A Woman of No Importance
Oscar Wilde
A Woman of No Importance
A society play about a powerful man's abandoned lover, their adult son, and the unequal rules used to judge men and women.
Read our takeLady Windermere's Fan
Oscar Wilde
Lady Windermere's Fan
by Oscar Wilde
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.
- 1893
- Wry
- funny
- plot-driven
- voice-driven
About Oscar Wilde
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeLady Windermere's Fan follows Lady Windermere, who believes her husband is paying Mrs Erlynne because they are having an affair. Mrs Erlynne is actually her mother, a woman who abandoned her family and now wants to return to society. The play uses a missing fan, a private room, and several false conclusions to question easy divisions between good and bad women.
The story, in more detail
The play opened at the St James's Theatre in London in 1892 and established Wilde as a successful West End dramatist.
Its epigrams are not decoration around the plot. People use moral certainty to misread one another, while the character society condemns performs the most generous act.
The play
Lord Windermere invites Mrs Erlynne to his wife's birthday party despite Lady Windermere's suspicion and anger.
A fan left in the wrong room threatens several reputations and forces Mrs Erlynne to decide whether she will protect the daughter who does not know her.
Why we recommend it
Why it matters
It is the first mature society comedy and introduces Wilde's method of using scandal to overturn moral labels.
Where it fits
Read it before A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband to see the form grow more political.
What this book explores
Timeline
1893
Lady Windermere's Fan premiered in London in 1892. Elkin Mathews and John Lane published the first book edition in 1893.
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
- Elkin Mathews and John Lane
- 1893
Reader reviews
Readers may also like
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 takeLady Windermere's Fan: frequently asked questions
What is Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde about?
Lady Windermere's Fan follows Lady Windermere, who believes her husband is paying Mrs Erlynne because they are having an affair. Mrs Erlynne is actually her mother, a woman who abandoned her family and now wants to return to society. The play uses a missing fan, a private room, and several false conclusions to question easy divisions between good and bad women.
When was Lady Windermere's Fan published?
Lady Windermere's Fan premiered in London in 1892. Elkin Mathews and John Lane published the first book edition in 1893.
Should I read Lady Windermere's Fan 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 Lady Windermere's Fan.