Lady Windermere's Fan Essay Questions

In what ways did Wilde's life influence his writing (both in content and style) of Lady Windermere's Fan?

Oscar Wilde's life affected his writing in many ways, particularly causing him to write in the satirical style he is famous for. Wilde was born in Dublin to highly educated, well-off parents, and was educated at some of the best institutions in England. Because of this, he was able to write in a learned, refined style but also knew upper-class Victorian society intimately. After attending university, Wilde's life became more tumultuous as he gained notoriety and began to identify as homosexual in a society that criminalized homosexuality. Throughout his literary career, Wilde kept a critical eye on Victorian society, especially on the relationships he saw people keep in public and in private, a topic likely ever more salient to him because of the secrecy he had to keep about his own romantic life. This satirical tone and critical eye toward relationships builds the foundations for Wilde's famous plays such as Lady Windermere's Fan. For example, Lady Windermere's Fan focuses on secrets, gossip, and hidden identity through the character of Mrs. Erlynne and contains many scenes of dialogue related to the relationships between men and women, husbands and wives, and parents and children, especially in the public sphere.

Why do you think Wilde named the play Lady Windermere's Fan? What is the symbolic importance of the fan to the play?

There are many details of the fan that make it important as a symbol. First, it is given from Lord Windermere to Lady Windermere as a present for her birthday, which happens to be the same day she discovers he may be having an affair. Thus, the fan is tinged with confusion and distrust. The audience can then follow the fan as it moves throughout the play, becoming prominent at moments when the plot shifts. Lady Windermere drops her fan when Mrs. Erlynne enters her party, nearly reveals her plan to run away to her husband when she leaves her fan in the open at Lord Darlington's home, and gives the fan to Mrs. Erlynne as a parting gift, showing their transformed relationship and in a way ridding her relationship of the confusion of the last day.

What does Wilde say about relationships and marriage through the plot and dialogue of Lady Windermere's Fan?

Many characters comment on romantic and social relationships, particularly marriage, over the course of Lady Windermere's Fan. Marriage is shown to be of social importance through the Duchess of Berwick's control of her daughter Agatha's love life, especially at a gathering of prominent socialites. In contrast to these womanly concerns, many of the men in the play joke about the ways their wives act and the number of divorces they've had. It would seem that marriage itself was vital in Victorian society, but the sacredness of the institution, especially with regard to love and faithfulness, did not necessarily follow.

What role does gossip play in Lady Windermere's Fan? Discuss its function in each of the four acts.

Gossip is of utmost importance to Lady Windermere's Fan; in fact, the plot of the play truly begins with gossip being shared. While Lord Darlington seems to know the rumors about Lady Windermere's husband, he refrains from sharing them, and it is not until the next scene in which Lady Windermere meets with the Duchess of Berwick that it is revealed that much of the social group she is a part of believes her husband is an adulterer. Gossip around this fact and the character of Mrs. Erlynne makes up much of Act I.

In Act II, gossip actually serves to better Mrs. Erlynne's reputation. The gossip gets around that Lady Windermere invited Mrs. Erlynne to her party, which makes people more willing to give her a chance, and then positive news starts to spread about her. Not much in the way of gossip is forwarded in Acts III and IV, since the plot narrows to focus almost entirely on Mrs. Erlynne, Lady Windermere, and Lord Windermere, but the transmission of secret information is still incredibly important since Lord Windermere knows the truth about Mrs. Erlynne's identity and must decide whether or not to reveal it to his wife.

How do the women and men in Lady Windermere's Fan differ? What does Wilde seem to believe about the role of gender in Victorian England?

Gender was a major dividing factor in England at the time of Wilde's writing (the late 1800s). Though women and men are shown socializing together, the primary function of relationships between non-familial men and women seems to be courtship. The business of getting and keeping a husband is shown to be women's concern; this is shown through Lady Windermere's struggles throughout the first three acts of the play and satirized through the Duchess of Berwick's pursuit of a husband for her daughter. On the other hand, the scenes that involve mostly or only men tend to be lighter and full of life, contemplation, and wit. On the other hand, while Wilde's male characters seem more carefree, they lack the complexity of the female characters in the play, showing Wilde's high regard for women's intellect and emotional range.