Tag Archives: the importance of being earnest

Book Review: The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde)

Have I read this before: No.

Review: Haha, this was great. It’s not often that a book (or play) makes me laugh out loud, but this one did on several occasions. All I really knew about this play going into it was that it had been criticized as one of Wilde’s only works that did not “contribute” something or have a deeper meaning/message (at least compared to his other works). After reading it, though, and reading more about it (I try to not look at info about a book/play I’m going to read before reading it if at all possible), at the time it was written, others argued that the humor itself was its contribution.

Favorite Part: I’ve obviously never seen this performed, but I think the way the lines are written allows for a lot of flexibility and actor interpretation in the deliveries. I can imagine there are a lot of variations in the performance due to that, which would be great to see.

Rating: 7/10