Act I
Algernon explains: 'I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose.'
Read in Books4Free →Bunburying and the Double Life
From The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Algernon's invention of a fictitious invalid friend named Bunbury, which he uses as an excuse to escape social obligations, parallels Jack's invention of a wicked brother Ernest. The concept satirizes Victorian hypocrisy and the gap between public respectability and private indulgence.
Act I
Algernon's declaration: 'A man who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious time of it.'
Read in Books4Free →Act III
Algernon announces that Bunbury is 'quite exploded'—the death of the fictional friend signals the end of the double life.
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