The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde was a hilarious read. A play set in 1895, it is a comedy about two men who both pretend to be someone they're not. Jack Worthing lives in the country and has a over-imaginative, beautiful, young ward named Cecily. He also says that he has a poor sick brother named Earnest who lives in the city. He does this so that he can go to the city often, pretending to be Earnest, and court Miss Gwendolen Fairfax. He is about to propose to her when his best friend (in the city), Algernon Moncrieff (also Gwendolen's cousin), sees that his cigarrett case is labeled with the name "Jack". Algernon, being very protective over his cousin, refuses to give his permission of the proposal until Jack explains himself. When Jack reveals that his name is not actually Earnest and he has just invented his brother, Algernon gets an idea. After listening in on Gwendolen's and Jack's conversation (she does say yes), he gets Jack's country address and immediately leaves to help his "poor sick friend Bunbury".
Confusion and comedy that follows as Algernon and Jack's ward, Cecily, fall in love (her thinking he's named Earnest), while Gwendolen comes to visit Jack (her thinking he's named Earnest), and Jack and Algernon really don't understand women at all.
This book/play was a really great read -- as Oscar Wilde himself put it: a trivial comedy for serious people. Since it was from the late 1800's, some of the language used is not lingo we use today, which made it a teeny bit difficult to understand. However, since it is all about love and comedy and mistakes, it really isn't that complicated of a book. There are some conversations between Jack and Algernon that would offend a really uptight feminist but it's really all just fun and games.
I really enjoyed this book because it was short, funny and clever. It was also pretty engaging and hard to put down. There was dramatic irony raining down over these peoples heads as they wandered around trying to find who they were proposed to. I would recommend this book to everyone and I give it an A.
3 comments:
That's it. I definitely have to read this book. I've read some of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales, so it'll be really interesting to compare those with this comedic play of his. Wonderful review!
I remember going to see this play a few years ago and I really enjoyed it. However I did think it was a bit confusing. I'll have to read the book too!
I have often wondered if the play name was also a pun...Earnest, "being earnest"--as in showing intense conviction. Those men are may not be "Earnest," but they are definitely earnest.
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