In The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell says about Algernon in Act 3, “He has nothing, but he looks everything. What more can one desire?” (Wilde, 1899, p. 2332) She seems to be saying that looks (or appearances) are more important than reality; in other words, it’s a desirable quality for a person to…
Tag: Victorian England
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde: An overview
The Importance of Being Ernest is one of the finest humorous plays to have premiered at the turn of twentieth century. Reviewers of the play, then and now, have universally classified as a ‘farce’ and a ‘social satire’. And this assessment is quite accurate. The focus of the play on street-smart humor was so pronounced…