Two friends invent imaginary people to escape their duties, and the lies catch up with them
What it is about
Jack and Algernon both invent a fictional person to escape awkward obligations. When Jack visits Algernon in London as ‘Ernest’, and Algernon visits Jack’s country house in the same name, the stories collide. Two young women who both want to marry a man named Ernest make things even worse.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who enjoy clever, funny dialogue.
What you will get
A short play that is still very funny, with some of the best one-liners in English. It reads quickly and works well aloud.
Behind the book
The play opened at the St James’s Theatre in London in February 1895.
Source: Wikipedia
The Importance of Being Earnest Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Classics · Comedy · Identity · Society
Length
100 pages · ≈ 3 h
More about this book
Characters
Jack Worthing, Algernon Moncrieff, Gwendolen, Cecily and Lady Bracknell.
Setting
London and a country house in the 1890s.
What makes it different
A comedy in which the jokes are in the dialogue.
Feel
Witty, silly and sharp.
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