I bought an Oscar Wilde book that contains 5 of his plays and I’ve just finished Lady Windermere’s Fan. For those of you who have read them, which should I read next?
The Importance of Being Earnest is his most famous play, is quite good, and is very, very witty. It contains a number of those one-liner “proverbs” that you’ve heard all your life but never knew the source, as in Lady Windermere’s Fan (“a cynic is one who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing”). And the title is, of course, one enormous pun, which you can probably figure out from the first page but it’s nice to see it all unfold.
I don’t think you can go wrong with Wilde, myself.
Knowing only “The Importance of Being Earnest”, I really can’t have an opinion on this, though “Earnest” is one kickass play!
If you’ve read the plays, the next thing you should do is look up local theatre companies and see if they are doing any Wilde plays. I myself know “Earnest” through seeing it on stage several times rather than paper. I loved seeing the song and dance version of the Gwendolyn/Cecily scene (which was faithful to the text of the original) in Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties”.
I loved The Importance of Being Earnest, haven’t read the other three. The only other work of his I know is Picture of Dorian Gray. Will you let us know which play you like best after you have finished them?
my favorite is salome, but i recommend you read an ideal husband next. it’s very exciting. if you like the song of songs, you’ll probably like salome. if you don’t, you won’t.
i really, really love wilde.