GajimaruClassics.
The Importance of Being EarnestOn the coverLondon Visitors, James Tissot, c. 1873-1874
The Importance of Being Earnest
Two idle gentlemen each invent a fictitious acquaintance to escape their obligations, and their double lives collide in a whirl of mistaken identities, muffins, and a formidable aunt. Wilde’s sparkling, perfect comedy of manners.
Character notes and context for the chapter you’ve read.
The funniest play in the English language, a flawless soufflé of paradox and epigram that has never dated. You will be quoting it before you finish. Pure delight.
SettingEngland, 1890s
The buttoned-up, hypocritical high society of late-Victorian England, whose every solemn convention Wilde punctures with a smile.