Lady Windermere's Fan
Oscar Wilde
Lady Windermere's Fan
A society comedy in which a young wife suspects her husband, an excluded woman returns, and a fan becomes evidence that tells the wrong story.
Read our takeA Woman of No Importance
Oscar Wilde
A Woman of No Importance
by Oscar Wilde
A society play about a powerful man's abandoned lover, their adult son, and the unequal rules used to judge men and women.
- 1894
- Wry
- funny
- plot-driven
- voice-driven
About Oscar Wilde
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeA Woman of No Importance brings Mrs Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth together at an English country house. Their son Gerald does not know that Illingworth is his father or that Illingworth abandoned his mother. When Gerald is offered a career as Illingworth's secretary, the hidden history becomes a direct choice about power, family, and reputation.
The story, in more detail
The play opened at London's Haymarket Theatre in 1893. It begins like a light country-house comedy, then gives its emotional center to a woman whose social punishment has lasted while the man involved became more powerful.
The play's language can sound dated and moralizing, but its central comparison is precise: identical sexual behavior produces unequal consequences because society protects the man and isolates the woman.
The play
Guests trade opinions about marriage, Americans, education, and scandal while Lord Illingworth takes an interest in Gerald Arbuthnot.
Mrs Arbuthnot arrives and recognizes the man who abandoned her. Gerald must decide whether status and opportunity are worth accepting from him.
Why we recommend it
Why it matters
It makes the gender politics beneath Wilde's society comedy explicit.
Where it fits
Read Lady Windermere's Fan first for a tighter version of the fallen-woman plot.
What this book explores
Timeline
1894
A Woman of No Importance premiered in London in 1893. John Lane published the first book edition in 1894.
Modern editions
Editors continue to publish the work alone and in collections; introductions and notes explain the relevant performance or textual history.
Book editions
Hardcover
- Hardcover
- John Lane
- 1894
Reader reviews
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An Ideal Husband
Oscar Wilde
An Ideal Husband
A political comedy about blackmail, a fortune built on a secret, and the damage caused by demanding moral perfection from another person.
Read our takeA Woman of No Importance: frequently asked questions
What is A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde about?
A Woman of No Importance brings Mrs Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth together at an English country house. Their son Gerald does not know that Illingworth is his father or that Illingworth abandoned his mother. When Gerald is offered a career as Illingworth's secretary, the hidden history becomes a direct choice about power, family, and reputation.
When was A Woman of No Importance published?
A Woman of No Importance premiered in London in 1893. John Lane published the first book edition in 1894.
Should I read A Woman of No Importance first?
Usually not. Start with The Importance of Being Earnest for comedy, The Picture of Dorian Gray for fiction, or The Happy Prince and Other Tales for short stories, then return to A Woman of No Importance.