Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune—to lose both seems like carelessness.”
- Date
- 1895
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Lady Bracknell
Meaning of “To lose one parent may be regarded as…”
Lady Bracknell’s absurdly bureaucratic response turns tragedy into a social failing, which is funny because her concern for status overwhelms ordinary sympathy.
Where does it come from?
The Importance of Being Earnest, Act I; Lady Bracknell. Exact catalog wording is preserved in the scan-backed Samuel French acting text on Wikisource, scan leaf 24 / printed page 22, during her interrogation of Jack Worthing about his parentage.
Why the local voice matters
The Importance of Being Earnest, Act 1; Lady Bracknell reacts to Jack’s uncertain parentage.
