Reader Services

Oscar Wilde and Arthur Miller

Frequently Asked Questions - Reader Services

Last Updated on Friday, 14 December 2012 12:05

It's a time for celebrating some of the classics this month on October 16th and 17th with the birthdays of popular playwrights and novelists, Oscar Wilde and Arthur Miller, approaching.

Oscar Wilde is most known for his play The Importance of Being Earnest, and Arthur Miller is renowned for his play The Crucible, which he received a Tony for, and drama The Death of a Salesman, which earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1949. If you are interested in these birthday gentlemen, try the following titles:

The importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde ; critical material selected and introduced by Henry Popkin Call Number 822.8 WI

Wilde's most popular play is considered his wittiest and finest comedy. The play's subtitle, "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" hints at its clever wordplay, ingenious epigrams, and sly British humor. Two English gentlemen use the same slant when meeting women, by saying their name is Earnest. Everything is going well until both men fall in love with the same girl, using the same a.k.a. It is a story of multiple mistaken identities--both deliberate and unintentional- and what ultimately becomes a hilarious exercise in keeping everyone's name and pseudonym straight. First performed in 1895, it has enduring appeal as dramatic literature and in live theatrical performance. This edition includes an appendix with Wilde's earlier versions of the play and deleted scenes that illustrate Wilde's creative process.

Read more: Oscar Wilde and Arthur Miller