Book Talk: The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Summary:
“Oscar Wilde’s madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers’ entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a mainstay of the high school curriculum for decades. Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest, while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heat of Jack’s ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack’s country home on the same weekend--the “rivals” to fight for Ernest’s undivided attention and the “Ernests” to claim their beloveds--pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!” -from the Prestwick House edition
Biography:
Oscar Wilde was born October 16, 1854 in Dublin. Wilde was an author, playwright, and poet and was known for works like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde was also well known for his wit, flamboyant style, and his infamous imprisonment for homosexuality. Wilde was arrested and imprisoned in 1895 on the charges of “gross indecency” and was released after two years, only to die three years later at the age of 46.

Rational:
Out of all of the plays I have read in school, The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favorites; the play is incredibly funny and takes serious ideas, like marriage and class differences, and turns them upside down which can create some great discussions in a classroom setting. The play is only three acts, so it can be read quickly by students or can be read over a longer period of time as a whole class.

Grade Level:
11th-12th
Teaching Ideas:
  1. There will be some things within the play regarding the Victorian era, such as Victorian etiquette, that students may no understand. Going over Victorian literature and the Victorian lifestyle will help students understand the play better.
  2. Students can be assigned roles in the play and the play can be read aloud in class; roles will rotate with either each scene or each act to allow every student a chance to read at least one of the roles.
  3. In groups of about 5 or 6, students can create a video analyzing and acting out a scene in the play; this would be used as a final project at the end of the unit.
  4. For fun: if there is a local performance of The Importance of Being Earnest happening around the same time as the unit, the class can take a field trip to go see it OR the class can take a field trip to a local tea house for high tea to see what it’s like.
Obstacles:
I think that the only obstacles I can really think of would be the aspects of life during the Victorian era that students may not understand and Wilde’s lifestyle. With the Victorian era obstacle, you can easily fix that by giving an overview of the Victorian era and aspects of life that students will see in the play. With Wilde’s lifestyle, there may still be some parents or administrators who are off put by his homosexuality. However, this text is already in a lot of curriculum, so I don’t think administrators will have a huge issue. In addition, there may be students who could be upset by the fact that Wilde was imprisoned for his homosexuality; I think that it will be important to give students an overview of Wilde’s life, explaining his imprisonment, and reassuring them that homosexuality is not wrong.
References:
https://www.biography.com/people/oscar-wilde-9531078

http://www.penguin.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/the_importance_of_being_earnest.pdf

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