The Importance of Being Earnest book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: The Characters to Act 1

1. How much say should Gwendolen's mother have in whether Gwendolen marries Jack?
2. Does proposing marriage make Jack seem sincere, or do the false names give you reason to doubt him?
3. What might titles and occupations lead us to assume about people before we hear them speak?
4. How does Jack's accidental disclosure of his country address change what you expect Algernon to do next?
5. What would make Gwendolen's mother's objections seem protective rather than controlling?

Meeting 2: Part 4

6. When the two Ernests lose their disguises, does that make them easier to trust or harder?
7. Would you judge both Ernests by the same standard, or should their reasons for disguise matter more?
8. What does losing a disguise reveal about a person, and what can it leave uncertain?
9. How does the loss of the disguises change your reading of the earlier false names?
10. What would count as a convincing attempt to repair trust after the disguises are lost?

Meeting 3: Part 5

11. Should a discovery about Jack's identity carry more weight in marriage negotiations than his choices?
12. Does Miss Prism's explanation invite sympathy, blame, or both?
13. How convincing do you find a handbag as the means of revealing Jack's identity?
14. What does the stalled negotiation suggest about marriage as a private choice or a social agreement?
15. How does the discovery of Jack's identity affect your judgment of the earlier objections to his proposal?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.