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The Importance of Being Earnest
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The Importance of Being Earnest is celebrated not only for the lighthearted ingenuity of its plot, but for its inspired dialogue, rich with scintillating epigrams still savored by all who enjoy artful conversation.
Rich in humor, and memorable characters, Wilde offers a captivating satire of Victorian society and its repressive values and traditions, particularly in the pursuit of love and marriage. To recapture their freedom, the characters liberate themselves by leading double lives.
From the play's effervescent beginnings in Algernon Moncrieff's London flat to its hilarious dénouement in the drawing room of Jack Worthing's country manor in Hertfordshire, this comic masterpiece keeps audiences breathlessly anticipating a new bon mot or a fresh twist of plot moment to moment.
From ancient Greek dramas to great 20th-century masters, Dover publishes low-priced editions of just about every major work of drama, including those by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, and Henrik Ibsen. Bestsellers include A Doll's House, Cyrano de Bergerac, Dr. Faustus, The Importance of Being Ernest, Medea, Oedipus Rex, Pygmalion, Romeo and Juliet, among many others.
- Reading age11 years and up
- Print length64 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions5.12 x 0.2 x 8.27 inches
- PublisherDover Publications
- Publication dateJuly 1, 1990
- ISBN-100486264785
- ISBN-13978-0486264783
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From the Publisher
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”
“If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated.”
“I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”
Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) remains best known for his comedies of the 1890s, and for his tragic imprisonment and untimely death.
To recapture their freedom, the characters liberate themselves by leading double lives.
The Importance of Being Earnest is celebrated not only for the lighthearted ingenuity of its plot, but for its inspired dialogue, rich with scintillating epigrams still savored by all who enjoy artful conversation.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) remains best known for his comedies of the 1890s, including The Importance of Being Earnest, and for his tragic imprisonment and untimely death.
Product details
- Publisher : Dover Publications
- Publication date : July 1, 1990
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 64 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0486264785
- ISBN-13 : 978-0486264783
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Reading age : 11 years and up
- Dimensions : 5.12 x 0.2 x 8.27 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in British & Irish Dramas & Plays
- #31 in British & Irish Humor & Satire
- #48 in Self-Help & Psychology Humor
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