Gender Roles in Wildes Lady Windermeres Fan - Essay Example

Gender Roles in Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan The genius of Oscar Wilde shines through his play, ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ is a pleasure for readers of all generations. It is one of the best plays in the history of English literature, which entertains and intrigues the reader. Set around the plot of an impending marriage break, the family of Lord and Lady Windermere is projected to be the elite class of Victorian society that believes in a certain code of conduct and reputation to define the affluence or social stature of a person. The rumor that Lord Windermere is having an affair with a certain Mrs. Erlynne starts the story on a note of suspicion, and as the play unfolds, we see twists and turns which solve, create, and again solve new problems. The most consistent factor all through these twists in the story is the sharing of ideologies that challenged and supported Victorian principles of aristocracy in the society.   Themes Wilde was targeting the upper middle class and fashionable audience, through showing the play in St. James. The author also accurately illustrates the map of the play’s geographical world through illustrations of; Curzon Street and Grosvener Square. Peter Raby has also described the Lady Windermere’s Fan as an excellent example of successful dramatic techniques, which entails the seriousness and the juxtaposition of the comic. Oscar Wilde is considered a modernist, whose applies modern aesthetics to lead him into the mass culture realm. The personal attitude and aesthetics of the author, was illustrated in his writing of the Lady Windermere’s Fan. Aestheticism facets in this work; distorts meaning on the surface, reject the idea of the authentic self, and concentrates on female aesthetes plus women of fashion. Describing Wilde as a modernist because of his literary work, Lady Windermere’s Fan, can effectively enable us know the differences existing between the high society and the mass culture. Wilde illustrates this through his modern aesthetics in the ornamentals surface of the elite society and also fashion. The fan that effectively integrates the play’s scenes illustrates a traditional modesty symbol, and at the same time reveals the modern infidelity current (Konig 13). Societal representation It is through the use of appropriately timed dialogues which provide insightful glimpses of the nineteenth century Victorian London and its social practices. The sarcasm that Wilde drops in the ballroom conversations, and the sudden hints of candor are spectacular and highly interesting as each dialogue makes a significant contribution towards the plot of the play. There are significant social messages that have been put forward by the writer through his silent satirical presentation of characters and their thoughts. Amongst the messages that the writer puts forward, depiction of the New Woman as was perceived in the Victorian times, is one aspect that is consistent to all the scenes of the play. Let us start from the very first scene. Lady Windermere is a modern educated woman who has recently heard that her husband is rumored to be in a relationship with an outside lady, whose demeanor and reputation is said to be inferior to the elite class of London. Women, who existed during the Victorian period, were not expected to be found in the late hours of night or visiting the clubs meant for men alone. The Grip from Begin: Right from Act I, when Lady Windermere points out serious breaches in conduct of an aristocratic woman, on the basis of what she has heard of Mrs. Erlynne reveals these aspects of womanhood. The ego of the New Woman in Lady Windermere, prompts her to take her own decisions and react to the association by creating one of her own. She decides to keep to the revenge and move out of the house and start a new life with Lord Darlington. In all the situations, her character performs to the expectations of the society. Through Mrs. Erlynne’s character, Wilde has proved that the Victorian understanding of the New Woman is not all right. A New Woman need not always be stubborn or self-opinionated. Shecan be selfish to the same extent as the society, but be intelligent and attractive at the same time. The entire showcase of Mrs. Erlynne’s character is directed towards this goal. A pertinent question here is what brings about this inclusion of the concept of New Women in Wilde’s play? To understand this we have to go back in time and develop a clear understanding of what the scenario was at the time of writing of this play. Brief Look into History: Wilde was in active collaboration with the Women’s World during the 1880s (Wareham, 292). He was acting as the editor of the magazine and during the course of the work, he had come across all the fakeness of womanly fashion and sarcasm. It was only natural that Wilde, using his own imagination created a plot in which he had to share these rare insights of woman nature and the overall understanding of womanhood that he had learnt about in these years. Through the play however, the picture of a modern woman that we get is not entirely resonant with the then prevalent concept of New Woman. In fact, Wilde has succeeded in portraying women one step ahead of what the ideal concept was.   The most natural understanding that women are socially and psychologically weaker than men was always rampant in society. The New Woman concept that had started doing the rounds tried to prove women in stronger positions and capacities. What Wilde has done is created a plot that showcased the social stigma that women held for some of these New Women, who were much ahead of their times. His depiction although done with a hyperbole, had a touch of revolt towards Victorian definitions of femininity. It was like placing women characters in professions and scenes which were otherwise considered suitable for only men (ex: political discussions and meetings, legal job, etc...). Main Female protagonists in the Play and What They Teach Us Mrs. Erlynne had to do all the things to survive the brunt of bad luck in her life and in the process, she had developed ways which were very rightfully those of a New Woman, one who can talk and think like men. Her political awareness and her dignified demeanor, all indicate the kind of strength in character that the educated sarcasm of Wilde demanded out of the fake women in society around him. And to familiarize the audience with this, Lady Windermere is seen addressing her husband and accosting him for having fallen for a lady of inferior grade. She outlines to her husband that the true education of a woman shows in her choice of relationships, and apparently, Mrs. Erlynne, with no background or repute lacks both. According to Lady Windermere, a woman is the one who defines finesses, grace, cleverness and homestay mixed with social etiquette in the family. She is not to be considered a person who should stay at home and not embrace freedom especially when she is being given a chance to do so as in the case of her husband. Victorian definitions of femininity never considered that a woman could walk out of her marriage. But through Lady Winderemere, Wilde expresses this desire of many in the upper class society who wished to break free from the bonds of marriage, for valid reasons of having unfaithful husbands. All through the drama, and especially in its climax, a gripping tone of secrecy is present. The reader finds himself all set in a mystery land where even though he knows all the real versions of the stories in different scenes, the characters involved in the play do not, giving everyone a sense of suspense. Even during her discussions with her husband, and Mrs. Erlynne’s revelation of truth and confession to the audience, we are shown a woman who is capable of secrecy and love, which she may not want to reveal to all. In case of Mrs. Erlynne, it was the love for her daughter, Lady Windermere who had grown up knowing her mother was dead. In case of Lady Windermere, it was her deep love for her husband that left her hurt when rumors surfaced, pushing her to take the extreme decision of trying to break her own home and move out to live with Lord Darlington. All these depictions of secrecy were new to the audience of the nineteenth century English drama, as till then society had considered women not as smart as was portrayed in the play. By the end of the play, we start to like and revere Mrs. Erlynne for her smartness and understanding. Thus, through its storyline and different pathbreaking dialogues, the play depicts a situation wherein the women in the audience are left feeling inspired to break open the shell of social stigma. Societal values that have been shown in the play revolve around the Victorian times when aristocracy meant clean reputation and highly respectable and reserved demeanor even in the loudest of parties and balls. Lady Windermere, the hostess of the ball, is depicted to be one adhering to these highly maintained norms, who cannot tolerate or understand women acting as selfish as Mrs. Erlynne would. Lord Windermere, is further perplexed by the truth and twists and is foolishly blackmailed by Mrs. Erlynne, wherein he pays her hefty amounts of money to keep a harsh truth and disrepute from ruining his family and his wife’s life. However, the most important lesson in societal values (Konig, 9) that Mrs. Erlynne herself teaches everyone is the need to retain the truth from loved ones, especially when you know it would do them harm. The fact that this play’s main character is the lady who is depicted as a negative person right from the start, makes the play an even more interesting plot. The historical element that one finds in all these respects is the fact that in spite of showing a woman who handles disrepute and grace with an adept hand, the womanly side of Mrs. Erlynne’s nature, where she embraces disrepute to save her daughter’s marriage, makes the audience familiar with how strongly women feel for their children. There is no doubt that while she is looking for a strong foothold in society and wants general acceptance (Wilde, 11), her maternal instincts make her take a risk that could have turned otherwise. Therefore, by the end of Act III, the play becomes a celebration of womanly genius and sacrifice, which is an angle that was amiss in late nineteenth century plays back then. Analysis of Gender Identity Wilde wrote in duration where the honored issues of marriage and also relations between the opposite sexes, were being continuously challenged. This essay illustrates that Wilde’s themes are still relevant in the present gender issues. Gender entails representation of sex of a human being, with an emphasis on cultural and social differentiations, as opposed to biological differences of the sexes. In the 21st century, gender is considered to be a changeable social aspect, which is not determined through biological features. The common belief during the duration of Wilde’s writing explained that gender was determined through the sex of a person; and, therefore, there was a normal or natural manner of the opposite sexes to act. During the mid 1800s it was improper to speak of the superiority of a particular sex; this is because each sex is unique and has characteristics which the opposite sex does not have (Wilde, 1940). A commonly held opinion during the time of writing the literature was that, men are active agents who expend energy; while women are sedentary, who store and conserve energy. The Victoria illustrated the connection between behavior and sex, and hence described the gender norms. The sex of a man illustrates that he will develop biologically taller characteristics, than the women. The male sex also illustrates that man will expend energy and be dynamic. Therefore, men and women were supposed to pursue different and unique roles in the society. Men generally dominated the decision making roles in legal, economic and political aspects of the society. Women’s roles in the society were generally considered for arrangement, decision and sweet ordering. When women try to participate in politics, roles reserved for men, they are seen as ineffectual (Harris, 1941). Mrs. Erylnne in Lady Windermere’s Fan represents a greater identifiable new woman. She has the ability of participating in male environments with a lot of ease; thereby advising Lady Windermere in the male environment of the Lord Darlington’s Room. Her discourse resembled that of the males. She illustrates that she can participate in male discussion, due to her great political awareness. Mrs. Erylnne is seen as a dignified and beautifully dressed woman. Inn using this image of the woman, Wilde has tried to challenge the audience’s perception of gender; by illustrating that women can be intelligent and attractive at the same time. However, the characteristics create a challenge for Mrs. Erylnne. This is because she had to forget her past, and live selfishly, according to the demands of the society. Wilde winds the play where Mrs. Erylnne becomes engaged to the Lord Augustus. Even though she doesn’t perform mother roles, she effectively fulfils the role of a wife. The wife roles ensure that she conforms to some aspects of her gender norms (Fortunato, 2004). Conclusion Thus, the play Lady Windermer’s Fan redefines gender roles in society by portraying women who are family oriented and social, but much stronger in intentions and actions.  Therefore, in a society where considering women capable of discussing manly topics like economy, politics, or law was unheard of, the play provided desirable qualities in its female characters, and portrayed tem in appositive manner to society. The approach used by the writer mainly focuses on the showcase of such women as elements of a new societal force which is capable of doing well to society and contributing significantly to its goals. In a world that only relied on its men folk for intellectual and strategic thinking, this approach served to change the stringent mindset of the nineteenth century audience and keep the focus on building a harmonious society that gave equal respect to well-known and little known women in society.  The fact that at the end of the movie we find Mrs. Erlynne happily accepted by the man she intends to marry and settle down with in future, and this is where Wilde with his impressionistic technique leaves the audience in a mindset that is more accepting to the mistakes of women and their redemption and acceptance, to degrees equal to how men are forgiven for their follies and accepted. Bibliography Fortunato, Paul. Lady Windermere's Fan: Modernist Aesthetics Meets the Aesthetics of Fashion. Chicago: University of Illinois. 2004. Print. Harris, Frank. Oscar Wilde: His Life & Confessions. New York: Blue Ribbon. 1941. Print. Konig, Christina. Social Criticism in Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. Ravensburg: GRIN Verlag. 2003, Print. Wareham, Hayley. A Common Explanation for the Enduring Popularity of Wilde’s Works is the Apparent modernity of their Themes. An Essay Examining Wilde’s Interrogation of Gender Identity. Innervate. Leading Undergraduate Work in English Studies, Volume 3 (2010-2011), pp. 291-297 Wilde, Oscar. Lady Windermere’s Fan. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 1998, Print. Wilde, Oscar. Lady Windermere's Fan. Published in The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. London: Penguin, 1940. Print. Read More