Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde wrote what has been called a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian Ways. Contemporary reviews all praised the play's humor, while some thought it genius yet it was the last comedy ever crafted by the talented Wilde.