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ENTheImportance ofBeing EarnestOscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest

by Oscar Wilde

View on Project Gutenberg

About The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a medium read in English (drama, satire). It takes about 1 h 44 min at 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners. The book is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg.

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Main characters in The Importance of Being Earnest

Engraving-style illustration of a Victorian drawing room where a young man holding a cigarette case and a young woman face each other across a tea table while a stern older lady watches through a lorgnette.
AI-generated illustration

Two friends in Victorian England, Jack and Algernon, each invent a fictional person to escape duties: Jack's brother Ernest in town, and Algernon's sick friend Bunbury in the country. Both end up pretending to be Ernest to win the women they love, and the lies pile up until the truth about Jack's birth comes out.

  • Jack Worthing

    A respectable country gentleman who calls himself Ernest when in town.

  • Algernon Moncrieff

    Jack's witty friend, who invents the invalid Bunbury and later pretends to be Ernest too.

  • Gwendolen Fairfax

    Algernon's cousin and Jack's love, who is determined to marry a man named Ernest.

  • Cecily Cardew

    Jack's young ward in the country, who is also fascinated by the name Ernest.

  • Lady Bracknell

    Gwendolen's formidable mother, who judges every suitor strictly.

  • Miss Prism

    Cecily's governess, who holds the key to the mystery of Jack's origins.

  • Canon Chasuble

    The local rector, who admires Miss Prism.

Questions about The Importance of Being Earnest

How many words are in The Importance of Being Earnest?
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde has about 21,000 words. At 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners, it takes about 1 h 44 min to read.
Who are the main characters in The Importance of Being Earnest?
The main characters are Jack Worthing, Algernon Moncrieff, Gwendolen Fairfax, Cecily Cardew, Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble.
Can I read The Importance of Being Earnest for free?
Yes. The Importance of Being Earnest is in the public domain, and you can read it free in English on PolyglotReader with inline translation, word lookup and audio.

The Importance of Being Earnest is more than a book: it is a language-learning tool

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