lady windermeres fan context + critics Flashcards
Explain the definition of a fallen woman
Describes a woman who has fallen from the grace of God + lost their ‘innocence’
What does Small say about morality?
“The appearance of morality + purity must be maintained at all costs”
What does Nestruck say about the fan?
“A fan drops + it seems to carry the weight of a woman falling?
What else can you refer to in reference to the fallen woman + eve
Refer to when Eve ate the apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge, bringing evil into the world
What can you say about Pandora’s box in ref to the fallen woman?
Refer to how Pandora was given a box, told not to open it but she did + brought evil into the world
What do the 2 stories tell us about the way women would be viewed? How does this link to lady windermeres fan?
Society has been taught that women are to blame for evil + corruption
In lwf, women are blamed for the fall of their innocence + viewed as nuisances
Which class do the characters in the play belong to?
Upper class, Victorian society
Who says the appearance of morality must be maintained?
Small
What does Wilde mock about the upper class society?
Wilde satirises the hypocrisy of upper class society
Who says “out w the whale boned corset”?
Bragg
In what way might there be a link between Wilde and Mrs Erlynne?
Mrs Erlynne had to conceal her true identity from society, in a similar way, Wilde, being homosexual and Irish, had to do the same
What is a dandy?
A man who places particular importance on physical appearance + grooming? (Darlington + Wilde)
What was the Aesthetic Movement?
Promotes the cult of beauty + pleasure - aimed to escape the ugliness of materialism by producing beautiful, meaningful art
What’s ‘art for arts sake’?
The beauty of fine arts is reason enough for pursuing them
What does Bose say about women?
“Wilde mocks society’s confinement of women, fallen or not, into prescribed rolls”
