The Importance of Being Earnest

Description

A universal favorite since it was originally published in 1885, The Importance of Being Earnest displays Oscar Wilde’s wit and theatrical genius at their brilliant best. Subtitled, “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” this hilarious attack on Victorian manners and morals turns a pompous world on its head, lets duplicity lead to happiness, and makes riposte the highest form of art. Written, according to Wilde, “by a butterfly for butterflies,” this, his last and greatest play, is not only wonderfully lighthearted, but a “dazzling masterpiece of comic entertainment.”

Originally published in 1895, this 2012 edition includes an introduction by Sylvan Barnet, a new Afterword by Elise Bruhl and Michael Garner, and suggested references. This is part of Hewitt’s Lightning Literature & Composition curriculum. See Related Items below.