise and aplomb.

      I'm sure I missed at least half of the jokes and allusions in this play, but I loved it anyway. I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Aha! So THIS is what Wodehouse was trying to do. Algernon > Jeeves
    • 4/5
      As Wilde’s last completed play before his world came crumpling down upon him effectively ending his career and possibly his life (oh to live through that humiliation), this work is widely recognized as Wilde’s best published and wittiest piece. (Supposedly, he’s even wittier in person.) Two bachelor friends, Jack and Algernon, have their eyes on two lovely ladies, Gwendolen and Cecily, both of whom are in love with an Ernest, the non-existent brother of Jack (for Cecily) and alter ego of Jack (for Gwendolen). Add a stuffy Lady Bracknell, mother of Gwendolen, and a Miss Prism, tutor for Cecily, and we have a comedy of he said, she said, who are you, no you are not, a tidy little twist, all wrapped up with multiple hugs – and the proclamation that it’s important to be earnest! In the Introduction of this book, I find “… this comedy is the fullest embodiment of Wilde’s lifelong assault upon commonplace life and commonplace values.” and “Wilde’s defiance, it should be understood, was deeply personal. It was not at all the product of any seriously considered social criticism, but, rather it stemmed from an individualism supported by a philosophy of art for art’s sake.” (Side note: The latter explains ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ character when Dorian rejected Sibyl who had rejected her art as an actress.)So… what is wrong with me? I didn’t find the assault or the defiance to the extent described. I must not be reading the book correctly. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I smiled as I read, and if I was in the theater, I’m certain that I’d be laughing. I can readily visualize the exaggerated speech and gesture of each actor. But it was mostly so obvious. Both Jack and Algernon are trouble getting themselves into more trouble. Both Gwendolen and Cecily are in love, cat fight with each other over ‘Ernest’, get upset at the men, forgive them, and love them again. Throw in the unnamed twist (dun dun dun!), and it’s not hard to guess the ending.I found George Bernard Shaw’s review of this play at the end of my book; the review was titled “An Old New Play”. Ouch. He wrote much of how I felt in words better than mine:“I cannot say that I greatly cared for TIoBE. It amused me, of course; but unless comedy touches me as well as amuses me, it leaves me with a sense of having wasted my evening. I go to the theatre to be moved to laughter, not to be tickled or bustled into it; and that is why, though I laugh as much as anybody at a farcical comedy, I am out of spirits before the end of the second act, and out of temper before the end of the third, my miserable mechanical laughter intensifying these symptoms at every outburst. If the public ever becomes intelligent enough to know when it is really enjoying itself and when it is not, there will be an end of farcical comedy.” Quotes – as assaults on the ordinary:On Marriage:“She will place me next Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her own husband across the dinner-table. That is not very pleasant. Indeed, it is not even decent… and that sort of thing is enormously on the increase. The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It look so bad. It is simply washing one’s clean linen in public…” On Knowledge – After Jack replied he knows nothing (vs. everything) to Lady Bracknell:LB: “I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever…”That last sentence made me laugh out loud as my current boss was educated in England.
    • 3/5
      A fun play that made me laugh a few times.
    • 5/5
      So very thoroughly enjoyable!!!It has much of the same style of humor of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, so if you enjoyed that, this is almost a guaranteed win.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my absolute favorite plays! I remember reading this in high school and instantly adoring the dialogue and the dry wit. And of course the nonsense.This particular copy is the same I had in high school, but I never read any of the supplemental material included. The most interesting of these was the original fourth act which was apparently never produced. Think of it as a series of deleted scenes, but the best is the scene where a creditor shows up looking for "Ernest" for the large debt he owes and gets mixed up in the name game Algernon and Jack are playing. It's a funny scene, but in the end unnecessary because the jokes are used earlier. It does explain Jack's later reference to the champagne Algy drinks, which isn't shown in the final version.There are also a series of critical reviews throughout the years, the first from George Bernard Shaw after the original performance. It's interesting reading.
    • 4/5
      The 2 narrators on this version were incredible, immediately switching voices without missing a beat. I don't know how they did it. The book was amusing in a stuffy English way. Silly can be fun.
    • 2/5
      Mildly amusing, but really not much more than that. Maybe I'm just too familiar with Wilde's brand of witticism, but I frequently found them irritating this time round.
    • 5/5
      “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” A play should of course for maximum benefit be expereinced in the theatre. The next best thing would be to buy an audiobook - the L.A. Theatre Works performing The Importance of Being Earnest with live audience. It’s such a delight - have there been written a more funnier play? With Oscar Wilde’s famous quips and witty remarks - this story of mistaken identities in upper class british society display an exuberance of life and high spirits. “Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.” I think everyone in this production is in top form - and specially Lady Bracknell played by Margaret Scudamore. “I really don't see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I'll certainly try to forget the fact.”
    • 5/5
      I felt I needed a lighter read, and this was time for a re-read of this classic play that I have loved since childhood, one of my all time favourites. Huge portions of the dialogue are imprinted on my mind, and I can hear and see the actors in the 1952 film version as I am reading. Wonderful stuff (though I still get Jack and Algernon mixed up in my mind, probably as they are both trying to be earnest!)
    • 4/5
      A very entertaining play by Wilde, with his typical wit and witticisms and oxymoronic statements.
    • 3/5
      I found the play amusing, so I'm giving the book three stars. However, I have to give one star to the homophobic creator biography and literary analysis that is contained in the edition I actually read, a 1959 book in the Barron's Educational Series. When it wasn't offensive, the literary analysis was just boring as hell and written in dry, tortured, overly academic prose that contrasted greatly with the witty dialogue in Wilde's play. Wilde's work stands the test of time, while the introductory matter is best left in the past.
    • 5/5
      I just love Oscar Wilde. He is fresh, he is ironic and he describes the english society of his time in a remarkable way. The importance of Being Earnest is a short play very easy to read that brings to the reader a great story that it can enjoy over and over again discovering the magic of his words at the time that we are transported in time...
    • 4/5
      Okay, so this was both shorter and dumber than I thought it would be, as well as being a play instead of prose. It starts with a conversation between two friends, both of whom are guilty of bunburying -- having two identities, one in the country and one in the city, as an excuse to get out of things they don’t want to do. And of course, romantic hijinks ensue.I’m actually very happy I read this after a few books like Pride and Prejudice… it’s an absurd take on all those little misunderstandings, complicated family relations, and forbidden love triangles.Recommendation: Fans of absurdities and romantic comedies.Feels: Lighthearted, trivial, exaggerated.Favorites: The word “bunburying,” and the cucumber sandwiches.
    • 5/5
      So funny! Did it as a high school play
    • 3/5
      The short three act play of Oscar Wilde, known more for the title than by being read. I was motivated to read the play after watching a recent movie adaption (with Colin Firth as Ernest/Jack). A nice little farce with plenty of opportunity for Wilde to show-off with his bon mots and carefully cynical witticisms. But, good fun, and pleasing to see how closely the movie had stuck to the original intentions of Wilde's creation. Read January 2012.
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure how I made it through an MA in English without reading this. Finally dove into the script when I was cast to play Algernon in a local community theatre production.So much of this is witty and relevant and speaks with a modern sensibility. But dear lord, let's pick up the pace. Every line can be cut by a third, and several sections could be cut completely.
    • 5/5
      While reading The Importance of Being Earnest, I kept wondering how I managed to skipped over this one. It seems like something that should have been part of my curriculum in college. Or at the very least I should have seen one of the movie versions of the play. But somehow I did not.And yet, as I read it recently, it felt very familiar. Part of the familiarity comes from the use of tropes common to comic writing. We have cases of mistaken identity, intentional deceit, unlikely coincidences and more. The dialog is witty and playful but with a biting undertone that gets at the heart of the theme.The play centers on the interactions of two young men, Earnest and Algernon. At the onset we encounter the two men discussing the merits and virtues of life. During the discussion, we learn that Earnest’s real name is Jack but that he assumes the name Earnest while in London. He seems ready to give up his duplicity but when he proposes to Gwendolen, she admits that she really loves him most because of his name. So instead of making a clean slate and killing off Earnest, he decides to wholly accept the name. Meanwhile, Gwendolen’s mother opposes their marriage on the grounds that Earnest does not come from an appropriate aristocratic heritage.Thus we have a young man caught between two identity problems. His fiancé only loves him because of his fake first name and his would-be mother-in-law refuses to acknowledge his potential because he has the wrong last name. Wilde presents these two obstacles as counterpoints to showcase the absurdity of each. Just as it’s absurd that young Gwendolen only loves her man because of his name, it’s equally absurd that he be inadequate for marriage because of his status in society as shown by his last name.The story continues to play with these ideas through some hilarious moments to come. Algernon and Jack each struggle with their identities both in relationships and in society. We’re shown how ridiculous we can appear when we place too much importance on trivial things. At the same time, there are many things that we trivialize that perhaps we should look at more closely.The language of the play is fabulous and is a great example of Wilde’s genius. The dialog is sharp and smart with some great quips and repartee. While the character types and the plot elements feel very similar to other plays (I was especially reminded of scenes from Twelfth Night), the writing feels fresh and fun. This is a super fun story. Well written and hilarious. I really need to seek out a movie version (or see it performed live). It’s got plenty of laugh out loud moments while also providing a thoughtful satire on our impressions and assumptions about society and each other.*****4.5 out of 5 stars
    • 4/5
      A play about the importance of being earnest in life and in love. A humorous travesty on the social roles and standards of men and women in the Victorian Era.A great way to humorously introduce students to Victorian era standards and regulations for both men and women.
    • 4/5
      He should have stuck to plays. His beautifully witty high-brow humor shines in this wonderful work. The mistaken identity convention is used to great effect.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. I admit I was a Wilde newbie, and now I'm kicking myself for not reading this sooner. Super short read (60 pages on my Nook) and they flew by. Not the usual play read, that's for sure (Ugh Shakespeare). Thoroughly enjoyed the wit and banter between the characters and fascinated by Wilde's life in general. Loved.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites
    • 4/5
      There's not a lot of depth to this play. Though Wilde does take on the Victorian notions of responsibility, respectability and...well...earnestness, you won't find strikingly real characters that will stay with you, nor any deep and revelatory social messages. What you will find, however, is one of the best assemblies of laugh out oud moments in the English language. Lady Bracknell, alone, had me in stitches for the entire play with her observations on orphans ("To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.") to her theories of education ("I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance.").The invented relatives, the mistaken identities, the long-lost foundling, the Tartar of an aunt who controls the purse strings—all of them are sewn together in a way that seems so familiar because they've been a part of our comedic vocabulary ever since Shakespeare. Yet, Wilde's gift is that they don't seem hackneyed nor trite. I think the only downside is that the lawsuits over the play stopped Wilde from writing any more, and that's a loss.
    • 4/5
      Even though I have seen and read the play a few times, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST bears up under repeated scrutiny. The performance by L.A. Theater Works (starring James Marsters) had me laughing aloud, delivering the lines with excellent comic timing and all the appropriate absurdity. As an audio-only performance, the listener might expect to feel cheated in not being able to see the actors, but it's a testament to Oscar Wilde's writing and the performers that nothing was lost in this rendition. My only quibble was the inclusion of an interview with the director afterward:It simply wasn't interesting.
    • 5/5
      Another book for my RL book club, and one I was hugely excited about, the book being a Wilde after all. While I won't go as far as to say Plays aren't my thing, they are definitely not my staple reading either. There have been a number of plays I have read and enjoyed, but I always have suspected in it being my luck more than anything else, in picking those plays - not to mention, the not-so-decent plays are thankfully, easily forgotten. The witticism, the cynicism, the antipathy, were all there as they could be expected to be and the play more or less delivered to my ridiculously high expectations. And the quotes, oh the quotes! "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means."“My dear fellow, the truth isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl. What extraordinary ideas you have about the way to behave to a woman!” “Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.” ...and there were many more...5/5
    • 5/5
      English language as art!
    • 5/5
      This comedy reminds me of a episode of Friends.

      Making fun of human nature at it's most ridiculous moments. It is a play about nothing just everyday moments.

      I absolutely loved this theatre version of the play done by the LA Theatre company. Funny, Funny, Funny

    Book preview

    The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

    THE PERSONS IN THE PLAY

    John Worthing, J.P.

    Algernon Moncrieff

    Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.

    Merriman, Butler

    Lane, Manservant

    Lady Bracknell

    Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax

    Cecily Cardew

    Miss Prism, Governess

    THE SCENES OF THE PLAY

    ACT I. Algernon Moncrieff’s Flat in Half-Moon Street, W

    ACT II. The Garden at the Manor House, Woolton.

    ACT III. Drawing-Room at the Manor House, Woolton.

    TIME: The Present.

    London: St. James’s Theatre

    Lessee and Manager: Mr. George Alexander

    February 14th, 1895

    John Worthing, J.P.: Mr. George Alexander.

    Algernon Moncrieff: Mr. Allen Aynesworth.

    Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.: Mr. H. H. Vincent.

    Merriman: Mr. Frank Dyall.

    Lane: Mr. F. Kinsey Peile.

    Lady Bracknell: Miss Rose Leclercq.

    Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax: Miss Irene Vanbrugh.

    Cecily Cardew: Miss Evelyn Millard.

    Miss Prism: Mrs. George Canninge.

    FIRST ACT

    Scene

    Morning-room in Algernon’s flat in Half-Moon Street. The room is luxuriously and artistically furnished. The sound of a piano is heard in the adjoining room.

    [Lane is arranging afternoon tea on the table, and after the music has ceased, Algernon enters.]

    ALGERNON: Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?

    LANE: I didn’t think it polite to listen, sir.

    ALGERNON: I’m sorry for that, for your sake. I don’t play accurately—any one can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life.

    LANE: Yes, sir.

    ALGERNON: And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the cucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell?

    LANE: Yes, sir. [Hands them on a salver.]

    ALGERNON: [Inspects them, takes two, and sits down on the sofa.] Oh! … by the way, Lane, I see from your book that on Thursday night, when Lord Shoreman and Mr. Worthing were dining with me, eight bottles of champagne are entered as having been consumed.

    LANE: Yes, sir; eight bottles and a pint.

    ALGERNON: Why is it that at a bachelor’s establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne? I ask merely for information.

    LANE: I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.

    ALGERNON: Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that?

    LANE: I believe it is a very pleasant state, sir. I have had very little experience of it myself up to the present. I have only been married once. That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person.

    ALGERNON: [Languidly.] I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.

    LANE: No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself.

    ALGERNON: Very natural, I am sure. That will do, Lane, thank you.

    LANE: Thank you, sir. [Lane goes out.]

    ALGERNON: Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.

    [Enter Lane.]

    LANE: Mr. Ernest Worthing.

    [Enter Jack.]

    [Lane goes out.]

    ALGERNON: How are you, my dear Ernest? What brings you up to town?

    JACK: Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere? Eating as usual, I see, Algy!

    ALGERNON: [Stiffly.] I believe it is customary in good society to take some slight refreshment at five o’clock. Where have you been since last Thursday?

    JACK: [Sitting down on the sofa.] In the country.

    ALGERNON: What on earth do you do there?

    JACK: [Pulling off his gloves.] When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring.

    ALGERNON: And who are the people you amuse?

    JACK: [Airily.] Oh, neighbours, neighbours.

    ALGERNON: Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire?

    JACK: Perfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them.

    ALGERNON: How immensely you must amuse them! [Goes over and takes sandwich.] By the way, Shropshire is your county, is it not?

    JACK: Eh? Shropshire? Yes, of course. Hallo! Why all these cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young? Who is coming to tea?

    ALGERNON: Oh! merely Aunt Augusta and Gwendolen.

    JACK: How perfectly delightful!

    ALGERNON: Yes, that is all very well; but I am afraid Aunt Augusta won’t quite approve of your being here.

    JACK: May I ask why?

    ALGERNON: My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you.

    JACK: I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her.

    ALGERNON: I thought you had come up for pleasure?… I call that business.

    JACK: How utterly unromantic you are!

    ALGERNON: I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.

    JACK: I have no doubt about that, dear Algy. The Divorce Court was specially invented for people whose memories are so curiously constituted.

    ALGERNON: Oh! there is no use speculating on that subject. Divorces are made in Heaven—[Jack puts out his hand to take a sandwich. Algernon at once interferes.] Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta. [Takes one and eats it.]

    JACK: Well, you have been eating them all the time.

    ALGERNON: That is quite a different matter. She is my aunt. [Takes plate from below.] Have some bread and butter. The bread and butter is for Gwendolen. Gwendolen is devoted to bread and butter.

    JACK: [Advancing to table and helping himself.] And very good bread and butter it is too.

    ALGERNON: Well, my dear fellow, you need not eat as if you were going to eat it all. You behave as if you were married to her already. You are not married to her already, and I don’t think you ever will be.

    JACK: Why on earth do you say that?

    ALGERNON: Well, in the first place girls never marry the men they flirt with. Girls don’t think it right.

    JACK: Oh, that is nonsense!

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