The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (Book Analysis)
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (Book Analysis)
Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
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This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. It provides a thorough exploration of the play’s plot, characters and main themes, including the subversion of earnestness and triviality and the use of marriage as a plot device. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.
This clear and detailed 54-page reading guide is structured as follows:
- Biography of Oscar Wilde
- Presentation of The Importance of Being Earnest
- Summary of The Importance of Being Earnest
- Character study
- John ‘Jack’ Worthing
- Algernon Moncrieff
- Cecily Cardew
- Gwendolen Fairfax
- Lady Bracknell
- Miss Prism
- Dr Chasuble
- Analysis of The Importance of Being Earnest
- The Importance of Being Trivial
- Marriage
- Wilde’s Trial and the Late Victorian Context
About The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest follows its protagonist Jack Worthing, who frequently assumes the alias ‘Earnest’ in order to escape his responsibilities as a country gentleman, as he attempts to win the heart of Gwendolen. However, complications ensue when Jack’s friend Algernon also decides to pose as ‘Earnest’ in order to get close to Jack’s ward Cecily, leading to both men’s double lives being revealed. The Importance of Being Earnest was the last play written by Oscar Wilde, as he was convicted of gross indecency and imprisoned in Reading Gaol shortly after it was first performed. However, its popularity has endured to this day thanks to its sharp wit and piercing insights into the hypocrisy of Victorian society.
About Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was one of the best-known writers of the 19th century, with works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray widely recognized as classics. He was a central figure of fashionable London society, known as much for his witticisms as for his writing. In spite of his apparent superficiality, he was an insightful critic and perceptive observer of human nature, as can be seen in his many works across a wide range of genres. However, his relationships with men scandalized his narrow-minded contemporaries, and after serving a two-year prison sentence, he died in poverty and obscurity in Paris in 1900.
Product details
ISBN | 9782808014724 |
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Publisher | Plurilingua Publishing |
Collection | Brightsummaries.com |
Format | |
Pages | 54 |
File size | 2.2 MB |