Oscar Wilde 
The Importance of Being Earnest 

The Importance of Being Earnest is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictional alter-egos to escape tiresome social obligations. The play makes light of the institution of marriage and more generally other serious Victorian customs. As a result, reviewers of the time praised the play’s humor, while bemoaning its evident lack of social messages. Most agreed however that it was the high point of Wilde’s artistic career to date. Its high farce and Wilde’s dazzlingly witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest his most enduringly popular play.

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Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversation, Wilde was one of the best-known literary personalities of his day. One of London’s most popular playwrights in the early 1890s, he is remembered best for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Having spent two years in prison, Wilde died destitute in Paris at the age of 46.