Plays of Oscar Wilde

By Oscar Wilde

This Vintage edition of The Plays of Oscar Wilde contains the plays that made Wilde one of the most important dramatists of his time, including The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the great works of modern literature.

Oscar Wilde's plays demonstrate once again why their author must be seen as both an inaugurator and a master of modernism. In his best work, the subversive insights embedded in his wit continue to challenge our common assumptions. Wilde's ability to unsettle and startle us anew with his radical vision of the artifice inherent in the self's construction makes him our contemporary.

This edition is introduced by John Lahr, author of Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton. The plays included are Lady Windermere's Fan, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 29, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307772602

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on the 16th October 1854 and died on the 30th November 1900. He was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.

Reviews for Plays of Oscar Wilde

[crowspeaks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i love Wilde in all shapes and forms, but it's certainly his 'fairy stories' i like best.

[bennyb_29 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent a true master of literature!

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having skipped my senior year, I never had to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Frankly, I'm glad. I enjoyed it much more as a vain, aging 42-year old than I could possibly have as a 17-year old sure of my immortality. An excellent story -- one chapter got way too bogged down in the description of the finer things in life, but other than that, it was a fine piece of writing. The fables are wonderfully witty, biting social commentary thinly disguised as fairy tales. "The Remarkable Rocket" was wonderful in its treatment of idiotic society types. A lovely piece of work.The poetry, however, was far too bogged down in classical references to hold any attraction for me. His essays, particularly 'De Profundis,' were entirely too self-involved and self-congratulatory. His obvious sense of superiority, as well as his blind devotion to a self-involved idiot left me cold.

[john257hopper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This review of the works of Oscar Wilde will expand and the overall rating perhaps change, as I work my way through it. The Picture of Dorian GrayThis is a true classic, a chilling story of moral degradation, though the specifics of quite what he gets up to are mostly vague, reflecting the attitudes of the times towards describing dark aspects of human existence. The language is wonderful and even when you don't understand exactly what Lord Henry's incessant epigrams actually mean, you can appreciate the cleverness. A haunting and in places quite funny tale.The Canterville GhostA very funny story with a sad, tragic twist. The Happy PrinceAn achingly sad story that will have you in tears unless your heart is as leaden as the statue's.Nightingale and the RoseAnother bittersweet story.The Selfish GiantA classic morality tale, simply but effectively told.The Four Plays - Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being EarnestWilde's four main plays are all very funny and full of witty phrases and delicious quotes. To be savoured by anybody who appreciates good writing.Haven't tried the poems and essays at the end.

[chris_v_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's all here... all Oscar Wilde's classic plays, his shorter fiction and novels as well as writings such as "De Profundis" and his poetry.Truly the Oscar Wilde one-stop shop!

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic example of the Victorian novel and one of those books that can effect the reader in a powerful and unique way. The idea of selling your soul to the devil, like Faust as related by Marlowe, Goethe and others is an image that intrigues. But there is in Wilde the focus on the purity of innocence (as seen in the passage quoted above) that is lost as one lives a life, whether filled with licentiousness or mere everyday experience. Wilde gives the story his own imprimatur with the artistic twist and thus adds to the evidence of his genius that includes the drama, stories, poetry and criticism that he created.

[borg6mx5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oscar Wilde is one of my favorites. His works are witty and intense.

[javiersan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite writters. He's really an artist with the pen. His tales are one of a kind. The Rose and the Nightingale is just an example of these masterpieces.

[carioca_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oscar Wilde, wordsmith extraordinaire, was the king of irony and wit. A testament to his genius is the fact that his works are timeless and can be applied and reread today as much as they were in his days. This anthology contains all his works and my most favorite one, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Actually, I must say that Dorian Gray is so powerful to me that it pervades most of my literary experience outside of Wilde, and I revert back to it many times a year.

[wanderlust_lost · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'd recommend any or all of Wilde's works to anyone. Easy to read, very accessible, entertaining and hgihly amusing Wilde is, without a doubt, one of the best comedic dramatists of the 19th Century. His stories and poems, though less well known, are also enjoyable and well-written. Warning: The essays at the back can be slow going, but plow through. They're worth it. Another LT reviewer said that Wilde's non-fiction work is the work of a poser but I disagree. Wilde never claimed to agree with or even believe the things he wrote, indeed he came right out and said he didn't. People seemed to see this as just Wilde being wild and didn't take him seriously. I think that's a mistake. Wilde was able to formulate ideas and theories that he felt were beautiful or of value on some level but he didn't necsesarily agree with those ideas or theories. He wrote them down because he felt that they were things that needed to be said and not because he was trying to convince people to think how he thought.He loved contradictions and paradoxes. His primary aim was aestheticism and not sense. Read it, make up your own mind. But don't call Wilde a poser. If you do you're completely missing his point.

[rampaginglibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful collection of plays that displays the marvelous wit of Oscar Wilde~if you've never been exposed you are truly missing out.

[bookwoman247 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! The Importance of Being Earnest is now my favorite play, ever! I laughed out loud the whole way through! The satire and humor were delicious! The other plays were excellent and I enjoyed them all, too, with the exception of Salomé. They were interesting social commentaries on the Victorian era.It is the title play that stands out, though. It is satire and high comedy at its best!

[echomikeromeo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I find Wilde's use of language positively charming! It's almost as good as Wodehouse - it just makes you wriggle in spasms of delight.

[devil_llama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Works of the Irish wit that include his best known piece, The Importance of Being Earnest. Throughout this collection, one fact remains consistent: Wilde demonstrates his distaste for the uber-morality and frivolity of the English upper classes, while getting in a few swipes at American puritanism at the same time. The world of "society" is laid bare with all its pretensions, and the class system is skewered. A worthwhile read, though if you have no concept of the British class system of the time, some of the references might leave you scratching your head and thinking "nobody really acts like that, right?" Just remember you are reading works from a different time, a time when it was still considered appropriate to jail someone for having a same-sex relationship, and children who were born of unmarried parents were considered tainted, even though they had no role in the decision-making process that brought them into the world.

[missbrandysue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book contains five of Oscar Wilde's most famous plays: The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and the somewhat unique Salome-a tragedy in one act. Each have their own personality but most contain the witty, banter between people connected to each other through high English society longing for a life full of love and entertainment. Salome is a very dark tragedy where the king yearns for his step-daughter in the town Sodom-Gommorah. I really enjoyed the wit in the plays (excluding Salome). Having all four romantic plays together makes it hard to remember the wit behind each of them separately. But I enjoyed each one in its own. Salome was equally as interesting, but just extremely different! A great read, though. I enjoyed reading the plays while I was in Ireland, the birth place of Oscar Wilde!

[barbbowling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wilde was something of a subversive...born in Ireland and bisexual, he saw life from the perspective of the outsider, the 'Other.' Consequently beneath the infectuous wit and sparkling dialogue, is the voice of dissent....against colonial British arrogance, against 'proper' Victorian high society, against conventional morality. Beneath the charming, rifined exterior of society's dashing darling, beneath the dissembling costumery, lay a brilliant intellect, a call to higher conscience, a wonded soul.....I find his work astounding.....one of my favorite authors!

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I find it difficult to rate collections, as the individual parts are almost always vary in quality. For this collection, I thought that I would give a very brief review & a rating for each play...Lady Windermere's Fan - 4 stars; funny play about the importance (or lack thereof) of appearances re married women & their virtueSalomé - 3 stars; I like the satire but the Biblical setting just wasn't my thing.A Woman of No Importance - 2½ stars; to be quite honest, this play made so little impression on me that I can't remember what it is about! Time to reread it.An Ideal Husband - 4½ stars; very good satire about trust & love between a married couple.The Importance of Being Earnest - 5 stars; so hilariously funny. My favorite of all Wilde' s work

[bojnberry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the expurgated version. One of my favourite lines has been edited out. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell's response below loses everything before the semi-colon. What a shame.Jack: I have lost both my parents.Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.