The Importance of Being Earnest

My "Bibliophile Summer," kicked off with a book from my own collection: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. I've always been a huge fan of plays and dramatic literature, and I figured that in preparation for some heavy academic reading over the next four months, I could use a dramatic piece. The play mainly talks about fitting into moral standards and expectations mandated by society, and two men's struggles to escape from them through "bunburying." "Bunburying" refers to Jack and Algernon's creation of a non-existent brother and an equally fake friend, who bear the name Earnest and Bunbury, respectively. Through these fictional characters, Jack and Algernon are able to adopt alternate identities in the city and in the country, putting on a facade that pleases the women they love. For the two men, it is important being Earnest because Cecily and Gwendolen (the two women they are in love with) are fascinated by the name 'Earnest.' The two women presume that a man with such a name is sure to be true and sincere - hence 'earnest.' Although the name 'Earnest' becomes a center of admiration and idolization, 'earnest-ness' is not significantly talked about or exemplified by the main characters. Therefore the name 'Earnest' serves as a clever pun and a metaphor, and Wilde uses such to express his satire of hypocrisy and moral paradox. The fact that Victorian England is the background does not make this play antiquated, but rather, it makes us wonder about modern pressure on morality - or lack thereof.