The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

Wilde is far less trivial than he appears and The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the finest plays in the English language. It is beautifully written. It's humane. With a devastating sense of irony wholly devoid of cynicism it exposes the folly and hypocrisy of its main characters without hating them. It manages to touch with astonishing delicacy on even some of the most painful aspects of human life - you even laugh as you subliminally take on its tragic implication: "The good ended happily, the bad unhappily - that is the essence of fiction." The play is a wonderful satire on late 19th Century "Society" - namely the ...  Read the complete review

Ok, time to inject a bit of culture and sophistication here on Dooyoo (well, I can try!) I am a member of a postal book group and, therefore, every 2 weeks I receive a new book to read, chosen by a friend in the group. Just before I receive the book, I receive an e-mail from the sender, with comments from those who have previously read the book. So, a couple of weeks ago, I received the latest email. Being a bookworm, I will generally have a go at reading anything, but I was disappointed to read that the book I was about to receive was The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Although the comments from the other group members raved about it, I ...  Read the complete review

'Have you read any Oscar Wilde?...He's just so witty...'I have nothing to declare except for my own genius' that's what he said you know'. Well....to me witty = posh and smug and we all know what 'wit' rymes with. Paul Merton thinks he's 'witty', but just says stupid things like 'sausages' which to me sounds more like a meat product. Therefore, I approached 'the Importance of Being Earnest' with some scepticism. However, I was surprised at its depth and themes and lack of grating 'wit', which I thought would saturate Wilde's works. The plot revolves around two higher class gentlemen Jack and ...  Read the complete review

I was spitting today (15th Sep) when I heard some clown on the radio gabbling about how 'The Importance of Being Earnest' doesn't really work on stage because there are no straight lines, it's all gag on gag. Admittedly, 'An Ideal Husband' and 'A Woman of no Importance' are more moving, more human plays, but 'Earnest' is just an aggressively funny experience, that's the point. I think anyone trying to rear kids onto literature should give them this and let them enjoy the wisecracks, the smartarsed comedy and intricate, just-for-the-sake-of-it plotting. I have all my life wanted to be as witty and sparkling as Algie is, ...  Read the complete review

The play is a satire on 19th century Mayfair society and as the title suggests the play is about the importance of being called Ernest. I have the penguin popular classics version of the book, which has a brief history of Oscar Wilde, his life and works. Wilde quarrelled with Marquess of Queensberry and this led to Wilde being imprisoned for two years from 1894 to 1896 for homosexual offences. He was born in 1854 and died in exile in France in 1900. The play centres around the exploits of Algernon Moncrieff and John Worthing and their prospective fiancés Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Throw in a governess (Miss Prism), an aunt (Lady Bracknel), ...  Read the complete review