Lady Windermere's Fan

Lady Windermere's Fan
by Oscar Wilde

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From Library Journal
In this audio, a capable cast portrays Victorian gentry in the London of 1892 with sly humor and skill. Laughter from the audience (nicely subdued by the sound engineer) greets Wilde's epigrams and delightful nonsense, e.g., "I can resist everything but temptation." A slight plot entails a shady woman's blackmail, suspicions of infidelity, and some melodrama. Purists following Wilde's polished text will miss the Duchess drinking disgusting mineral water to feign illness; Lady Windermere's relief over her husband's innocent checkbook before breaking into his incriminating one; and aphorisms like "nothing looks so like innocence as an indiscretion" and "Repentance is quite out of date," etc. Still, the producer gives a welcome introduction to a classic. Hearing a comedy of manners done so cleverly, compared to merely reading the script, adds enjoyment. Recommended where audio dramas circulate well.
-Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Odd that the notoriously unconventional British wits Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward should write such conventional schmaltz as the latter's BRIEF ENCOUNTER and the former's FAN. At least Wilde flavored his saccharine melodrama with the epigrammatic gems that have kept it stageworthy. The morally supercilious Lady Windermere comes to believe her husband has begun an adulterous affair with an older woman of bad reputation. But a mitigating secret lies in the ostracized woman's true identity. This production, taped before a live audience, begins too hurriedly but eventually finds its pace. The nonpareil Miriam Margolyes excels in a comic supporting role, while lead Roger Rees does not rev up until the second act and Joanna Going is a particularly annoying Lady W. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Description
Lady Windermere's Fan is a comedy by Oscar Wilde, originally produced as a play at London's St. James Theatre in 1892. Lady Windermere's Fan is a satire about marriage and morals in Victorian society and is about a woman who discovers that her husband is having an affair. Lady Windermere finds that her husband has invited his lover, Mrs. Erlynne, to his wifes birthday ball. Lady Windermere decides to leave her husband for another, but is persuaded by Mrs. Erlynne to get back with her husband and save the marriage. This is an excellent publication for those who are fans of the writings of Oscar Wilde and those who are interested in works dealing with Victorian society.

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There is not a GOOD woman in London who would not applaud me. We have been too lax. We must make an example. I propose to begin to-night. [Picking up fan.] Yes, you gave me this fan to-day; it was your birthday present. If that woman crosses my threshold, I shall strike her across the face with it.

The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
Comedy of manners in four acts by Oscar Wilde, performed in 1892 and published the following year. Set in London, the play's action is put in motion by Lady Windermere's jealousy over her husband's interest in Mrs. Erlynne, a beautiful older woman with a mysterious past. Unknown to Lady Windermere, Mrs. Erlynne is really her divorced mother who, for the past 20 years, has been presumed dead. Lord Windermere is merely hoping to ease the older woman's reentrance into society, which she attempts under a pseudonym. In a fit of pique, Lady Windermere goes to the rooms of her ardent admirer, Lord Darlington. Mrs. Erlynne follows closely, saving her daughter from scandal by an act of generosity that ruins her own chances.

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