The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

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My View:   Some plays are meant to be read, others are meant to be analyzed, others are meant to be performed. This one has the extraordinary ability to be all three. I enjoyed reading this comedy of manners and although it would be funnier to see on stage, the comedy produced enough giggles while I read it. The end, when Jack discovers that his given name (when he was known as Algy's older brother− before Miss Prism misplaced him) is Ernest is hasty and leaves many unanswered questions, but the play's style doesn't seem to demand a drawn-out explanation. It focuses on the absurdity of the plot, not the realism of it. The fun, crazy, sporadic style of writing makes it little wonder that the play is so beloved. A classic and very funny!

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest

Link: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/earnest/

General Information:

Method of Reading:	iTouch app, "Masterpieces," 64 pages in paperback
Dates of Reading:	August 2, 2010-August 3, 2010
Author:	Oscar Wilde
Publication Year:	1895
Recommended To:	Actors, actresses, and people who just love something fast and fun to read… all with good senses of humor.
Quotes:	"'The truth is rarely pure and never simple.'" "'she is a monster without being a myth, which is rather unfair'" "'They will be calling each other sister.' ...'Women only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first.'"  "'I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.'"
Movie?	Yup, 2002. Featuring Rupert Everett as Algernon, Colin Firth as Jack, and Reese Witherspoon as Cecily.  It sounds so good, I'm sitting here wondering why haven't I seen it?

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Electronic.