Items related to The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays (Penguin...
Synopsis
Combining epigrammatic brilliance and shrewd social observation, the works collected in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays are edited with an introduction, commentaries and notes by Richard Allen Cave in Penguin Classics.
'To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness'
The Importance of Being Earnest is a glorious comedy of mistaken identity, which ridicules codes of propriety and etiquette. Manners and morality are also victims of Wilde's sharp wit in Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband, in which snobbery and hypocrisy are laid bare. In Salomé and A Florentine Tragedy, Wilde makes powerful use of historical settings to explore the complex relationship between sex and power. The range of these plays displays Wilde's delight in artifice, masks and disguises, and reveals the pretentions of the social world in which he himself played such a dazzling and precarious part.
Richard Allen Cave's introduction and notes discuss the themes of the plays and Wilde's innovative methods of staging. This edition includes the excised 'Gribsby' scene from The Importance of Being Earnest.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was educated in Dublin and Oxford and became the leading exponent of the new Aesthetic Movement. His work, including short fiction such The Happy Price (1888), his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), gradually won him a reputation, which was cemented by his phenomenally successful plays, including A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Imprisoned for homosexual acts, he died after his release, in exile in Paris.
If you enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays, you might like George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, also available in Penguin Classics.
'Beneath the wit there is always an intense emotional reality. He criticised his audience while he entertained it'
Peter Hall, Guardian
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
Comes as close to perfection as any comedy I can think of. --Daily Telegraph
Book Description
A beautiful collector's edition of five of Oscar Wilde's classic plays
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPenguin Classics
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0140436065
- ISBN 13 9780140436068
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages464
- EditorCave Richard
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
£ 8.40
Shipping:
£ 2.16
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Seller Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZWM.G2IT
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.74. Seller Inventory # G0140436065I5N00
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ThriftBooks-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.74. Seller Inventory # G0140436065I5N00
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ThriftBooks-Reno, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.74. Seller Inventory # G0140436065I5N00
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.74. Seller Inventory # G0140436065I5N10
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.74. Seller Inventory # G0140436065I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.74. Seller Inventory # G0140436065I5N00
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays (Penguin Classics)
Seller: HPB Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_388690672
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: Seattle Goodwill, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Good. May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!. Seller Inventory # 0KVOGF00GJTH_ns
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Classics)
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.75. Seller Inventory # bk0140436065xvz189zvxgdd
Quantity: 1 available