The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays »

The ever-quotable Oscar Wilde once said, "Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it." From his outsize celebrity in Victorian London to his authorship of fiction, drama, and poetry that uniquely captured his era, it's fair to say that Wilde succeeded on both counts.

Oscar Wilde s genius was such that he created masterpieces in every literary form he attempted, whether it be plays, fiction, essays, or poetry.

Among his plays, The Importance of Being Earnest the last he wrote is certainly the most celebrated. H. G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw thought it one of the funniest plays ever written, and it has continued to amuse theatergoers the world over for more than a century. The play pokes fun at the aristocracy, the literary world, and British manners and customs, while calling into question the very notion of identity. The characters plans are constantly sent topsy-turvy by unexpected turns of events. Along the way, Wilde s wit-sharpened dialogue skewers nearly everyone, throwing into high relief the strains of class pretension, social ambition, and romantic gamesmanship.

Readers who have enjoyed Oscar Wilde s barbed prose will find his pointed dramatic dialogue equally enticing.

Contents

Introduction

Chronology of Oscar Wilde's Life and Work

Historical Context of The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays

The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Windermere's Fan

An Ideal Husband

Salomß

Notes

Interpretive Notes

Critical Excerpts

Questions for Discussion

Suggestions for the Interested Reader