The Importance of Being Earnest marks a central moment in late-Victorian literature and culture, not only for its sparkling prose and rapier-sharp wit but also for its pivotal role in the shift from a Victorian to a Modern consciousness. Wildes play began its career as a biting social satire directed at the very audience who received it so delightedly; yet the play ended its initial run as an unintentional harbinger of Wildes personal downfall. In addition to its focus on the textual history of the play, this edition of Earnest provides a wide array of appendices. The edition locates Wildes work among the artistic and ideological contexts of the fin de sicle and will provide many readers with an important sourcebook for the play and the social, creative, and critical contexts of mid-1890s English life.
