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Here is Oscar Wilde's most brilliant tour de force, a witty and buoyant comedy of manners that has delighted millions in countless productions since its first performance in London's St. James' Theatre on February 14, 1895. The Importance of Being Earnest is celebrated not only... Read Full Overview

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a classic comedic play about two men, John (Jack) and Algernon, who create fictitious personas in order to escape their mundane lives. Jack pretends to be Earnest in the city, while Algernon pretends to be Jack's brother, Earnest,... Read Full Overview

Read & Co. Classics presents this brand new edition of Oscar Wilde's famous play, "The Importance of Being Earnest", first performed in London in 1895. The play questions the nature and purpose of the institution of marriage, poking fun at the morals, assumptions and constraints... Read Full Overview

Oscar Wilde

Full Length, Farce comedy

Charcters: 5 male, 4 female

Exterior Set and 2 Interior Sets

This masterpiece is probably the most famous of all comedies. It revolves wittily around the most ingenious case of "manufactured" mistaken identity ever... Read Full Overview

Oscar Wilde's Last comical and dramatic work The Importance of Being Earnest is a satirical look at Victorian ways. This classic masterpiece looks at the how the institution of marriage was treated with triviality, as the characters all pretend to be someone their not to escape... Read Full Overview

"Backgrounds" includes essays on Wilde and the 1890s by prominent cultural critics Karl Beckson, Sharon Marcus, and Michael Patrick Gillespie. "Early Reviews and Reactions" collects contemporary responses to The Importance of Being Earnest, including George Bernard Shaw's famous... Read Full Overview

The full text of Oscar Wilde's beloved comedy of manners, including exclusive commentary, selections from Wilde's correspondence, and excerpts from the original four-act version.

The Importance of Being Earnest shows a full measure of Oscar Wilde's legendary... Read Full Overview

Indulge in the delightful wit and satire of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. This comedic masterpiece is a whimsical exploration of societal conventions, mistaken identities, and the absurdities of Victorian society, guaranteed to leave you laughing out loud... Read Full Overview

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... Read Full Overview

The Importance of Being Earnestmarks a central moment in late-Victorian literature, not only for its wit but also for its role in the shift from a Victorian to a Modern consciousness. The play began its career as a biting satire directed at the very audience who received it so... Read Full Overview

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious person to escape burdensome social obligations... Read Full Overview

Obra de excelente trama c mica que fluye entre los sutiles di logos de sus escenas y el relato de los hechos lleno de agudeza y frescura. Estos son los grandes valores que han hecho de esta composici n una de las m s representadas y aplaudidas del mundo.

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple," declares Algernon early in Act One of The Importance of Being Earnest, and were it either, modern literature would be "a complete impossibility." It is a moment of sly, winking self-regard on the part of the playwright, for... Read Full Overview

Backgrounds includes essays on Wilde and the 1890s by prominent cultural critics Joseph Donohue, Regenia Gagnier, and Karl Beckson. Reviews and Reactions collects contemporary responses to The Importance of Being Earnest, among them George Bernard Shaw's famous dissenting view... Read Full Overview