Reading and taking notes on the stage directions in the play - The Importance of Being Earnest (IBE) - will prepare you to write a analysis in an essay later in the unit.

Directions

Read the following: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Please note that this is an entire play and should take you 2-4 hours to read

Use your word processor to take notes on the following items:

Quote 10 instances in which Wilde uses stage directions (be they descriptions of scene, details of an entrance/exit, visualization of a character's appearance or expression, etc.).

Brainstorm, in a length approximating a full paragraph (though without worrying about grammar and usage), what issues, ideas, tones, etc., Wilde is trying to get across in these stage directions.You do not need to come to a grand conclusion, but you should instead use his as an opportunity to begin thinking about how "directorial" decisions influence a play's overall impact.