![]() ![]() There is nothing earnest about this play, at least on the surface. The Importance of Being Earnest debuted in London on February 14, 1895, when Wilde was at the height of his powers. And by the time Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest, he had perfected his comedic recipe. ![]() This is a guy who experimented with achieving the perfect ratio of serious to trivial. And boy does that statement echo throughout his career. "Life is too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it," wrote Wilde in Vera or, The Nihilists. and still manages to be totally guffaw-provoking even today. He pokes fun of the entire social structure of fainting corset queens and mustachioed dandies. Wilde's comedy skewers Victorian England. (He's Irish, but remember that Ireland was part of the Empire way back when.) ![]() And one of the biggest names in comedy during the Victorian Era was Oscar Wilde. No, it's been infiltrating the global scene since the time when the sun never set on the British Empire. invasion of comedy isn't a recent phenomenon. Think of American comedy shows like Veep, The Office, or Shameless-all based on British shows.īut the U.K. Blistering banter? Bullet-quick repartee? Totally bizarre statements issued with poker faces? We can't get enough of that tea-and-crumpet-infused hilarity.Īnd we're not the only ones. If you're anything like the seething hivemind here at Shmoop, you love British comedy. Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest: Play Introduction ![]()
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