The Importance of Being Earnest

It would be all too easy to dismiss this play as a light romantic comedy. Although it is about a series of near thwarted romances – the stuff of a million ‘chick-flicks’ and romantic comedies going back as far as the eye can see in drama – this is also something much, much more. It is also a delightfully amusing commentary on human sexual relations, the English class system and (much more importantly) a perfect mirror on the amusing excesses of human selfishness. In fact, some of the best lines in the play, and the funniest lines in the play, highlight our near infinite capacity to love ourselves. To quote only a few and without hardly looking: “If you are not too long, I will wait for you all my life.” “Oh! Not at all, Gwendolen. I am very fond of being looked at.” “If I am occasionally overdressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated.” “I don’t play accurately – anyone can play accurately – but I play with wonderful expression.” “You see, it (her diary) is simply a very young girl’s record of her thoughts and impressions, and consequently meant for publication.” The other terribly interesting thing in this play is the role of family. Not only are the families quite dysfunctional, even when people know who their parents are, but the title character is about as confused about how he fits into the complex world of family relations as it is possible to make someone. The thing that makes the line about the handbag quite so funny is that this handbag is about the closest thing he has to family in the entire world. As Pascal once said, we laugh and cry about the same things. Wilde is, it hardly needs to be said, the closest thing to a God we are likely to have visit us on this planet. There are, for example, even now, more than 100 years after his death, entire companies that produce desk calendars that would not be in business if not for the endless supply of quotes he provides for the foot of Monday the Ninth of February and so on. If humour comes in a spectrum and slapstick is at one end of that spectrum, then this is the other end.

Hey folks, just wanted to share my thoughts on "The Importance of Being Earnest" from Dover Thrift Editions. If you're after a classic play that's genuinely funny and doesn't empty your wallet, this one's worth a read. It's not just old humor – the witty banter feels surprisingly relatable. The Dover Thrift Editions are perfect for students. They're affordable and compact, plus they come with helpful notes to make sense of the language and context. Oscar Wilde's writing is a clever blend of poking fun at society while raising questions about identity and expectations. It's like a sneak peek into a different time, yet you can totally see its relevance today. So, if you're up for a play that's both smart and cost-effective, check this one out.

Ordered for bookclub read. Used and in good condition

I had to buy this book for my senior English honors summer reading book. I'm really happy with this book because there are only 54 pages that I need to read and the book is nice and small so I can fit it in most of my bags and purses. I would also like to note that I accidentally got the pages wet one day and the pages did not rip it all. Very durable book and surprisingly great plot as well. Wouldn't recommend, but not a horrible read for school.

The book was good as I expected

I don't really know much about this book as it was not required reading when I was still in school. However as my drama major goes through school this book has become required reading for him in his drama class and so the purchase happened. So what's to say about the book? Well he enjoys it and says that it's more of a comedy than anything and that it's based off of the play. He enjoys it and that's what matters.

I had to read this for my Intro to Lit class in college. I was worried because I thought it would be hard to follow/read like all the Shakespeare plays I'd been assigned before. But this one was actually great, which says a lot coming from someone who would have never even picked up a book if it wasn't assigned for a class. I also watched the film version (which is on Amazon Prime Instant Video), and that helped a lot when it came to understanding the tone of the play. Great play. Very funny and witty.

Though I'm a big fan of Wilde's work, my order specified a certain published version. When I received the book, I was surprised to receive a different version (i.e. different publisher, different cover). In the future, please make sure the orders match the advertised image.

Came quick, exactly as advertised.

Recomiendo esta pequeña (pero gran) obra de teatro a todo el mundo sin distincion de edad, sexo, procedencia o conviccion. Como podria hacerlo con cualquier trabajo de Wilde -menos las cartas; que muestran su rostro verdaderamente amargo-. Frases memorables, comentarios ironicos, situaciones delirantes.. hacen que Ernest/Bunbury se quede comodamente instalado en nuestras mentes durante el mes que sigue a la lectura, para hacer asomar de vez en cuando una sonrisa a los labios. Creo que es importante leerla en inglés para apreciarla mejor, pero igual se puede leer en español si el nivel no es suficiente; porque la riqueza esta en las palabras, y no hay que perderse ni una. Buena lectura!

The cover is distasteful, but the writing couldn't be more delicious.

Pour les amateurs d'humour anglais en anglais, une pièce de théâtre aux répliques subtilement comiques et pétillantes. Je recommande. (je l'avais déjà étudiée au lycée, mais elle m'a semblée relativement simple à comprendre, étant donné la pureté du langage)

The importance of being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, una de las obras más importantes de Oscar Wilde, nos adentra en el modo de vida de la Inglaterra victoriana. A través de tradiciones conservadoras y las relaciones románticas de Earnest y Algernon, el autor utiliza a los personajes para reflejar, de forma sutil y sumamente elegante, las críticas sociales de la mentalidad aristocrática de la época. Si bien aprecio el juego de palabras de llamar Earnest al personaje principal, pero utilizaré serio como traducción pues es la más aceptada en las adaptaciones al español. El autor realiza una brillante sátira de los valores de la sociedad que lo rodea, donde la vida pública tiene una importancia extrema, que se llega a caracterizar como ridícula. La percepción de la sociedad sobre una persona es el único criterio válido y por el que vale la pena regirse. La calidad de serio es la cualidad más importante de una persona. Las conductas socialmente aceptables, el matrimonio y (el reflejo de la) moralidad son aspectos fundamentales en la vida de los personajes, los cuales deben ser cuidadosamente tratados para seguir perteneciendo a las élites. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. Es una parte de la obra, se menciona que Algernon tiene un amigo inexistente llamado Bunbury, a quien “visita” cuando quiere librarse de algún compromiso social. Así, el “bunburismo” es una forma de escapar de las estrictas normas sociales de la época, sin exiliarse de sus círculos por las conductas inaceptables. De esa manera, considero que el bunburismo es una de las conductas más sanas dentro de esa sociedad, pues permite un escape de su tensa cotidianeidad. La narrativa de la obra es fluida, elocuente y entretenida. Es una obra sumamente simpática y con una prosa muy fluida. Las risibles situaciones nos llevan por la atractiva y sutil crítica social que presenta Oscar Wilde