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Cover of A Woman of No Importance

Classic Fiction

A Woman of No Importance

A mother’s secretive past clashes with high society when her son is offered an irresistible position with a charismatic nobleman.

First published
1893
Length
22,306 words
Reading time
About 1 hr 33 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

During a Victorian high society party, Gerald Arbuthnot is offered a coveted position with Lord Illingworth, a charismatic nobleman. But when Gerald introduces his mother, Mrs. Arbuthnot, to Lord Illingworth, she refuses to give her permission for him to accept the position. Gerald is confused, but Mrs. Arbuthnot is determined to keep her reasons a secret.

A Woman of No Importance explores themes of marriage and morality, and satirizes the hypocrisy of Victorian society. It premiered in London in 1893, and is Oscar Wilde’s second drawing-room play, following his successful Lady Windermere’s Fan .

First published 1893; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 22,306 words arranged in 7 navigable sections.

About the author

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) is described by Wikidata as Irish poet, playwright, and aesthete (1854-1900), with citizenship or national association recorded as United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Ireland, United Kingdom, and France.

Recorded occupations include poet, playwright, short story writer, children's writer, novelist, and writer. Languages recorded for Oscar Wilde include English, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, and German. The structured record associates Oscar Wilde with Aestheticism and Decadent movement. Wikidata lists The Importance of Being Earnest, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Canterville Ghost, The Soul of Man under Socialism, and The Ballad of Reading Gaol among Oscar Wilde's notable works. Open Library identifies The Picture of Dorian Gray as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 5546 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, Children’s Stories, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories, Poetry, and The Importance of Being Earnest under Oscar Wilde's authorship.