Importance of Being Earnest

This witty and lighthearted play by Oscar Wilde is a comic masterpiece. Performances of this comedy have brought joy to audiences worldwide, and today you can have this play come to life in your own home. The book is in script format, complete with stage cues so you may reenact the play with your children, or simply read along and use your imagination to put the characters on the stage. The play begins in Algernon Moncrieff's London flat, where the main character Jack (whose city name is Ernest) has proposed to dear, sweet Gwendolen. However, this simple proposal soon reveals to Gwendolen's mother, Lady Bracknell, that Jack is not on her list of eligible young men as a suitable husband for Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell quickly goes to work interviewing Jack to see if he might be a good suitor for her daughter. After a series of questions, things are looking good for Jack; however, one piece of the puzzle is missing. Jack does not know his blood-line, as he was found in a black leather hand-bag in the cloak room of a train station. After instructions from Lady Bracknell, it is clear that Jack must find some relations, more importantly his parents, before he will ever be allowed Gwendolen's hand in marriage. Continue on with the story as it twists and turns towards the surprising ending. Unabridged paperback, 54 pages. - elise

The Signet Classics Edition of this book is also available, which consists of an introduction about the author and his works by Sylvan Barnet, the complete play, and, as a special treat, includes Wilde's first successful comedy Lady Windermere's Fan and his melodrama Salome. This edition is 200+ pgs, pb.