Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars…”
—Lord Darlington
Lady Windermere’s Fan is a comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde with an intriguing storyline involving infidelity and blackmail. Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, it is considered one of Wilde’s dramatic masterworks. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it bitingly satirizes the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage.
The very caddish Lord Darlington is in love with the very pretty—very married—Lady Windermere. The notorious Mrs. Erlynne, who unbeknownst to everyone is Lady Windemere’s long-lost mother, rescues Lady Windermere from disgrace at the hands of Darlington. Filled with wit and humorous repartee, all is well that ends well, but not until much back-and-forth and conspiracy.
OSCAR WILDE (1854–1900) was an Irish poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for Salomé, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, De Profundis, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. He is considered a literary master, and a central figure in the development of the modern novel.