Life, 1893-02-23 · page 10 of 16
Life — February 23, 1893 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine - "Lady Windermere's Fan" Review (Page 122) This page reviews Oscar Wilde's play "Lady Windermere's Fan," performed in America. The article critiques the work for its focus on upper-class English society and "fleshly element," noting concerns that a clergyman's wife might hesitate recommending it to young ladies in her Bible class. The dialogue snippet ("She: I made a great mistake in marrying you to reform you") satirizes marital dynamics in Wilde's social comedy. The accompanying illustrations depict scenes from the play showing Victorian-era characters in drawing rooms. The critic acknowledges the play has enough plot interest but finds Mr. Palmer's theatrical company's performance somewhat lacking, though notes the ensemble work compensates for weaker individual performances.
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AY’ clergyman’s wife who wishes to take the young ladies of her Bible class to witness a play, would better select something other than Mr. Oscar Wilde's “ Lady Winder- mere’s Fan.” The young ladies would doubtless be interested, but their interest would not be of an alto- gether healthful and innocence-in- creasing kind. In all of Mr. Wilde's literary at- tempts the fleshly element has been given more than due prominence, and the play now before the American public is no exception to his rule. His theme is the nastiness of English Wa eee EL y KEPT HER WORD. ‘So THAT Is SHE! BUT I ONCE HEARD HER SAY SHE WOULD NEVER MARRY A MAN WHO MADE A LIVING RY WORKING.” “WELL, SHE DIDN'T, SHE MARRIED AN ARTIST."* upper-class life, and he handles it with a frankness which leaves little to the imagination. Mr. Wilde is in a position to know whereof he writes. Whether he looks at his sub- ject through jaundiced eyes, or is only reproducing one section of the world in which he lives, the picture is an in- teresting one, and its truthfulness seems to be well backed up by what the American public reads about English society in the English prints. Considered simply as a play, “ Lady Windermere’s Fan” possesses quite enough plot to engage the interest thoroughly from beginning to end. The effort to introduce the author's aphorisms is apparent in a good many places, and delays the action to some extent, but the situations are striking, and the climaxes, if not altogether effective, are at least novel. Mr. Wilde's character drawing is sadly marred by the in- efficiency of Mr. Palmer's company. To start with, the ma- vou: ou ° wee with recruits from any other stock company in New York. He: Wuy, Ua CHANGED MAN! Many of the parts are well taken, but stock company work is ‘She: Bur YOUR FAULTS WERE THE ONLY THINGS oF INTeREst tO be judged, not by the excellence of some individuals, but ABOUT YOU. by the harmony of the whole. In this play several of the comicbooks.com