_The Importance of Being Earnest_ - 17 October 2006

"The only way to atone for being occasionally a little overdressed is by being always absolutely over-educated"(2.3).

We return to comedy of manners this week, this time set in Victorian England. I really look forward to your responses to this one! As you read, think about the play's subtitle: A Trivial Play for Serious People. Who and what does Wilde consider trivial, or serious? As usual, your response may center on any aspect(s) of the play that you would like to discuss.

The photo depicts a scene from the first production of the play, in 1895. Allan Aynesworth as Algernon and George Alexander as Jack --photgraphed by Alfred Ellis. (www.courttheatre.org)