So many quotes survive outside of this play about a young wife believing gossip that her doting husband is being unfaithful. Good actions can often be misinterpreted. ( )

Lady Windermere's Fan is classified as a Comedy of Manners, and while there are certainly humorous elements present in the usual clever Wilde manner, I would contend that there is more of drama here than comedy. The story at the base of this play is quite serious. The subject of the ease with which a person (particularly a woman) could be ruined and expelled from society (something that Wilde, even as a man, knew something of) is a serious topic for Wilde. The instinctive love of a mother is a serious topic for me.

As is so often Wilde's technique, there is much misunderstanding and confusion that leads characters to do foolish or socially dangerous things. Mrs. Erlynne might be a bad woman, but she does a very good thing; Lady Windermere prides herself on being a good woman, but she does a very bad thing. Perhaps the lines are not that clear or delineated. I particularly enjoy the progress that Lady Windermere makes in her thinking by the end of the play. I also enjoy the contrivance in which we, the audience, share in a secret that the Lady does not know.

Plays are meant to be seen, not read. I have never had the privilege of seeing this play produced, but in 2004 a movie was made based on this play entitled "A Good Woman" and starring Helen Hunt. If you have not seen it, it is worth seeking out. I think Oscar Wilde would be proud. ( )

دراما جيدة: نقد وسخرية من نفاق نماذج معينة من المجتمع الانجليزي آنذاك،
استعراض نموذج ليدي وندرمير البرئ والساذج، المؤمن بالمثالية وأن الناس أما صالحين او فاسدين وكل فاسد لا يستحق التوبة مهما كان.
قالب المسرحية وزمنها ساعد أوسكار وايلد على عرض نقده الساخر للنماذج والافكار التي تمثلها الشخصيات بوضوح تام وبحس فكاهة لطيف، فقط عاب المسرحية من وجهة نظري انه جعل الشخصيات تنطق فكرة المسرحية بشكل مباشر رغم وضوحها. ( )

I really enjoyed this play. Classic Wilde wit, such entertaining characters and thoughtful themes. I would love to see it performed. ( )

I quite enjoyed Oscar Wilde's collection of short stories that I just read, but his plays are 100% why we came here! Even though the plots are highly melo-dramatic and based on a social class (and their ridiculous ideas of scandals) that most of us can't possibly understand (or want to, for that matter) Wilde's careful use of dialogue and sarcasm are perfection. "Lady Windermere's Fan" is a new play for me, and it didn't seem that great at the outset because the titular character is a bit of a square, but by the finale it had definitely grown on me. More than anything I appreciated that Wilde sought to tackle the subject of gender bias and inequality - a theme that was on point for the burgeoning sufferage movement of his era and still rings true today. Wilde may still have missed the mark a touch to be considered a true feminist, but at least he's asking the questions and putting the idea out there for his audience. ( )