Lady Windermer's Fan Stereotypes

Lady Windermer’s Fan is a successful, comedy play produced in 1892 by Oscar Wilde. The play portrays a higher-class society, where drama and love fill each characters life. To start off the play multiple characters are introduced and the audience or reader can get a sense of appeal of each individual’s personality. For instance each male character portrayed a certain stereotype of dandyism, which encompassed most of the male style in the late 1800s. Dandyism is defined as a well-dressed man, who may be self-absorbed or wealthy. One character in particular who expresses dandyism is Lord Darlington. From the beginning he portrays a sense of confidence, and wit, when trying to get Lady Windermer’s love. From his style alone we can get a sense

However one main concept to understand is how certain characters are put under these situations or stereotypes by other characters in the story, which is known as position theory. Positioning theory is when a certain individual makes sense of others and their own mind through positioning. This may happen through speech when a certain character describes another in their own terms and thinks they are like those certain characteristics. One example of positioning theory may be from Act three of Mrs. Erylnne and Lady Windermere first encounter with one another. Mrs. Erylnne goes on a rant about how her husband loves her and how lady Windermer must stay with her child no matter what. However Mrs. Erylnne also positions Lady Windermer during her rant when he says “you- why you are a mere girl you would be lost. You haven’t got the kind of brains that enable a women to get back, you have neither wit or courage”(p.33). By doing this Mrs. Erylnne is position Lady Windermer as a weak individual, while in the beginning of the play Lady Windermer positions herself as a strong woman who resist the desire of other man and can defend herself when her husband wants to bring another woman to her