How Long to Read Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest'

How Long Does it Take to Read Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?

It takes the average reader and 30 minutes to read Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oliver Zürn

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Passau (Faculty of Philosophy - Chair of English Literature and Culture), course: Hauptseminar English Comedies 1500-2000, language: English, abstract: WhenThe Importance of Being Earnestwas first performed on 14th of February 1895 in St. James’s theatre, it was a huge success and one of the actors said: “In my fiftythree years of acting, I never remember a greater triumph than the first night ofThe Importance of Being Earnest.The audience rose in their seats and cheered and cheered again.” (Quoted in Bird 1977, 164) Of course, the first one who extoled the play was Oscar Wilde himself: “the first act is ingenious, the second beautiful, the third abominably clever.” (Quoted in Kohl 1980, 412) Indeed, it is his masterpiece orposthumously - most sucessful play and has enjoyed most revivals up to the present day. However, the play is not only “good fun” (Reinert 1956, 153), Wilde put also a philosophy in it, as he explained: “That we should treat all the trivial things of life very seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.” (Quoted in Eltis 1996, 171) Furthermore, in the play’s subtitle “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People” he directly addressed the mainly upper-class audience of his time and there is maybe no better or more appropriate expression than “serious” or “earnest” to describe Victorianism or the Victorian society. (cf. Kohl 1980, 421) Hence, the play may help us to understand the society at Oscar Wilde’s time. Although the play’s performance is realistic or naturalistic, i.e. the characters are dressed in contemporary dresses and look exactly like the audience at that time, there must be a reason why a hundred years later we can still laugh about this great farce and wonderful social satire. Maybe the wide range of themes (marriage, love, money, religion, birth and so on)1or the character’s peculiarities and follies helped the play to remain up-to-date. But with what kind of characters did Oscar Wilde on the one hand amuse and entertain his audience, on the other hand criticize and satirize spectators and society he lived in? How do the character’s follies shed light on the Victorian society at the end of the 19th century?

How long is Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?

Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oliver Zürn is 29 pages long, and a total of 7,511 words.

This makes it 10% the length of the average book. It also has 9% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes and 41 minutes to read Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' aloud.

What Reading Level is Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?

Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is suitable for students ages 8 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?

Characters in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oliver Zürn is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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