The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that follows two young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, as they attempt to win the hearts of two young women, Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Jack and Algernon both use the same pseudonym, Ernest, in order to gain the affections of the women. Jack has created a fictitious brother, Ernest, in order to explain his frequent absences from his home in the country. Algernon, on the other hand, has invented an invalid friend, Bunbury, in order to escape from social obligations. The play is a comedy of manners, and the characters are constantly trying to outwit each other. Jack and Algernon's schemes are eventually revealed, and the women are not pleased. Jack and Algernon must then prove their worthiness to the women, and the play ends with the two couples happily engaged. The play is a satire of Victorian society and its conventions, and it is full of witty dialogue and clever wordplay.
By Oscar Wilde · First published 1895 · Genre: Comedy, Romance, Satire · 3 chapters · 20,414 words
First lines
Morning-room in Algernon's flat in Half-Moon Street. The room is luxuriously and artistically furnished. The sound of a piano is heard in the adjoining room.
[Lane is arranging afternoon tea on the table, and after the music has ceased, Algernon enters.].
What this Textopian page supports
The Importance of Being Earnest is listed on Textopian as a play by Oscar Wilde, dated 1895 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: Oscar Wilde
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Comedy, Romance, Satire, Drama
- Length: 20,414 words
- Structure: 3 chapters, 810 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Importance of Being Earnest?
- How does this play by Oscar Wilde fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Comedy first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw
- Man And Superman by George Bernard Shaw
- You Cant Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe
- Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw
- Sense And Sensibility by Jane Austen
- Henry Iv Part 1 by William Shakespeare
Genres
- Comedy — The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedic play written by Oscar Wilde, which follows the story of two men who use the same pseudonym to court two women.
- Romance — The Importance of Being Earnest is a romantic comedy, as it follows the story of two men who use the same pseudonym to court two women.
- Satire — The Importance of Being Earnest is a satirical play, as it uses humor to criticize the conventions and values of Victorian society.
- Drama — The Importance of Being Earnest is a dramatic play, as it follows the story of two men who use the same pseudonym to court two women, and the consequences of their actions.
Tags
Comedies · Drama · England · Foundlings · Identity · Identity (Psychology) · Plays · algernon · algy · augusta · aunt · bracknell
Contents
- Act 1: Algernon Moncrieff's Flat in Half-moon Street, W
- Act 2: The Garden at the Manor House, Woolton
- Act 3: Drawing-room at the Manor House, Woolton