“The Importance of Being Earnest” was written by Irish
author Oscar Wilde. It is an attack on morals and manners, making fun of
certain aspects in society, particularly in the upper class. The characters are
of the late Victorian era, and they all take turns making fun of different
aspects of high society.
The book’s dry and quick humor will have readers laughing to
themselves. It is considered to be one of the greatest comedies written in the
English language, and it certainly lives up to this distinction.
The audiobook, which was narrated by a cast of characters,
was very well done. While I was not around for radio “sitcoms,” I have a
feeling this audiobook is similar in nature. The only difference is that this
book has notes about what the characters are doing, which allows listeners to
get a sense of what the characters are doing.
The book and audiobook are short, as Wilde only wrote one
full-length novel (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”). However, this work does
exactly what it needs to do in the brief amount of time it has. It is
entertaining, captivating, and funny. It gets a message across perfectly. Wilde
had a way with words and messages that many authors today are lacking.
From the first few minutes of the audiobook, I knew this
book was meant to be poking fun at society’s expectations and morals that
people of this time were held to. It captured my attention immediately. While I
was not immediately bonded to one character, all of the characters were important
in their own way.
While the standards in the book were for upper-class
Victorian society, people now can relate to certain pressures and expectations.
Wilde’s message is timeless and resonates just as loud and clear today as it
did when this was written. In a time such as now, this message and these
characters are so crucial.
No matter where or when we live, society will always have expectations and pressures that it expects its citizens to uphold, and citizens expect each other to uphold. For many in society today, it is becoming more normalized to make our own decisions and not pay attention to what is expected of us, and do what we deem is best for our lives. Wilde’s message in this short but poignant piece not only gives us permission to do so but seemingly applauds those who take this risk.
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