The importance of being earnest door Oscar Wilde

Author: Oscar Wilde
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Time spent reading the book: About 3 hours
Number of pages: 60

Three things about the author’s life and work

- He was born in Dublin in 1854 and educated at the city's Trinity College and then at Oxford.
- He wrote nearly all his major works in the final ten years of his life. His greatest successes were his society comedies, the best of which is “The Importance of Being Earnest”, produced in 1895.
- In 1900 he died suddenly of a brain inflammation in a cheap Paris hotel.

LINK

Main characters

Jack Worthing

Minor characters

Algernon Moncrieff, Cecily Cardew, Gwendolen Fairfax, Miss Prism and Lady Bracknell.

Setting

Place: London and Woolton, in England
Time: Around the year 1890

Narrator

3d person narrator

Summary

Jack Worthing (who lives in Woolton) visits his friend Algernon Moncrieff, who lives in London. To the people in Woolton Jack said that he would visit his brother Ernest, who is very ill (only than he can go to London sometimes) and to the people in London he says that his name is Ernest. To Algernon he explains that he is not really Ernest, but Jack. Algernon says that he always tells people he has an invalid friend called Mr. Bunburry, when he wants to go out of London for a while. Then Lady Bracknell (aunt of Algernon) and Gwendolen Fairfax (cousin of Algernon) visit Algernon. Jack asks Gwendolen to marry him and she says yes, because she thinks Jack’s name is Ernest and she likes that name. But Lady Bracknell doesn’t allow her daughter to marry Jack, because he doesn’t know who his real parents are. When Jack gives his address to Gwendolen, Algernon listens very carefully, because he wants to see Cecily Cardew. Jack is the guardian of Cecily and he had told about her. Algernon wants to meet her.
In Woolton Algernon goes to Cecily and the woman who cares for her, Miss Prism. Algernon says that his name is Ernest and he is the brother of Jack. Then Jack comes in and he says that Ernest is dead, he says that because he doesn’t want to lie anymore. But then he sees Algernon who says that he is Jack’s brother. Jack and Algernon argue about it. When Algernon and Cecily are alone again, Algernon asks Cecily to marry him and she says yes. Later Gwendolen comes in, because she wants to see Jack. Gwendolen and Cecily talk to each other but when they find out that they both want to marry to “Ernest”, they argue about that, because they think it’s the same man. Than Jack and Algernon come in and the girls understand that the men they love are two different persons. But then comes to light that the men are not called “Ernest”, but Jack and Algernon. Gwendolen and Cecily are angry and go to another room.
Later, when the four are together again, Cecily asks Algernon why he said that he was Jack’s brother and Gwendolen asks Jack why he said that he had a brother. The men answer that they lied to be with the girls and then the girls forgive them. There’s only one problem left, the girls only wanted to marry the men because there name. The men think that’s no problem because they already decided to get christened (with the name Ernest). Then Lady Bracknell comes in. She allows Cecily and Algernon to marry, but she still doesn’t allow Gwendolen and Jack to marry. Jack says he will not allow Cecily to marry Algernon, if he can not marry Gwendolen.When Miss Prism enters the room, she and Lady Bracknell tell Jack that he’s the son of Lady Bracknell’s sister. So he’s the elder brother of Algernon. The men comes to the conclusion that they didn’t lie, because Algernon is the brother of Jack and Jack has a brother. Now Jack can marry Gwendolen, because he knows who his parents are. Than Jack tries to find out what his real name is. In the Army Lists he tries to find the name of his father. That name is Ernest John Moncrieff, so Jack’s real name is Ernest! Now all the people are very happy.

Theme

being earnest

Explain the title

It is very important to be earnest. Jack is lying very much, but at the end of the story he comes to the conclusion that he can better always tell the truth.

Name some things you like and some things you don’t like about the book

I think the book was very funny, I liked that. I think it was very funny that Algernon and Jack found out that they are brothers and that they didn’t lie to Gwendolen and Cecily.
What I didn’t like was that the story was a bit complicated and because of that harder to read.

Briefly describe your favourite scene

My favourite scene was when Algernon says that he’s the brother of Jack and Jack says that his brother is dead. They both say different things.

Can you identify with any of the characters? Who? Why (not)?

No, all the persons are very different from me, I think that’s because they live around the year 1890. I think it’s also harder to identify with the characters, because you don’t read the thoughts and feelings of the persons.

What have you learned from the book

That it’s very important to speak the truth all the time.

How easy/hard was it for you to read the story?

I think the book wasn’t very difficult, but the story was very complicated and because of that harder to read.

Would you recommend this book to others? Why (not)?

Yes, I think it was a nice and funny book. I wanted to know how it would end all the time. I think most people will like the story.