The Importance of Being Earnest

Written by Oscar Wilde

Narrated by Edward James Beesley

“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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
• Release date: Aug 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781094244105

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a Dublin-born poet and playwright who studied at the Portora Royal School, before attending Trinity College and Magdalen College, Oxford. The son of two writers, Wilde grew up in an intellectual environment. As a young man, his poetry appeared in various periodicals including Dublin University Magazine. In 1881, he published his first book Poems, an expansive collection of his earlier works. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was released in 1890 followed by the acclaimed plays Lady Windermere’s Fan (1893) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Reviews for The Importance of Being Earnest

[Eleanor Carson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised to really enjoy this classic play. This was one of those books I`ve been meaning to read for ages because it`s a classic and finally got around to it.

The narrator was quite talented in bringing this play to life. One of the hard things is to keep the characters distinct, and his range of diction did well to assist in this.

What a twisted tale! A man who carries on a double life is found out, a man with an impetuously lose life gets engaged, two young ladies both discover they have become recently engaged to a man with the same name, and a stodgy and judgemental aunt saves all in the end, making for a rapid-paced round robin of sly errors, innuendos, misdirection, and deception. All are neatly packaged at the end with the double entendre of the title of this play.

It wasn`t until I noticed a passerby smiling at me that I realized I had listened to the entire play with a wicked grin on my face without being aware of it as I walked and enjoyed this fabulous book.

I didn`t think I`d be able to follow a play on audiobook since I`m definitely visually dominant, but somehow the narrator made it possible.

I can see why this book is a classic!