Wilde, Oscar: 1854-1900
The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895 - Language/Style
- English Language Level: Advanced, Formal
- Victorian-era English – Some vocabulary and expressions are outdated or uncommon today (e.g. “Tantamount” =equivalent, the same as; “Rapturous” = extremely delighted; “Capital” = excellent, splendid).
Witty, Formal Dialogue – The humor often relies on wordplay, puns, and subtle social satire, which can be tricky to follow.
Complex Sentence Structures – Characters often speak in long, elegant sentences with multiple clauses.
- Victorian-era English – Some vocabulary and expressions are outdated or uncommon today (e.g. “Tantamount” =equivalent, the same as; “Rapturous” = extremely delighted; “Capital” = excellent, splendid).
- So even though the words themselves aren’t always “difficult,” the style and social context make it advanced for overall English comprehension.