The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Contemporary reviews all praised the play's humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of ...