This essay examines how Oscar Wilde portrays women in his play ‘A Woman of No Importance’ compared to John Fowles’ views of women in ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’. It also considers the notion that Wilde has a more compassionate perspective towards women during his time. The focus of the analysis is on the contrasting depictions of women in Victorian society.
Generally, women were considered inferior to men. However, Wilde expresses compassion for women in his writing, exemplified by his kindness towards Mrs Arbuthnot in the play’s conclusion. On the other hand, John Fowles presents a darker view of women, while evoking sympathy for characters like Sarah Woodruff and highlighting the virtue of others through spiteful characters such as Mrs Poulteney. It is possible that Fowles’ portrayal of women as dark stems from a comparison between women of the 1960s and the supposedly ‘purer’ women of the 1890s.
Wilde’s play ‘A Woman of No Importance’ illustrates the fickleness of women and reflects typical Victorian attitudes towards marginalized women. Lady Caroline, a refined and upper-class character, makes a sarcastic remark to Lady Hunstanton about Mrs Allonby’s questionable relationships with men other than her husband: “Is that the only thing, Jane, Mrs Allonby allows to run away with her?” This remark contains a strong insinuation, in which Wilde employs Lady Caroline’s outspoken nature to satirize and convey the harsh moral and social expectations imposed on women in Victorian society.
The text highlights how Lady Caroline from the English aristocracy in Fowles’ ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ condemns social and moral outcasts, going to the extreme of shaming and castrating any dubious woman to avoid any association with them. This same sentiment is echoed by Ernestina, a wealthy merchant’s daughter who seeks to improve her social status by being with Charles. Ernestina demonstrates her disapproval of Sarah Woodruff, considering her as an outcast or a “ruined woman” within their society, stating, “She is… A little mad. Let us turn. I don’t like to go near her.”
Fowles quickly introduces Ernestina’s unsympathetic perspective to evoke empathy in the reader towards Sarah’s predicament. In a similar vein, Wilde portrays Hester as a vehicle for expressing the harsh judgments against women who have committed sins, stating, “If you met them in the street you would turn your head away.” By employing such emotive language, Wilde reveals how individuals with strong ethical values in Victorian Society would disregard those perceived as beneath them. Nevertheless, I believe that Wilde selected Hester for this purpose due to her youthful innocence.
At the beginning of the play, the author portrays Hester’s perspective as very ‘puritan’ and against anything considered ‘wrong’ in the eyes of god, as indicated by the phrase ‘Let them both be branded’. The word ‘branded’ here represents the expected suffering in hell for women who have sinned in their lives. However, towards the end, Hester’s viewpoint becomes more sympathetic, illustrated by her acceptance and love for Mrs. Arbuthnot’s sin. Hester states, ‘You cannot honour me, unless she’s holier to you. In her all womanhood is martyred.’ By referring to Mrs. Arbuthnot as a ‘martyr’, Hester displays great respect and admiration, viewing her as a sacrifice necessary to bring about societal change. Hester employs religious language to attempt to save the woman rather than condemn her. Wilde uses this drastic shift in perspective to demonstrate how women should be loved and sympathized with for the hardships they face throughout life, rather than being subjected to shame. Additionally, it is worth noting that Lady Caroline does not appear in the play’s conclusion.
Although Wilde presents a changing perspective, he overlooks the characters who would have likely opposed Hester and rejected Mrs. Arbuthnot. This accentuates the contrasting elements of the play, as initially outcast women were met with only negativity, while now there is forgiveness and acceptance. Interestingly, Fowles diverges in his portrayal of outcast women. Sarah is portrayed as a symbol of women’s liberation from moral condemnation, yet there is no indication of any shift in his opinion toward her based on the broader Victorian society.
Throughout the novel, she is constantly labeled as ‘the French Loot’n’nt’s Hoer,’ ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman,’ or ‘Tragedy.’ Fowles consistently portrays her in a negative manner according to societal standards. However, when Fowles characterizes her personality, he presents her as a genuinely kind-hearted woman who excels in discerning the worth of others. This particular trait is often associated with marginalized characters in other Victorian novels and plays, such as Hester’s ability in ‘A Woman of No Importance,’ to observe faults within English society from a fresh perspective untainted by an English upbringing.
Wilde’s focus in the play is on the vulnerability of ruined women, and this is exemplified through the character of Mrs Arbuthnot. Unlike other characters in the play, Mrs Arbuthnot’s history is revealed to the audience, which effectively engages them. This revelation occurs early on in the play when Hester condemns the English, saying “Let all who have sinned be punished.” This moment highlights the fragility of fallen women, as Mrs Arbuthnot’s immediate reaction is one of paranoia, fearing that the conversation is about her. Through this scene, Wilde showcases the vulnerability of fallen women in Victorian society and the challenges they faced in concealing their transgressions.
I believe that Wilde intends for the audience to acknowledge this idea. In contrast, Fowles portrays Sarah as visibly distressed about her past, expressed by her statement ‘I have sinned,’ yet she refuses to conceal it. Instead, she uses it as her defining characteristic throughout the beginning of the novel. Similarly, Wilde highlights the perception of women as possessions in his play. Lady Caroline describes women as ‘other people’s property,’ suggesting that they are treated as belongings, similar to furniture. It is intriguing that Lady Caroline, a powerful and authoritative figure, voices this opinion with such certainty, even providing an example: ‘John, you should have your muffler.’
The same effect is demonstrated through the fact that women have significantly more dialogue throughout the play compared to the few male characters. Wilde’s intention might be to illustrate that women held power over men during the Victorian era and were not as helpless and oppressed as they were often stereotypically perceived at that time. On the other hand, Fowles presents a less personal viewpoint, as shown in Ma Terpsichore’s where girls were “auctioned off” to the highest bidder. He portrays a harsh image of the evident inequality between men and women, where bodies are “contorted” and smiles are “suggestive”.
Fowles utilizes the character of Charles to express his distaste towards the show, highlighting his sympathetic perspective. However, unlike Wilde’s “A Woman of No Importance,” Fowles presents a more severe reality through vivid imagery and forceful language. By portraying Mrs. Poulteny’s obsession with “immorality” and her manipulation of Mrs. Fairley to criticize Sarah’s character, Fowles suggests a moral conflict among women. Mrs. Poulteny takes pleasure in having something “unpleasant to communicate.”
Wilde portrays conflict in opinions among women by presenting two groups: English aristocrats and outcasts. Mrs Arbuthnot and Hester, in particular, are depicted differently from the upper-class ladies due to their ethnicity. Hester, expressing the flaws in English society, uses powerful imagery to evoke disgust from the audience. The ladies in the play do not take kindly to Hester’s comments. The clash of opinions becomes evident when Lady Caroline dismisses Hester’s outburst and asks for her cotton without acknowledging it. This portrays Lady Caroline as ignorant and ethnocentric, challenging the stereotypical expectations of Victorian upper-class women to always act respectfully towards others. Both Wilde and Fowles utilize these conflicts to demonstrate how women from any time or class would typically isolate those with differing opinions from the majority of their era’s society. The conclusion of ‘A Woman of No Importance’ is a cleverly crafted biting satire.
The text describes how the play’s ending brought about a new opportunity for “fallen women” and challenged the idea that they were solely responsible for their misfortunes. The act of Mrs Arbuthnot striking Lord Illingworth with his own glove defied Victorian conventions and revealed a sense of strength and power in women that had previously been concealed. This unexpected act shattered society’s expectations and caused the audience to reevaluate their own beliefs and opinions.
The text suggests that Oscar Wilde’s work provides women of his time with a valuable gift – a feeling of liberation derived from witnessing a condemned woman overcome both men and the oppressive society that confines her. In contrast, Fowles holds a less compassionate perspective towards marginalized women in French Lieutenant’s Woman. He portrays the supposed heroine in a way that leaves her true nature, whether virtuous or ruined, ambiguous and unknowable.
