'A Trivial Comedy for Serious People': its subtitle is the best summary of a play that is the theatrical equivalent of a butterfly. The verbal brilliance of its highly self-conscious characters hides deep anxieties about social and personal identity: Jack Worthing, found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station and named after a railway ticket, is prepared to be re-christened to obtain the Christian name - Earnest - his beloved Gwendolen requires in a husband; he then has to confront the stigma of being the illegitimate ...
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'A Trivial Comedy for Serious People': its subtitle is the best summary of a play that is the theatrical equivalent of a butterfly. The verbal brilliance of its highly self-conscious characters hides deep anxieties about social and personal identity: Jack Worthing, found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station and named after a railway ticket, is prepared to be re-christened to obtain the Christian name - Earnest - his beloved Gwendolen requires in a husband; he then has to confront the stigma of being the illegitimate child of a servant, before fortune, and a benevolent dramatist, reveal his true and entirely respectable identity. This is the only one-volume edition of the play to include an appendix with earlier versions and additional scenes that allow an appreciation of Wilde's creative process.
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Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest to cart. $2.98, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by A&C Black.
Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest (New Mermaids) to cart. $3.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Methuen Drama.
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Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest (New Mermaids) to cart. $4.96, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Methuen Drama.
Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest (New Mermaids) to cart. $4.98, good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Methuen Drama.
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Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD PAPERBACK Standard-sized.
Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest (New Mermaids) to cart. $14.94, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1988 by Methuen Drama.
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Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest (New Mermaids) to cart. $15.99, good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1988 by Methuen Drama.
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Add this copy of The Importance of Being Earnest (New Mermaids) (New to cart. $16.79, good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1988 by Methuen Drama.
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This is one of those all-important plays that depart a good message, but also make you laugh in the process. The characters and themes in this play are wonderful and colorful. The biting wit of the dialog makes this play a winner in my mind. I love everything about this play, and while I haven't seen the movie at all, I hope that it would be something like this when I actually do see it.
canadianchicklitlover
Apr 19, 2007
Excellent Play - A MUST READ!
In my 10+ years of live theater exploration, no play has stuck in my mind as much as Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. I'll admit to having seen a movie version prior to reading the play, and even that the movie was the REASON I later picked up the play, since then, I have re-read it several times. Even after seeing one interpretation of it, I was very able to establish my own ideas on the play, both in regards to meaning, and in production ideas. The Importance of Being Earnest was my first Wilde play, and while I have read others since then, and would call myself an avid Oscar Wilde fan, The Importance of Being Earnest is my absolute favourite. The rich setting can be imagined, the wittyness of the dialogue, and in fact of entire plays, and Wilde's inherant social comedy are important factors of all Wilde plays, and this one is no different. People of all ages can appreciate the humour and wit present in the play - in fact, I would say anyone from ages 10-100 can appreciate this play for the wonderful work of literature it is!