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The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
Archived Group Reads 2021
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Week 1: Lady Windermere's Fan - Acts I & II
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Thanks, Piyangie! That was my assumption, but I realized that I didn't really know. Makes sense, though!
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I am a little disturbed by how easily both women are able to walk away from their babies, seemingly without a second thought! Mrs. Erlynne now seems to regret it and is trying to make amends. I would assume that the law then, as always, favored the men and once Mrs. Erlynne abandoned her child, she was unable to gain access to her again. Or maybe she thought her notoriety would be detrimental to the young Margaret and she would be better off without her in her life.
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Exactly! The whole notion that Lady Windermere could just exchange husbands and everything would be fine is a fairy tale. Do you think Lord Darlington actually intended to marry her? Was he naive enough to believe that this scenario would fly, or is he just trying to get her to put herself in his power where she will gradually realize that her fate is now to be his mistress until he discards her?
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Lord Dalington didn't strike to me as a genuine article. :) I was pretty sure that his intentions were dishonourable. I was very glad to see Lady Windermere saved. She was a naive fool, and Lord Darlington was taking advantage of that.
For me two things stood out in the first two acts of the play. The first was the viciousness of the gossip within this upper class circle even amongst friends. Both Lord Darlington and the Duchess warn Lady Windermere of her husband’s unfaithfulness on the flimsiest of evidence. Lord Darlington had ulterior motives to discredit Lord Windermere but the Duchess is revealed as a shallow gossip monger. Surely Margaret would not have believed them had she not found the secret account book. Once this is revealed her husband is condemned out of hand without Margaret stopping to consider what other reasons the money might be being paid out for.
The second is that, in terms of morality, Margaret went from one extreme to the other. She felt that the only person she could turn to was a man she didn’t love and who would ruin her reputation whilst at the same time she would be discarding her husband and her child. Her child is hardly mentioned as a factor before she made her decision to leave the house. She doesn’t seem to think there is any point in staying and fighting the situation. Her moral correctness, earlier in the day mocked by Lord Darlington, just gives way entirely.
The wit in the first two acts, unless you count the satire of the shallowness of the upper class society was overshadowed by the maliciousness of the gossip and unfortunate outcome of the misunderstandings which had the potential to ruin lives forever. I did like the wittiness of the Duchess describing kangaroos in various scenarios as well as the whole situation surrounding her daughter and the Australian gentleman.
I noticed that Oscar Wilde dedicated this play to ‘Robert, 1st Earl of Lytton,’ who, as well as being a statesman, also wrote poetry under the pseudonym ‘Owen Meredith.’ I found an interesting connection to the plot of the play in this extract of his biography in Wikipedia.’ Lytton was the son of the novelists Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton and Rosina Doyle Wheeler (who was the daughter of the early women's rights advocate Anna Wheeler). His uncle was Sir Henry Bulwer. His childhood was spoiled by the altercations of his parents, who separated acrimoniously when he was a boy.
However, Lytton received the patronage of John Forster – an influential friend of Leigh Hunt, Charles Lamb, Walter Savage Landor, and Charles Dickens – who was generally considered to be the first professional biographer of 19th century England.
Lytton's mother, who lost access to her children, satirised his father in her 1839 novel Cheveley, or the Man of Honour. His father subsequently had his mother placed under restraint, as a consequence of an assertion of her insanity, which provoked public outcry and her liberation a few weeks later. His mother chronicled this episode in her memoirs.
After being taught at home for a while, he was educated in schools in Twickenham and Brighton and thence Harrow, and at the University of Bonn.’
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Thank you for that interesting bit of information, Trev! It seems pretty clear from whence came Wilde's inspiration!
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The first was the viciousness of the gossip within this upper class circle even amongst friends . . . The second is that, in terms of morality, Margaret went from one extreme to the other...."
I completely agree! I think gossip and rumors play a significant role in the play, and Wilde is exposing sway they hold over the actions of the upper class.
I had mentioned before that I was bothered by Lady Windermere's unconcern for her child as she was making her decision to leave her husband. I had not, however, connected it to her previous assertions about her character. After you pointed it out, I remembered that she characterized herself as a "Puritan" when talking to Lord Darlington, defending her moral rectitude. Then she, as you said, is ready to chuck it away without a second thought to basically become a fallen woman!
I guess, as we get into the other plays, we shall see if Wilde sees all women as this fickle and shallow in their principles.
I initially thought Lady Windermere was very young from the mention of her birthday and she certainly has the ideals of a young person. I could see someone of her age making a rash decision, particularly in response to the idea that all husbands in London have women on the side. In response to that, Lord Darlington's passion would be very convincing of some alternative, no matter how remote or unrealistic.I'm also not surprised that leaving her child would be easier for her than we might think today. In addition to the lack of legal rights, a woman of her position would probably have had staff minding the child. Her interactions with a six-month-old might have been fairly limited.
As for Mrs. Erlynne, I suspected that was the situation from the end of Act I. She clearly wasn't a mistress and there was a mention of her giving everything up 20 years earlier. The pieces seemed to fit together.
One other thing that stood out was Lord Darlington's attitude in the opening scene as opposed to Act Two. From his witty banter and carefree attitude, I read him as a stand-in for Wilde himself. If we consider a queer perspective on the play, Darlington is a much more interesting character. He emphasizes his bad qualities, which others disbelieve or find charming, while supposedly pining after the virtuous Lady Windermere. He has a close enough relationship with her that he is calling on her alone, which no one finds strange, and his own bachelorhood can be explained by his love for an unattainable woman. I haven't started Act Three yet, but I'm interested to see how he responds when his expressions of love are actually returned.
Finally re-read the first two acts, and though some moments are funny, it sometimes sounds like a collection of Wilde quotations.I think Lady Windermere is 21, as this was the coming-of-age then. Though she is obviously quite naive, I wouldn´t want my husband to cheat on my either, especially as Lord Windermere is not trusting enough to tell his wife who Mrs. Erlynne really is, which must make the superficial accusations of the others plausible for her.
Joe wrote: "From his witty banter and carefree attitude, I read him as a stand-in for Wilde himself. If we consider a queer perspective on the play, Darlington is a much more interesting character...."Quite a good article with lots of artifacts from the British Museum says:
Most of his audiences would have expected Mrs Erlynne to be a tragic character desperate to escape the shadows of her past; instead, she is essentially the heroine of the piece, and gloriously quick-witted too (view spoiler) In this she looks intriguingly like a version of Wilde himself, particularly when you reflect that, like Mrs Erlynne, he too had secrets about his love life: three years after Lady Windermere’s Fan was produced, he was put on trial for having a relationship with a younger man and sentenced to two years in prison.https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victo...
For me, at this point in the play, she is certainly the most interesting character. What is she up to? Blatantly asking Lord W. to dance. Then asking Lord W. to give her what is in essence a dowry. Then, superwoman to the rescue. But Lord Augustus gets the best exit line to end these two acts. Well really, I might be her husband already.
This is a great poster.
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I had the same thought, Joe. I'm sure that for some women at that time, their child was really more like a pet! Something to play with when they were in the mood and banished back to the nursery when they became tiresome. I suppose if you only saw the baby occasionally, leaving it isn't such a hard decision.
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Another thing that struck me about that situation, Michaela, is how old Lord Windermere must be. If Mrs. Erlynne is Lady Windermere's mother, she must be at least fortiesh. Everyone readily seems to believe that he is having an affair with her, so surely he isn't also in his twenties--either that, or she's pretty hot for a cougar! :)
I have had no previous knowledge of the plot of Lady Windermere's Fan but I did catch on to there being a connection between Lady Windermere and Mrs. Erlynne. I have been studying Othello recently so my senses may be heightened to falsehoods being used to manipulate characters into believing their significant other to be untrue. I am presuming that here it is probably just a misconception versus a malicious plot. I immediately was suspicious of the gossip regarding Mrs. Erlynne from the Duchess of Erwick. The fact that Lady Windermere could so easily be persuaded bothered me, but then I thought about Othello being suspicious of Desdemona even though she hadn't done anything wrong. At this point it seems that Lord Windermere's actions were "innocent" and he was probably trying to protect Lady Windermere (or my initial suspicion that it was to be a surprise reunion). I am excited to see where this story goes.
Cindy wrote: "Michaela wrote: "Though she is obviously quite naive, I wouldn´t want my husband to cheat on my either, especially as Lord Windermere is not trusting enough to tell his wife who Mrs. Erlynne really..."Yes, true! I wondered about that too when they mentioned something that lay back 20 years in her life.
This is my first Wilde play. I have seen the movie A Good Woman a few times so I am aware of the basic plot of this play, but it is really good to read the version as seen by the Victorian audience. Movie versions do often make changes and expand the settings from the singular one per act of the play, so one gets a different feel from the play.I agree with Trev that the gossipy and harmful intent stands out more than pure wit so far. The bad intent does set the drama up well, though. This does read quickly and, after this short intermission and a few cocktails, I look forward to returning for the next 2 acts shortly.
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I agree! Aside from her secret relationship to Lady Windermere, I am fascinated by her boldness. She has a lot of chutzpah, to walk into that room with her head high, demanding introductions to the doyennes of society and receiving them! Her brashness takes the day as she leaves the party with several invitations and having completely revised the impression people had of her.
Brian wrote: "I agree with Trev that the gossipy and harmful intent stands out more than pure wit so far. The bad intent does set the drama up well, though. This does read quickly and, after this short intermission and a few cocktails, I look forward to returning for the next 2 acts shortly...."Check out the production with Jennifer Saunders that Cindy linked to. The comedy appears as if by magic.
https://youtu.be/OlVkLimEqNM
Ginny wrote: ".Check out the production with Jennifer Saunders that Cindy linked to. The comedy appears as if by magic.https://youtu.be/OlVkLimEqNM "
Thanks, Ginny and Cindy. I will watch after I finish reading.
By the time I finish the third play on here, I do hope to be able to detect the intended humor myself w/o needing direction from audio or visual prompts For now, though, I still need a bit more experience in the Wilde World, so the prompts are still needed for me to understand Wilde's intent.
Brian wrote: "By the time I finish the third play on here, I do hope to be able to detect the intended humor myself w/o needing direction from audio or visual prompts..."They are plays. That's how they are meant to be enjoyed.
Ginny wrote: "Brian wrote: "I agree with Trev that the gossipy and harmful intent stands out more than pure wit so far. The bad intent does set the drama up well, though. This does read quickly and, after this s..."Am I right in thinking that Jennifer Saunders plays the Duchess? I can imagine her more as the Duchess than Mrs Erlynne.
Trev wrote: "Am I right in thinking that Jennifer Saunders plays the Duchess? I can imagine her more as the Duchess than Mrs Erlynne. ..."You are spot on. And she is brilliant. Comedy is an art. Of timing and expression.
Ginny wrote: "Trev wrote: "Am I right in thinking that Jennifer Saunders plays the Duchess? I can imagine her more as the Duchess than Mrs Erlynne. ..."You are spot on. And she is brilliant. Comedy is an art. ..."
Thank you for letting me know, I will definitely be watching the production some time soon.
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Lord Darlington is calling upon Lady Windermere, and it is quickly made apparent that his feelings for her pass the bounds of friendship. She warns him gently to "stick to his lane" and he makes some obscure remarks that foreshadow her coming troubles. It is only when the Duchess of Berwick calls that Lady Windermere learns of the gossip that is circulating about Lord Windermere and the excessive attention is he showing a particular lady, a Mrs. Erlynne. Her happy world suddenly teeters on its axis.
Upon further investigation (she snoops through his desk) she discovers that her husband has, indeed, been squandering large sums on this particular woman. A confrontation ensues, in which Lord Windermere pleads his innocence, but then outrageously asks his offended wife to invite this woman to her exclusive birthday celebration. She flatly refuses and threatens physical violence if the woman shows up, but Lord Windermere invites her anyway. Act I ends with Lord Windermere intimating that Mrs. Erlynne has some significance in their lives other than as his mistress.
Gossip again comes front and center at the party in Act II. Mrs. Erlynne does attend and is not cowed by the rumors circulating about her. She clearly knows how to work the system, pressuring her men friends to introduce her to prominent ladies. Actually, Lady Windermere's supposed invitation and "acceptance" of Mrs. Erlynne goes a long way to reconciling the other ladies to her presence. What does this say about appearances and herd mentality?
In the midst of Lady Windermere's emotional tumult, Lord Darlington strongly renews his addresses to her, declaring his love and pressuring her to leave Windermere and marry him. I would have thought this would be social suicide on her part--the idea that she could divorce Lord Windermere, marry Lord Darlington, and continue to be accepted by the cream of society would have been a delusion. What do you think? Would she continue to be socially acceptable in this scenario?
Tempted, but unwilling to commit to such a radical move so hastily, she refuses, and Lord Darlington leaves, intending to leave the country on the following day. She is sitting alone and wretched in the shadows when her husband and Mrs. Erlynne enter. Lady Windermere listens in growing indignation as Mrs. Erlynne declares her intention of accepting Lord Augustus's proposal of marriage and demands a settlement from Lord Windermere, who doesn't refuse. This convinces Lady Windermere that her husband is paying off a mistress who is moving on to greener pastures, and she decides to take Lord Darlington up on his offer.
Leaving a note for her husband, she leaves the house. Mrs. Erylnne, seeking her, finds the letter and reads it, and we discover the true relationship between the two women, and also key details of Mrs. Erlynne's early life. She also left her husband for another man, leaving her child behind, and it ruined her life. She devises a plan to try to save Lady Windermere and sets out after her.
What do you think of the play so far? Were you surprised to discover Mrs. Erlynne's relationship to Lady Windermere? We were introduced to a variety of the members of the Windermere's social set--did you like any of these characters?
Oscar Wilde is famed for his witty, memorable lines. Did you notice any in particular that you thought amusing or insightful? Please share them, or any other thoughts you have on these first two acts!