Books : The Importance of Being Earnest
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by: Oscar Wilde
Amazon.com's Price: $3.99 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 822
EAN: 9781580495806
ISBN: 158049580X
Label: Prestwick House Inc.
Manufacturer: Prestwick House Inc.
Number Of Pages: 76
Publication Date: January 01, 2005
Publisher: Prestwick House Inc.
Sales Rank: 3613
Studio: Prestwick House Inc.
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Editorial Review:
Book Description:
This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader,s notes to help the modern reader appreciate Wilde's wry wit and elaborate plot twists.
Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers' entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a mainstay of the high school curriculum for decades.
Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gewndolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack's ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack's country home on the same weekend—the 'rivals' to fight for Ernest's undivided attention and the 'Ernests' to claim their beloveds—pandemonium breaks loose.
Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - a really good novel
this is a novel always on fashion. hte dialogs are simply brilliant. oscar wilde picture a great variety of original personalities
Rating: - Farce for the ages
I listened to an audio performance of this hilarious farce. Even over a hundred years after its original publication, this tale of mistaken identities and silly social interactions continues to entertain.
Jack Worthing and his irreponsible friend, Algernon, both pretend to be named Earnest as they pursue love with Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew.
When the four lovers visit Jack's country home at the same time, the proverbial s**t his the fan. But never fear, a convienient ... Read More
Rating:  - Stupidity has never been so witty and intelligent!
My first exposure to Oscar Wilde was as a young girl reading his horrendously depressing fairy tales. And while I fell in love with him because of those, it was nice to get to high school and have my literature teacher throw something wilde and FUNNY in front of me. I think this was during a term where we were reading rather sad things, so this was an awesome break and a reminder that, guess what, classic literature can sometimes be entertaining.
I have never seen play nor movie of this, though ... Read More
Rating: - An Earnest Classic
A quick and entertaining read, Oscar Wilde's comic portrayal of 19th century upper-class intrigue is filled with witty, bantering dialogue. Two friends, Algernon and Jack, perfect the art of "Bunburying," which consists of inventing ill or troublemaking friends and relatives in order to get out of social engagements. Of course, this can only backfire and lead to confusion, particularly as Jack's fictitious brother Ernest shows up unexpectedly at the home of Cecily, Jack's ward and the woman Algernon hopes to ... Read More
Rating: - Best play I've ever read
The wit in which Wilde writes is incredible. It's a quick short play so you should definitely read it if you love plays. It's funny, and just quite great!
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