A Woman of No Importance - Oscar Wilde

A Woman Of No Importance was written in a time when women had little or no place in the world, politically. Lord Illingworth, a womanising politician demonstrates this through his tendancies to leave women 'fallen'. The tale of Rachel Arbuthnot, a single mother in the 1890s, trying to teach her son, Gerald, of the evils of the world has her life torn apart when Lord Illingworth throws the ultimate spanner into the ultimate works. Thus leaving the ...
...the themes of the play. A Woman Of No Importance is ideal more as a project rather than night-time reading as research on the late nineteenth century and on Wilde himself, is highly recommeneded in order to fully understand the deeper meanings of Wilde's work.

Despite being written to be viewed by 19th century middle class women, the play still continues to entertain a wide variety of audiences, both as reading and as a play. Wildes ... more

A Woman Of No Importance was written in a time when women had little or no place in the world, politically. Lord Illingworth, a womanising politician demonstrates this through his tendancies to leave women 'fallen'. The tale of Rachel Arbuthnot, a single mother in the 1890s, trying to teach her son, Gerald, of the evils of the world has her life torn apart when Lord Illingworth throws the ultimate spanner into the ultimate works. Thus leaving the middle class family closer than he had ever intended.

On first reading, this book seems to be soley an outstanding play, but on more intense reading, the many levels and the many themes Wilde involves leave the reader astounded. With refrences to the political state of Middle Class England at the time Wilde wrote this play as well as many other aspects of England and the position of women, Wilde cunjures up all sorts of images, and forces us to question what is important, or WHO is important... and why.

I would highly reccoment this book, My first Wilde play which left me gagging for more. Undoubtedly one of the best pieces of 19th Century literature i have read.

However, contextual knowlodge is almost essential to fully understand all of the themes of the play. A Woman Of No Importance is ideal more as a project rather than night-time reading as research on the late nineteenth century and on Wilde himself, is highly recommeneded in order to fully understand the deeper meanings of Wilde's work.

Despite being written to be viewed by 19th century middle class women, the play still continues to entertain a wide variety of audiences, both as reading and as a play. Wildes choice of characters, ranging from the aesthetic, selfish Illingworth, to the truthful, meaningful 'puritan' that is Hester allows many different people from many different backgrounds to relate to one character or another. Wilde has truly created a masterpiece in A Woman Of No Importance 

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