The Importance of Being Earnest and Four Other Plays, by Oscar Wilde, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:
New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences?biographical, historical, and literary?to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.
Oscar Wilde?s legendary wit dazzles in The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the greatest and most popular works of drama to emerge from Victorian England. A light-hearted satire of the absurdity of all forms and conventions, this comic masterpiece features an unforgettable castof characters who, as critic Max Beerbohm observed, ?speak a kind of beautiful nonsense?the language of high comedy, twisted into fantasy.?
This collection also includes Oscar Wilde?s most famous comedies, Lady Windermere?s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, and An Ideal Husband, as well as his poetic tragedy Salom??all written between 1891 and 1895, Wilde?s most creative period. George Bernard Shaw said of Oscar Wilde that he is ?our most thorough playwright. He plays with everything: with wit, with philosophy, with drama, with actors and audience, with the whole theater.?
Kenneth Krauss received his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He teaches drama at the College of Saint Rose, where he also directs and produces. His most recent book is The Drama of Fallen France, on French theater under the German Occupation.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
The ever-quotable Oscar Wilde once said, "Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it." From his outsize celebrity in Victorian London to his authorship of fiction, drama, and poetry that uniquely captured his era, it's fair to say that Wilde succeeded on both counts.More About the AuthorCustomer ReviewsReader Rating: Ratings: 19Reviews: 7See All ReviewsOscar Wilde was a mad geniusby DonnaC99
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
February 13, 2010:
These plays are so, so funny. They reflect life in an era that is just SO different from today.Thank you Barns & noble!by Ed96
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
June 07, 2009:
Great store and great prices for valuable books! keep your value up and also help educators and students.
More Customer Reviews
