Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays

"e;The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays"e; brings together Oscar Wilde's most popular plays which first appeared between 1891 and 1895. Despite his relatively short theatrical career, Wilde's plays have enjoyed a sustained popularity. A classic satire of Victorian society, "e;The Importance of Being Earnest"e; is one of the author's most frequently performed works. The play trivializes its characters, who through a series of deceptions pretend to be people that they are not in order to escape the burdensome demands of social conventions. "e;Salome"e;, originally written in French, is a retelling of the Biblical story of Salome, who requests the head of John the Baptist, Jokanaan in the play, for dancing the dance of the seven veils. "e;A Woman of No Importance"e; concerns Mrs. Arbuthnot, a woman who has been scorned by society for having an illicit affair and conceiving a child out of wedlock. "e;An Ideal Husband"e; is the story of an up-and-coming politician with a secret past and the blackmail scheme to keep that secret quiet. "e;Lady Windermere's Fan"e; is the tale of Lady Windermere who suspects her husband of infidelity when he takes an interest in Mrs. Erlynne. Largely a collection of high society satires "e;The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays"e; brilliantly exhibits Wilde's dramatic deft. This edition includes a biographical afterword.