Books with title IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Oscar Wilde, arguably the wittiest writer in English, was at the height of this powers when he wrote The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde wrote it quickly, but then extensively revised and shortened this work to create a gem. Despite its apparent humour, the play addresses the state of Victorian society; indeed, it is subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.”

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`The truth is rarely pure, and never simple.' `. . .in married life three is company and two is none.' Is this play a `unique work of art' as Oscar Wilde believed? Or, as a first-night reviewer claimed in 1895, it `represents nothing, means nothing, is nothing'? This is for you to decide. . . Cambridge Literature is a series of study texts which presents writing in the English-speaking world from the 16th century up to the present day. The series includes novels, drama, short stories, poetry, essays and other types of non-fiction. Each edition has the complete text with an appropriate glossary. The student will find in each volume a helpful introduction and a full section of resource notes encouraging active and imaginative study methods.

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 personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexuality was revealed to the Victorian public and he was sentenced to imprisonment. Despite the play's early success, Wilde's notoriety caused the play to be closed after 86 performances. After his release from prison, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.The play is set in "The Present" (i.e. 1895).Act I: Algernon Moncrieff's flat in Half Moon Street, W The play opens with Algernon Moncrieff, an idle young gentleman, receiving his best friend, Jack Worthing ('Ernest'). Ernest has come from the country to propose to Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. Algernon refuses to consent until Ernest explains why his cigarette case bears the inscription, "From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack." 'Ernest' is forced to admit to living a double life. In the country, he assumes a serious attitude for the benefit of his young ward, the heiress Cecily Cardew, and goes by the name of John (or Jack), while pretending that he must worry about a wastrel younger brother named Ernest in London. In the city, meanwhile, he assumes the identity of the libertine Ernest. Algernon confesses a similar deception: he pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the country, whom he can "visit" whenever he wishes to avoid an unwelcome social obligation. Jack refuses to tell Algernon the location of his country estate.Gwendolen and her formidable mother Lady Bracknell now call on Algernon who distracts Lady Bracknell in another room while Jack proposes to Gwendolen. She accepts, but seems to love him in large part because of his name, Ernest. Jack accordingly resolves to himself to be rechristened "Ernest". Discovering them in this intimate exchange, Lady Bracknell interviews Jack as a prospective suitor. Horrified to learn that he was adopted after being discovered as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station, she refuses him and forbids further contact with her daughter. Gwendolen manages to covertly promise to him her undying love. As Jack gives her his address in the country, Algernon surreptitiously notes it on the cuff of his sleeve: Jack's revelation of his pretty and wealthy young ward has motivated his friend to meet her.

"The play could not sound better." - The New York TimesListen to this wonderful full-cast, unabridged recording of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being EarnestJack Worthing lives in the country with his budding young ward Cecily Cardew and her fussbudget governess, Miss Prism. To escape his situation, Jack invents a brother named Earnest who lives in London and frequently needs him. When in London, Jack then poses as Earnest. This elaborate fabrication proceeds smoothly until Jack/Ernest falls in love and his fiancee's mother discovers there is more - or, rather, less - to him than meets the eye.From its theatrical debut in 1895 to the present, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest has enthralled audiences with its flashing wit and surprising insights. This full cast recording features a scintillating reading by a stellar cast headed by Alec McCowan and Lynn Redgrave, and directed by Peter Wood."Under Peter Wood's knowing direction, Wilde's satiric thrust at the society and manners of Victorian England are always fully capitalized upon." -San Antonio Light THE CASTLady Bracknell Gladys CooperHon. Gwendolyn Fairfax Joan GreenwoodJohn Worthington, J.P. Richard JohnstonAlgernon Moncrieff Alec McCowanCecily Cardew Lynn RedgraveMiss Prism, governess Irene HandlRev. Cannon Chasuble, D.D. Robertson HareLane, manservant Bernard ArchardMerriman, butler Jack May

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 personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexuality was revealed to the Victorian public and he was sentenced to imprisonment. Despite the play's early success, Wilde's notoriety caused the play to be closed after 86 performances. After his release from prison, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.The play is set in "The Present" (i.e. 1895).Act I: Algernon Moncrieff's flat in Half Moon Street, W The play opens with Algernon Moncrieff, an idle young gentleman, receiving his best friend, Jack Worthing ('Ernest'). Ernest has come from the country to propose to Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. Algernon refuses to consent until Ernest explains why his cigarette case bears the inscription, "From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack." 'Ernest' is forced to admit to living a double life. In the country, he assumes a serious attitude for the benefit of his young ward, the heiress Cecily Cardew, and goes by the name of John (or Jack), while pretending that he must worry about a wastrel younger brother named Ernest in London. In the city, meanwhile, he assumes the identity of the libertine Ernest. Algernon confesses a similar deception: he pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the country, whom he can "visit" whenever he wishes to avoid an unwelcome social obligation. Jack refuses to tell Algernon the location of his country estate.Gwendolen and her formidable mother Lady Bracknell now call on Algernon who distracts Lady Bracknell in another room while Jack proposes to Gwendolen. She accepts, but seems to love him in large part because of his name, Ernest. Jack accordingly resolves to himself to be rechristened "Ernest". Discovering them in this intimate exchange, Lady Bracknell interviews Jack as a prospective suitor. Horrified to learn that he was adopted after being discovered as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station, she refuses him and forbids further contact with her daughter. Gwendolen manages to covertly promise to him her undying love. As Jack gives her his address in the country, Algernon surreptitiously notes it on the cuff of his sleeve: Jack's revelation of his pretty and wealthy young ward has motivated his friend to meet her.

Oscar Wilde’s most successful play, The Importance of Being Earnest is a Victorian era comedy involving the tangle created when best friends maintain fictitious identities to avoid having to attend social engagements they prefer not to attend. The play is full of satire based on the idiosyncrasies of the late Victorian society, snappy dialogue, and inside jokes that continue to make the play popular today. The aristocratic young Algernon uses a made-up sickly friend that lives in the county as a way to excuse himself from social obligations. Bunbury, the imaginary friend, is sickly and Algernon faithfully visits him often. At the same time one on Algernon’s close friends, Ernest Worthing, is running a deception of his own that allows him to lead a bit of a double life. A small error made by “Ernest” leads to his having to reveal his true name to Algernon and the disclosure that the libertine Algernon knows as “Ernest” is far different from the serious Shropshire country gentleman Jack. Love enters in and the assumed identity each man has taken leads to many jokes and awkward moments between Algernon, who posed as Ernst to meet Jack’s ward Cecily, and Jack who took on the persona of Ernst while in London when he met Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen and fell in love with her. Many secrets and mysteries are unraveled when they all come together at the country estate of Jack Worthing. Lovingly recreated as an mp3 audio this CD contains the timeless story of The Importance of Being Earnest. Now you can enjoy it again and again - MP3 compatible player (or a computer) required to play this CD Version: Unabridged Language: English Reader: Various Format: MP3 CD Tracks / Chapters: 3 Acts Total running time: 08:34:36

How is this book unique? 15 Illustrations are included Short Biography is also includedOriginal & Unabridged EditionTablet and e-reader formattedThe 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 personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Contemporary reviews all praised the play's humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of social messages, while others foresaw the modern consensus that it was the culmination of Wilde's artistic career so far. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Soon afterwards their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexual double life was revealed to the Victorian public and he was eventually sentenced to imprisonment. His notoriety caused the play, despite its early success, to be closed after 86 performances. After his release, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.The Importance of Being Earnest has been revived many times since its premiere. It has been adapted for the cinema on three occasions. In The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Dame Edith Evans reprised her celebrated interpretation of Lady Bracknell; The Importance of Being Earnest (1992) by Kurt Baker used an all-black cast; and Oliver Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) incorporated some of Wilde's original material cut during the preparation of the original stage production.