I got my copy for free on kindle so it didn’t have a fancy cover like this. I think I may be in cover withdrawl…
I love practically everything about Oscar Wilde. He’s not my favorite author, but something about him just makes me feel like, if I’m ever given a “midnight in Paris” moment to go back in time and visit with the literary giants of any time I will go back and visit Oscar Wilde. Just to see how his mind works.
Honestly, any man whose dying words are (supposedly) “either this wallpaper goes or I do” is worth getting to know in life.
this is not at all how I imagined anyone in this book to look.
That being said, other than selected quotes here and there and a charming short in the movie “Paris, Je t’aime”, I realized the only full length piece of Wilde’s work I ever read was “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. Which is, on its own, a spectacular novel. At least I think so, you’re welcome to disagree all you want and I’m more than happy to debate you on the topic, but I think it’s as beautiful as the infamous painting of the title character himself. The idea of art making you immortal but only preserving you best self, and then challenging the idea of art making you immortal at all. How can you walk away from all the things there are to talk about in that novel without having a long chat (either in your head or with someone else).
But that’s really not the point of today’s review. Anyway, while discovering I’m painfully unaware of Wilde’s other literary works I decided to change that, and the availability of free kindle books made that even easier. So I downloaded a few and chose this one as the first of his plays to read. The story revolves around an upper-class, fashionable, and morally
another possible cover my e-book did not have
righteous married couple. When an acquaintance from the past comes back into their lives our ideal husband comes to light as someone who isn’t quite the moral ideal, and his legacy might be challenged if certain information comes to light.
Of course, our femme fatale is willing to put all of that behind her…for a price.
And as you can imagine not only does blackmailing ensue, but so does a variety of comical misunderstandings. The play is short if you read it on your own and it was enjoyable (although no Dorian Gray). Now that I’m writing this I realize that I have seen “The Importance of Being Earnest” but as I haven’t actually read the play I’m not going to count that as one of my Wilde reads.
If you’re looking for a short classic to add to your to-read pile (let’s be honest, picking up a play is a lot less intimidating than finally reading that copy of Les Mis you bought because you had to read it before your friends started talking about the movie) this is one I’d suggest. If you’re not a fan of Wilde’s satiric humor then, well, maybe you shouldn’t be reading this blog. After all, what is life if you can’t laugh at it.
