{"product_id":"2940014463416","title":"The Importance of Being Earnest","description":"1895\u003cbr\u003eTHE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST\u003cbr\u003eOscar Wilde\u003cbr\u003eWilde, Oscar (1854-1900) - An Irish-born English poet, novelist,\u003cbr\u003eand playwright. Considered an eccentric, he was the leader of the\u003cbr\u003eaesthetic movement that advocated “art for art’s sake” and was\u003cbr\u003eonce imprisoned for two years with hard labor for homosexual\u003cbr\u003epractices. The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) - Subtitled, “A\u003cbr\u003eTrivial Comedy for Serious People,” this play is often considered\u003cbr\u003eWilde’s masterpiece. Based on a misunderstanding over the name\u003cbr\u003e“Ernest,” it is an attack on earnestness.\u003cbr\u003e2\u003cbr\u003eTHE PERSONS OF THE PLAY\u003cbr\u003eJOHN WORTHING, J.P.\u003cbr\u003eALGERNON MONCRIEFF\u003cbr\u003eREV. CANON CHASUBLE, D.D.\u003cbr\u003eMERRIMAN, BUTLER\u003cbr\u003eLANE, MANSERVANT\u003cbr\u003eLADY BRACKNELL\u003cbr\u003eHON. GWENDOLEN FAIRFAX\u003cbr\u003eCECILY CARDEW\u003cbr\u003eMISS PRISM, GOVERNESS\u003cbr\u003eTHE SCENES OF THE PLAY\u003cbr\u003eACT. I, Algernon Moncrieff’s Flat in Half-Moon Street, W.\u003cbr\u003eACT. II, The Garden the at the Manor House, Woolton.\u003cbr\u003eACT III, Morning-room at the Manor House, Woolton.\u003cbr\u003eTime, The Present.\u003cbr\u003eFIRST ACT\u003cbr\u003eSCENE- Morning-room in Algernon’s flat in Half-Moon Street. The\u003cbr\u003eroom is luxuriously and artistically furnished. The sound of a\u003cbr\u003epiano is heard in the adjoining room. [Lane is arranging afternoon\u003cbr\u003etea on the table, and after the music has ceased, Algernon enters.]\u003cbr\u003eALG Did you hear what I was playing, Lane? LANE I didn’t think\u003cbr\u003eit polite to listen, sir.\u003cbr\u003eALG I’m sorry for that, for your sake. I don’t play accuratelyanyone\u003cbr\u003ecan play accurately- but I play with wonderful expression.\u003cbr\u003eAs far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep\u003cbr\u003escience for Life.\u003cbr\u003eLANE Yes, sir.\u003cbr\u003eALG And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the\u003cbr\u003ecucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell? LANE Yes, sir.\u003cbr\u003e[Hands them on a salver.]\u003cbr\u003eALG\u003cbr\u003e[Inspects them, takes two, and sits down on the sofa.]\u003cbr\u003eOh!... by the way, Lane, I see from your book that on Thursday\u003cbr\u003enight, when Lord Shoreman and Mr. Worthing were dining with\u003cbr\u003eme, eight bottles of champagne are entered as having been\u003cbr\u003econsumed.\u003cbr\u003eLANE Yes, sir; eight bottles and a pint.\u003cbr\u003e3\u003cbr\u003eALG Why is it that at a bachelor’s establishment the servants\u003cbr\u003einvariably drink the champagne? I ask merely for information.\u003cbr\u003eLANE I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have\u003cbr\u003eoften observed that in married households the champagne is rarely\u003cbr\u003eof a first-rate brand.\u003cbr\u003eALG Good Heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that? LANE I\u003cbr\u003ebelieve it is a very pleasant state, sir. I have had very little\u003cbr\u003eexperience of it myself up to the present. I have only been married\u003cbr\u003eonce.\u003cbr\u003eThat was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself\u003cbr\u003eand a young person.\u003cbr\u003eALG\u003cbr\u003e[Languidly.]\u003cbr\u003eI don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.\u003cbr\u003eLANE No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it\u003cbr\u003emyself.\u003cbr\u003eALG Very natural, I am sure. That will do, Lane, thank you.\u003cbr\u003eLANE Thank you, sir.\u003cbr\u003e[Lane goes out.]\u003cbr\u003eALG Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the\u003cbr\u003elower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use\u003cbr\u003eof them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of\u003cbr\u003emoral responsibility.\u003cbr\u003e[Enter Lane.]\u003cbr\u003eLANE Mr. Ernest Worthing.\u003cbr\u003e[Enter Jack.]\u003cbr\u003e[Lane goes out.]\u003cbr\u003eALG How are you, my dear Ernest? What brings you up to town?\u003cbr\u003eJACK Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one\u003cbr\u003eanywhere? Eating as usual, I see, Algy!\u003cbr\u003eALG\u003cbr\u003e[Stiffly.]\u003cbr\u003eI believe it is customary in good society to take some slight\u003cbr\u003erefreshment at five o’clock. Where have you been since last\u003cbr\u003eThursday? JACK\u003cbr\u003e[Sitting down on the sofa.]\u003cbr\u003eIn the country.\u003cbr\u003eALG What on earth do you do there? JACK\u003cbr\u003e[Pulling off his gloves.]\u003cbr\u003e4\u003cbr\u003eWhen one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the\u003cbr\u003ecountry one amuses other people. It is excessively boring.\u003cbr\u003eALG And who are the people you amuse? JACK\u003cbr\u003e[Airily.]\u003cbr\u003eOh, neighbours, neighbours.\u003cbr\u003eALG Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire? JACK\u003cbr\u003ePerfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them.\u003cbr\u003eALG How immensely you must amuse them!\u003cbr\u003e[Goes over and takes sandwich.]\u003cbr\u003eBy the way, Shropshire is your county, is it not? JACK Eh?\u003cbr\u003eShropshire? Yes, of course. Hallo! Why all these cups? Why\u003cbr\u003ecucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so\u003cbr\u003eyoung? Who is coming to tea?\u003cbr\u003eALG Oh! merely Aunt Augusta and Gwendolen.\u003cbr\u003eJACK How perfectly delightful!\u003cbr\u003eALG Yes, that is all very well; but I am afraid Aunt Augusta won’t\u003cbr\u003equite approve of your being here.\u003cbr\u003eJACK May I ask way? ALG My dear fellow, the way you flirt with\u003cbr\u003eGwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way\u003cbr\u003eGwendolen flirts with you.\u003cbr\u003eJACK I am ...","brand":"All classic book warehouse","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47069360881904,"sku":"2940014463416","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014463416_p0.jpg?v=1763609071","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014463416","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}