C1 · Advanced

The Importance of Being Earnest

Name: The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde

by Oscar Wilde · graded reader

6 chapters
20,533 words
about 158 min
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Jack Worthing calls himself Ernest in town and Jack in the country. His friend Algernon invents an invalid friend called Bunbury so that he can escape boring dinners. When both young men fall in love, and both women insist that they could only ever love a man named Ernest, their lies begin to collide in the funniest possible way.

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The morning-room of Algernon Moncrieff's flat in Half-Moon Street was luxuriously and artistically furnished. From the next room came the sound of a piano. Lane, the manservant, was arranging afternoon tea on the table. When the music stopped, Algernon came in.

"Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?"

"I didn't think it polite to listen, sir."

"I'm sorry for that, for your sake. I don't play accurately. Any one can play accurately. But I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life."

"Yes, sir."

"And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the cucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell?"

Lane handed them to him on a silver tray. "Yes, sir."

Algernon inspected them, took two, and sat down on the sofa. "Oh! By the way, Lane, I see from your book that on Thursday night, when Lord Shoreman and Mr. Worthing were dining with me, eight bottles of champagne are entered as having been consumed."