Lady Windermere's Fan (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays) - Softcover

Oscar Wilde

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486400786 ISBN 13: 9780486400785

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2011

Synopsis

Clever dialogue, fast-paced repartee, and pithy epigrams abound in this sparkling Victorian comedy of manners. The first of Oscar Wilde's dramas, the 1892 play attests to the author's legendary reputation as a wit and keen observer of ironic situations. In Lady Windermere's Fan, Wilde offers a splendidly satirical view of society's obsessive regard for appearances rather than reality.
A paragon of morality, Lady Windermere firmly rejects the company of anyone exhibiting even the slightest deviation from the social code. Suspecting her husband of a dalliance with Mrs. Erlynne, a woman of dubious reputation, Lady Windermere rashly decides to abandon her secure position for the seductive charms of Lord Darlington. The voice of caution arises from an unexpected source when the mysterious Mrs. Erlynne reveals the calamitous effects of her own disregard for duty and virtue, and she augments her advice with an act of self-sacrifice. By laying claim to Lady Windermere's telltale fan, the woman from outside society shows the model of social propriety the difference between true morality and its semblance.
More than a century after the play's debut, the luster of its humorous quips, merry bon mots, and thought-provoking paradoxes remains undimmed. This modestly priced edition of Wilde's scintillating comic masterpiece will delight lovers of drama and literature.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The irreverent satire that launched Wilde's succession of classical comedies. A Lord, his wife, her admirer and an infamous blackmailer converge in this delicious comic feast of scandal. A divinely funny comedy of good girls, bad husbands and the moral hypocrisy of British high society in the late nineteenth century.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring:

Gina Field as Lady Agatha Carlisle

Judy Geeson as Lady Plymdale

Joanna Going as Lady Windermere

Arthur Hanket as Mr. Cecil Graham

Lisa Harrow as Mrs. Erlynne

Dominic Keating as Mr. Hopper

Miriam Margolyes as The Duchess of Berwick

Roger Rees as Lord Windermere

Eric Stoltz as Lord Darlington

James Warwick as Lord Augustus Lorton

Tom Wheatley as Parker

Directed by Michael Hackett. Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

About the Author:

Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) remains best known for his comedies of the 1890s, including The Importance of Being Earnest, and for his tragic imprisonment and untimely death.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0486400786
• ISBN 13: 9780486400785
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64