In the 19th century, women were underprivileged in the Victorian society. Even though Queen Victoria held the authority of the England and reigned over the country for more than twenty years, her royal status did not free the women’s repression. On the contrary, Queen Victoria’s royal image strengthened the power of the family as she established a virtuous and benevolent royal mother image in her reign by nurturing 9 children. Hence, the Victorian women’s condition did not have too many changes as the society still followed the conventional doctrines. Therefore, if there was any space that women could make a difference, it would be in the novels and dramas. Living in that conventional and strict society, Wilde refused to compromise to the Victorian doctrines. As the chief editor of The Women’s World, Wilde cared diligently and observed carefully the needs of women. His insistence of persuading the publisher to change the name of the magazine The Lady’s World to The Women’s
World somehow proved that Wilde had a wider and sharper vision for women because
he noticed the emerging class of educated women was becoming a new force in the society. Moreover, Wilde was greatly being influenced by his mother; in addition, he had good friendships with many women writers. As a feminist friendly writer, Wilde possibly wanted to raise the attention of the Victorians about the women issue.
Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance are two famous plays of
Wilde in his four comedies. Before Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being
Earnest were published, these two plays drew heavy issues on mother images and
represented the new fashionable woman image. After analyzing the historical background of the Victorian age, one thing could never get out of my attention is the diversity of Wilde’s main female characters. They are so unique and special that the
- 86 -
charms of the characters flow out naturally. Mrs. Erlynne and Mrs. Arbuthnot—a courtesan socializes in the upper society and a single lady involving in the charity—perform different types of women that differ from the ideal and typical Victorian woman images. Their existences not only break through the restriction of the Victorian women, but also enhance another color in the theatrical drama history.
These two characters, ignoring other people’s critique and sight, develop their own individualities and uncover their desires.
The repression of the Victorian woman that the patriarchal society gave explains the pressure and restrictions which have already consolidated for hundreds of years by the society. Even though this frame is related to Queen Victoria’s policy and the religious atmosphere, the reason that the repression could still be operated is because of the patriarchal society’s arbitrary attitude towards the women. Nevertheless, Wilde, deeply being influenced by his mother, encouraged women to express themselves by leading the woman magazine in this age and put the subverting elements in the gender issue in his works: not only in the plays, but also in the prose and novels. Wilde’s actions might be dangerous in his time as to be viewed as the defiance to the society especially he is a man and an Irish. However, neglecting his sensible identity, he talked what he wanted to talk, rather being directly but subtly hidden with implications in his works. Wilde’s life philosophy could be found in the lines of his plays. Being a talented man who dared to say “I have nothing to declare except my genius” (Morris 1) to the custom when entering to America, he was wild enough to challenge the society and the system. Never to mention about his dressing style in the Victorian age, this talented dandy feared nothing. Such a special and unique author, how could his characters be boring and typical under his pen? Without any reversion, Wilde’s work is not Wildean anymore. Therefore, Mrs. Erlynne remains her mysterious identity in front of her daughter, refusing to fulfill the responsibility as a
- 87 -
mother, while Mrs. Arbuthnot remains her single identity, refusing to marry Lord Illingworth to complete an “ideal family.”
The ending scenes in both plays are like two potential bombs which explode further in the Victorian stereotype values in which the Victorians viewed as the standard. Abandoning the formula like what Mrs. Erlynne said in the play, “Oh, don’t imagine I am going to have a pathetic scene with her, weep on her neck and tell her who I am, and all that kind of thing” (Act IV, p.60), Wilde surely avoided of copying the predictable ending of his play, as he allowed his characters to speak without scruples to erase any possibility of this kind of ending. In A Woman of No Importance, Gerald’s thought represents the main trend of the Victorian values that a family is consists of father, mother and child. However, Mrs. Arbuthnot’s perspective fights against with this conventional standard. The resolute attitude of Mrs. Arbuthnot rejecting the marriage is actually stunning as she shows no sign that she is actually a tough woman in the previous scenes. She tenderly persuades and begs Gerald to give up the job, wrapping up her own experience as someone’s story to detect Gerald’s heart but fails. All these actions prove that she is a woman who has a soft and kind heart. But, Mrs. Arbuthnot’s last fight might be too powerful to the Victorians.
Although she does not wholly persuade Gerald, she wins Hester’s approval. Who would think of her last debate be that strong and energetic with straight persistence?
One of the significant reasons that Eltis brings out for recognizing Lady
Windermere’s Fan to be such an extraordinary play in the Victorian age is because
Wilde ingeniously uses the ordinary elements of the dramas to strongly operate a micro-revolution:
Lady Windermere’s Fan is thus a far more radical and coherent play than it is
generally judged to be. Through painstaking, detailed revision, Wilde used the plot mechanisms and characters of the traditional dramas of the fallen woman- 88 -
and delinquent mother to challenge the values on which those dramas were based. Lady Windermere’s Fan is heavily indebted to other contemporary plays, yet Wilde did not simply borrow material but inverted and subverted it to produce a considerably more complex and revolutionary play than those of his predecessors. (92-93)
A bad mother as the character in the play is nothing novel, but as a characteristic and unique character, Mrs. Erlynne’s choice and perspectives are quite new to the Victorian audience and critics. This unconventional female character exists as a milestone to the Victorian plays. Eltis continues that “Wilde’s radical subversion of dramatic conventions was not just a comment on the popular drama of his contemporaries, for the implications of Lady Windermere’s Fan reach beyond the stage itself” (93). Therefore, the effects of this play seemed to extend more in the Wilde’s age, bringing a new viewpoint to the Victorians, also a new exit to the Victorian women. “The relevance of Wilde’s comedy to contemporary society was emphasized by the elaborately realistic detail of the scenery and costumes; the characters on stage were to mirror those in the audience” (93). On the other hand, Mrs.
Arbuthnot’s special decision also stunned the Victorian critics as they had never seen this kind of woman before.
Wilde’s intention of criticizing the social constructive structure is no doubt revealed in Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance, but on what layer he tries to subvert the conventional structure is another thing we should carefully pay attention to. In my opinion, I consider that Wilde tends to provide another perspective for the Victorian women, but he chooses to expose that exit in an obscure way. There are two obvious proofs manifest how Wilde just intentionally raise up a micro-revolution instead of throwing shocking bombs to demolish the rooted Victorian patriarchal system. Mrs. Erlynne, according to the research in the
- 89 -
previous chapters, we know how brave and extraordinary she is, comparing to whether the Victorian typical women or the theatrical female characters in the dramas of the Victorian age; however, this independent woman, urges her daughter to return to the marriage and family. Mrs. Erlynne herself is the one who mocks the family structure and is the one who walks away from the structure, but she wants her daughter to return to the family so that her daughter would be safe. On the other hand;
Mrs. Arbuthnot, who rejects the marriage and prefers to stay in the single condition, happily tells Gerald that she finds him a wife. Both of the mother characters in the plays seem to be satisfied when their children are peacefully and stably stay in the so-called safe zone of the patriarchal society. These two endings of Wilde’s dramas are really unpredictable, and they prove that Wilde’s plays reveal micro-revolution instead of trying to have a total subversion. It is only a miniscule revolution because if Wilde is speaking for the individualists, he could let Lady Windermere run away from home, or could let Lady Windermere change to a woman like Mrs. Erlynne. This kind of ending scene would be more shocking and rebellious. But, instead of showing that, Wilde depicts the love of mother-daughter relationship. On the other hand, Mrs.
Arbuthnot could just have a peaceful and happy life with her son Gerald, she would not have to say that she finds a wife for Gerald with relief. Mrs. Arbuthnot enjoys being single, but she still wants Gerald to form a family. Therefore, it would be a bit too arbitrary to conclude that Wilde is actually attacking the patriarchal system. I would rather take Wilde’s works as the awareness of women for the Victorian women than as the riot to the society. After all, gently stirring the water on the surface is more attractive for the people to be curious about what is under the surface, rather than just rudely dry up the water to take a look of what the under thing is.
Wilde gently reveals the love of the mothers towards their children, but exposes sharply the conflicts between mother and children. Wilde’s plays show the paradox of
- 90 -
love and sacrifice. People would think sacrifice equals to love, but Wilde’s characters choose not to blindly sacrifice themselves. They want their sacrifice to be meaningful instead of a tool of utility. The sacrifice of a mother should be the maternal will rather than to be the repression of the emotions. In the plays, Mrs. Erlynne and Mrs.
Arbuthnot’s sacrificing behaviors are voluntary instead of being forced. Their sacrifice is spontaneous and symbolizes the love from mothers. However, Wilde also points out that mothers are individuals. They should have the right to enjoy their life instead of being tied up with the children for a lifetime. Mother’s individual thoughts could be the main reason to affect their choices. As an individual, mother’s personal pursuit and need should be seen. Mrs. Erlynne and Mrs. Arbuthnot stand for another mother models for the Victorian women, these two characters provide another exit for the Victorian women.