Today almost everything is accepted in modern society. It does not matter if a person is
homosexual, bisexual or transsexual. Further, everyone can do even almost everything
that pleases him. So, a lot of men “try” women –the more, the more they are famous,
rich or successful. And even today’s women have broken free from their traditional
tasks: raising a family, staying at home and doing the cooking. Instead, it is fashion to
live a man’s life: going to parties, having a lot of affairs and neglecting the morals.
Today’s women are as bad as their masculine fellow men. And even they have become
worse- if you want to believe in what the older generation says about our youth. Maybe,
this is true. If you compare it to the Victorian Age, so much seems to have changed.
Thinking of Oscar Wilde, you will soon realise that he could have lived a much easier
life in today’s world. He was an “enfant terrible” of his time. Not only that his artistic
and theatrical views did not fit into society at all, but it were especially his sexual
preferences that caused his main problems. In contrast to the latest tendency of acceptance
for homosexuality, it was a real crime about the year 1900 and so he had to spend
a certain time in prison. “The double life that it entailed was by no means a simple matter
of deceit and guilt for Wilde: it suited the cultivation of moral independence and detachment
from society that he considered essential to art.” 1(Small:1999,xiv/xv). With
his behaviour he offended the leaders, institutions and press of his Philistine country.
Yet, he always tried to be accepted by Society, but his attempts were mostly answered
with exclusion.As Wilde lived for art, his works are a mirror of his own disappointment
and frustration about the contemporary value system. So it is certainly very interesting
to examine his play Lady Windermere’s Fan in regard to social and moral views.
1 Ian Small, “Introduction,” Ian Small (ed.), Lady Windermere’s Fan. A Play About a Good Woman
(London: New Mermaids,1999) xiv/xv.
Table of Contents
0.Introduction
1.Good and Bad
1.1. Characterisation Techniques (1) : Lady Windermere the “Good” Woman
1.2. Development: Allusions Then Concrete Suspicion
1.3. Contrast Relationship(1): Mrs Erlynne the “Bad” Woman
1.3.1.Characterisation techniques (2)
1.3.2. Suspense-structure
1.4. The Change
1.5. Contrast Relationship(2):Mrs Erlynne’s sacrifice
1.5.1. Space: Lady Windermere’s Impasse
1.5.2. Lead of Information
1.5.3. Mrs Erlynne’s Sacrifice
1.5.4. Irony
1.6 Conclusion(1)
2. Exclusiveness of Society
2.1. But Why Is It So Difficult to Belong to It?
2.2.The Exception Proves the Rule
3. Hypocrisy and Superficiality
3.1. The Speech Behaviour as a Mirror of Society
3.1.1 Monologized Dialogue/ One-way Conversation
3.1.2 Change of View
3.2. Conclusion (2)
4.Summary
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this study is to examine Oscar Wilde’s play Lady Windermere’s Fan through the lens of its social and moral criticisms. The paper explores how Wilde uses the play as a mirror to reflect his own frustrations with the contemporary value system, questioning the rigid societal definitions of "good" and "bad" morality.
- Analysis of characterization techniques used to define moral archetypes.
- Examination of the exclusionary nature of Victorian "Good Society."
- Critique of hypocrisy and superficiality in social speech behavior.
- The role of individual sacrifice and public reputation in determining social standing.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1.Characterisation Techniques (1) : Lady Windermere the “Good” Woman
Right at the beginning, the reader or the audience is confronted with Lady Windermere. Wilde uses three characterisation techniques in order to create her picture. Explicit figural-characterisation works together with explicit and implicit self-characterisation: So on the one hand, many things are said (for example that she is a lady (compare Wilde:1999,page 5,line 1))by other characters, i.e. her servant, Lord Darlington or Lord Windermere. So you get a number of information about her via the explicit figural-characterisation. But she characterises herself furthermore explicitly: Saying “Well ,I have something of the Puritan in me. I was brought up like that. I am glad of it.(…)” (p.9,l.73-75) enlarge the knowledge about her. And besides, our sympathies are also directed by the way she talks, the way she acts, the way she looks, etc. These factors of implicit self-characterisation enforce the impression you get from what is said.So Wilde uses three totally different perspectives to guide the sympathy: the opinion of the other characters’, her own view of herself and finally the estimation of the audience itself.
Chapter Summaries
0.Introduction: Sets the stage by comparing Victorian society with modern times and introducing Oscar Wilde’s position as an outsider who used his work to mirror the contradictions of his contemporary value system.
1.Good and Bad: Explores the dichotomous construction of characters in the play, focusing on how Wilde challenges the Victorian perception of morality through the "good" Lady Windermere and the "bad" Mrs. Erlynne.
2. Exclusiveness of Society: Discusses the rigid, exclusionary nature of the Victorian class system and the high social stakes involved in maintaining a respectable reputation.
3. Hypocrisy and Superficiality: Investigates how the Duchess of Berwick and other characters embody societal superficiality through repetitive and vacuous speech patterns.
4.Summary: Concludes that Wilde’s work serves as a powerful critique of a "Good Society" that is fundamentally corrupt, hypocritical, and governed by empty conventions rather than inner moral values.
Keywords
Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Victorian Society, Social Criticism, Morality, Characterisation, Hypocrisy, Superficiality, Good Woman, Bad Woman, Reputation, Drama, Literature, Social Exclusion, Moral Independence
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the social and moral criticism present in Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, specifically investigating how the play critiques the hypocrisy and rigid standards of the Victorian era.
What are the central themes examined in the study?
The central themes include the construction of moral archetypes (the "good" vs. the "bad" woman), the exclusionary mechanisms of social class, and the role of hypocrisy in social interaction.
What is the main goal or research question of this analysis?
The main goal is to demonstrate that the play serves as a critique of a society that claims to be "good" while being structurally corrupt, superficial, and hypocritical.
Which scientific methods are employed in this study?
The study utilizes a literary analysis approach, examining characterization techniques, dialogue, and narrative structure to derive social and moral interpretations from the text.
What content is addressed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the contrasting characterizations of the protagonists, the exclusionary dynamics of Victorian society, and the specific linguistic patterns that expose the hypocrisy of the upper nobility.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Social Criticism, Victorian Society, Moral Hypocrisy, and Characterisation.
How does the author characterize the speech behavior of the Duchess of Berwick?
The author argues that the Duchess displays superficiality through "monologized dialogue," where she talks extensively while providing very little meaningful content, effectively mirroring the hollowness of her social circle.
What is the significance of the "social suicide" discussed in the context of Mrs. Erlynne?
The paper highlights that for Mrs. Erlynne, sacrificing her own social prospects for her daughter represents a "second social suicide," illustrating the immense pressure and near-impossibility of re-entering elite society after a moral transgression.
- Quote paper
- Christina König (Author), 2003, Social Criticism in Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/18579
