“ no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating... ”
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). copy citation
Author | Oscar Wilde |
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Source | The Importance of Being Earnest |
Topic | women age calculating |
Date | 1895 |
Language | English |
Reference | |
Note | |
Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/844/844-h/844-h.htm |
Context
“How old are you, dear?
Cecily. Well, I am really only eighteen, but I always admit to twenty when I go to evening parties.
Lady Bracknell. You are perfectly right in making some slight alteration. Indeed, no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating . . . [In a meditative manner.] Eighteen, but admitting to twenty at evening parties. Well, it will not be very long before you are of age and free from the restraints of tutelage. So I don't think your guardian's consent is, after all, a matter of any importance.” source
Cecily. Well, I am really only eighteen, but I always admit to twenty when I go to evening parties.
Lady Bracknell. You are perfectly right in making some slight alteration. Indeed, no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating . . . [In a meditative manner.] Eighteen, but admitting to twenty at evening parties. Well, it will not be very long before you are of age and free from the restraints of tutelage. So I don't think your guardian's consent is, after all, a matter of any importance.” source