2 h 20 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the name you invent to escape your duties becomes the one thing love demands?
In Oscar Wilde’s farce The Importance of Being Earnest, Jack Worthing invents a wicked brother named Ernest to escape to London. His friend Algernon Moncrieff invents an invalid named Bunbury to dodge his own duties. But Jack wants to marry Gwendolen Fairfax, who knows him as Ernest—and is determined to marry a man with that name.
From Algernon’s London rooms to the garden of Jack’s country house, polite manners give lies room to grow. Jack’s imaginative ward, Cecily Cardew, has a romance written in her diary. Gwendolen’s mother, Lady Bracknell, judges suitors by wealth and family. Between cucumber sandwiches, an examination of a suitor, and a quarrel over tea, Wilde asks how much appearances matter.
What you’ll discover
- Two lives to juggle Follow Jack and Algernon as their invented excuses turn escape into a tangle of expectations.
- Love by another name Meet women whose romantic hopes attach themselves to a name rather than a man.
- A formidable social gatekeeper Watch Lady Bracknell weigh a suitor against the demands of money, rank, and family.
- Perfect manners over tea Enjoy the garden encounter where Gwendolen and Cecily begin politely before their quarrel takes shape.
- The joke beneath earnestness Discover how Wilde turns a name into a playful challenge to seriousness and sincerity.
Who will love it
For readers who love quick wit, sharp dialogue and gentle mockery of social rules, and for students who enjoy exploring plot and themes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two men invent a second self
- Love attaches itself to a name
- Lady Bracknell examines a suitor
- Both friends head to the country
- A quarrel over tea and a name
- What the play is really laughing at
Who’s who
- Jack WorthingA serious country guardian who invents a wicked brother named Ernest to escape to London, and who wants to marry Gwendolen.
- Algernon MoncrieffJack's witty, idle friend in London, who invents an invalid named Bunbury and has a talent for mischief and sandwiches.
- Gwendolen FairfaxLady Bracknell's daughter, confident and fashionable, who is determined to marry a man named Ernest.
- Cecily CardewJack's young ward in the country, who has a vivid imagination and has written a whole romance in her diary.
- Lady BracknellAlgernon's formidable aunt, who judges suitors by wealth and family and guards her daughter's future.
- Miss PrismCecily's governess, a stern lover of moral lessons who has a quiet fondness for Canon Chasuble.
- Canon ChasubleThe rector of the country parish, learned and gentle, who is asked to perform christenings.
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L’importanza di chiamarsi Ernesto
by Oscar Wilde · 1899
Two bachelors invent false identities to escape their duties, then fall for women who adore the name Ernest.
Medium level2–5 hours to readItaliano
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In short
The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde, first staged in London in 1895. Wilde called it a trivial comedy for serious people, and the joke is in the title.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two men invent a second self
The play opens in the London rooms of Algernon Moncrieff, a young man of leisure who loves good food and bad behavior. His butler, Lane, serves cucumber sandwiches, and Algernon talks about marriage and manners as if they were minor amusements. His friend Jack Worthing arrives from the country, and he says he has come to town for pleasure.
Algernon finds a cigarette case that Jack left behind. It carries an inscription that puzzles him, because it is addressed to Uncle Jack from someone named Cecily. Jack has always claimed that his name in town is Ernest. In the country he is Jack, the serious guardian of a young ward.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 8 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1899
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 1 h 30 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-importance-of-being-earnest-a-trivial-comedy-for-serious-people.
Wilde, O. (2026). The importance of being earnest: A trivial comedy for serious people. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-importance-of-being-earnest-a-trivial-comedy-for-serious-people (Original work published 1899)
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-importance-of-being-earnest-a-trivial-comedy-for-serious-people.
@book{wilde2026importance,
author = {Wilde, Oscar},
title = {The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-importance-of-being-earnest-a-trivial-comedy-for-serious-people},
note = {First published 1899}
}
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What is The Importance of Being Earnest about?
It is a farce about two men who invent a false identity to escape their duties and then court women who love the name Ernest. It mocks Victorian marriage, class and manners.
What does Bunburying mean in The Importance of Being Earnest?
Bunburying means inventing an imaginary person or a sick friend as an excuse to leave town or avoid unwanted obligations. Algernon coins the word from his made-up invalid friend, Bunbury.
When was The Importance of Being Earnest written and first performed?
Wilde wrote it in the mid 1890s, and it was first staged in London in 1895.
The author
Oscar Wilde
1854–1900 · Irish playwright and poet
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and novelist born in Dublin. He lived in London and later in France, where he died in Paris. He published The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890. His play The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed in 1895.
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