Oscar Wilde, 1899
Dover Publications Inc. New York, 1990
Characters:
p 6
Jack. [...] That, my dear Algy, is the whole truth pure and simple.
Algernon. The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
p 12
Jack. Well, yes, I must admit I smoke.
Lady Bracknell.
I am glad to hear it.
A man should always have an occupation of some kind.
p 13
Lady Bracknell.
Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit;
touch it and the bloom is gone.
p 14
Lady Bracknell.
To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune;
to lose both looks like carelessness.
p 15
Jack. [...] You always want to argue about things.
Algernon. That's exactly what things were originally made for.
p 16
Algernon.
The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her,
if she is pretty, and to some one else if she is plain.
p 18
Lane presents several letters on a salver to Algernon.
It is to be surmised that they are bills,
as Algernon, after looking at the envelopes, tears them up.
p 52
Gwendolen. This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.
p 54
Jack.
Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly
that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth.
Can you forgive me?