The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
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The Importance of Being Earnest

Author: Oscar Wilde

Narrator: Edward James Beesley

Unabridged: 2 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/04/2020

Categories: Fiction, Satire, Romance, Humorous


Synopsis

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”The story begins with two men discussing an impending marriage proposal. Algernon Moncrieff’s best friend Ernest has planned to propose to Algernon’s cousin, but has secretly been living a double life. To some, he is named Jack Worthing, to some he is Ernest. His dual personas have different personalities – Ernest is a libertine while Jack is a serious man.This deception makes Algernon wonder what may happen if he also adopts the Ernest persona. Soon after becoming the second Ernest, confusion and hilarity ensues as the characters mix one another up, cross into each other’s lives, get tangled in love triangles, and generally treat all of their circumstances as trivial matters.The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s pinnacle of theatrical writing, and is a beloved play that is performed widely to this day and serves as the basis for countless films and television shows. The humor, satire, drama and amusing characters make this play a timeless work.

About Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on October 16, 1854. He excelled at Trinity College in Dublin from 1871 to 1874, eventually winning a scholarship to Magdalene College in Oxford, which he entered in 1875. The biggest influences on his development as an artist at this time were Swinburne, Walter Pater, and John Ruskin.

In 1875, Wilde began publishing poetry in literary magazines. In 1876 he found himself back in Ireland when the death of his father left the family with several debts. Wilde continued writing poetry in earnest, and in 1878, he won the coveted Newdigate Prize for English poetry. He soon left Oxford to build himself a reputation among the literati in London.

During the 1880s, Wilde established himself as a writer, poet, and lecturer, but above all as a "professor of aesthetics." In 1884, he married Constance Lloyd in London. Sons soon followed: Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886. During these years, Wilde worked as a journalist and reviewer, while also continuing with his other writing of poetry and plays. In 1890 he published his well-known story The Picture of Dorian Gray. The early 1890s were the most intellectually productive and fruitful time for Wilde. Some of his most familiar plays-including Lady Windemere's Fan and Salome-were written and performed upon the London stages. In 1893 Wilde produced A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband, followed in 1894 by The Importance of Being Earnest.

Wilde's life took a turn for the worst when, in May 1895, he was convicted of engaging in homosexual acts, which were then illegal, and sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labor. He soon declared bankruptcy, and his property was auctioned off. In 1896, Wilde lost legal custody of his children. When his mother died that same year, his wife Constance visited him at the jail to bring him the news. It was the last time they saw each other. In the years after his release, Wilde's health deteriorated. In November 1900, he died in Paris at the age of forty-six.


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