Review: 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde, 54 pages - Instagram @c_reads_books

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The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, first performed in London’s St. James’ Theatre on February 14, 1895, is described by Wilde as “a trivial comedy for serious people.” Emphasizing the “importance of being earnest,” this play exaggerates the absurd superficiality of upper class Victorian society through the story of two men’s respective engagements.

I am somewhere in the middle as to whether I liked or disliked this play. By no means did I hate it, but I also certainly didn’t love it. The story was easy to follow, but not spectacularly interesting. Despite being called a comedy, I found nothing funny or even clever about it, with the entire play revolving around a bad pun (which was obvious from the beginning). On the other hand, it was a very readable and easy to follow story, as well as very short and a quick read. Overall, I don’t really have a strong opinion on this play and wouldn’t really recommend it for any reason.