A Woman of No Importance
by Oscar Wilde

Name: A Woman of No Importance
Brand: Oscar Wilde
SKU: 9780713673517
Rating: 3.89 (288 reviews)

A Woman of No Importance Book Cover — A Woman of No Importance Cover

Highlights

British

What readers are saying

Readers appreciate the wit and social critique woven throughout the play, often highlighting its exploration of gender roles and societal norms of the Victorian era. Many find the dialogue clever and engaging, with some noting that the themes remain relevant today. However, some reviews express disappointment with the pacing in the early acts, impacting their overall enjoyment.

Clever and witty dialogueStrong social critiqueEngaging themes about gender rolesSlow start in the first act

Synopsis

Staged in 1893, when Wilde had already achieved fame, wealth andnotoriety, A Woman of No Importance was another attempt to fuse comedyof manners with high melodrama.

Gerald Arbuthnot is a young man on themake, with an American heiress and the post of secretary to thebrilliant but dissolute Lord Illingworth within his reach.

When he askshis mother to celebrate with them, it turns out that Illingworth isGerald's father, who seduced and abandoned his mother twenty yearsearlier.

Loyalty weighs heavier than ambition, and Gerald declines theassociation with Illingworth.

This edition, which also analyses Wilde'svarious drafts and revisions of the play, argues that the playwrighthere continued to explore the rivalry between an older man and womanfor the affection of a beautiful young man.

ThemesEuropean