The Importance of Being Earnest
The Original 1895 Unabridged And Complete Edition (Oscar Wilde Classics)
Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations.
Olivia Wilde said the first play she loved was The Importance of Being Earnest, after which she read all of Oscar Wilde's work and became obsessed with him.
"
The first play I did that I really loved was The Importance of Being Earnest. And then I read everything that Oscar Wilde wrote and I just became obsessed with him.
— Episode: "Olivia Wilde"
Episode: "Olivia Wilde"
Olivia Wilde said the first play she loved was The Importance of Being Earnest, after which she read all of Oscar Wilde's work and became obsessed with him.
"
The first play I did that I really loved was The Importance of Being Earnest. And then I read everything that Oscar Wilde wrote and I just became obsessed with him.
It was mentioned to showcase Wilde's talent for writing parables and how these can be a powerful way to convey complex ideas concisely, with an example from a dinner party.
"
Oscar Wilde is known as in you know a master of epigrams and which and people mistakenly think of him as shallow or trivial or facetious or vain or peacocky or something but he was very profound in fa...
— Episode: 169. An Atheist in the Realm of Myth | S...
Episode: 169. An Atheist in the Realm of Myth | Stephen Fry
It was mentioned to showcase Wilde's talent for writing parables and how these can be a powerful way to convey complex ideas concisely, with an example from a dinner party.
"
Oscar Wilde is known as in you know a master of epigrams and which and people mistakenly think of him as shallow or trivial or facetious or vain or peacocky or something but he was very profound in fact
while was at at a dinner and someone was being rather kind of envious of someone and being rather unpleasant and while suddenly he said the devil was walking one day in the Libyan desert and he saw a monk being tormented by some of his demons and he approached
and the demons bowed in front of him and said master and he said what what goes on here this had master for 39 days and 39 nights we have tried to tempt this holy monk away from his god and his religion but he has stayed steadfast and holy to his god and his religion we have offered him powers and principalities we've had offered him the joys of the flesh we have had offered him wine and food and riches but he has turned us down there's nothing that we can do to win this holy man to our cause and the devil said out of my way and he whispered in the monk's ear and instantly the monk took the petrol cross around his neck and snapped it and filled the air with hideous curses against his garden, his church and his religion and swore he would never follow Christ again and the demons fell down and in front of the the devil and said master what can you have said in one second that we could not what did you say to him and the devil said oh it was very simple I just told him his brother had been made bishop of Alexandria
