2 h 33 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 63 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 63 pagesAbout this book
At an English country house, a man's bright future brings his mother face to face with a painful past.
In Oscar Wilde’s four-act comedy A Woman of No Importance, the guests at Hunstanton Chase trade jokes and judgments. Gerald Arbuthnot, an eager young bank clerk, receives a dazzling offer: Lord Illingworth wants him as his secretary abroad. For Gerald, it promises a new life. For his quiet mother, Mrs. Arbuthnot, the offer brings her guarded past dangerously close.
Around them, polite conversation becomes a contest over virtue, class, and reputation. Hester Worsley, a serious young American, challenges the English guests with plain speaking. Mrs. Allonby matches Lord Illingworth’s wit, while Lady Hunstanton keeps the party talking. Beneath the laughter, Wilde asks why society punishes women for conduct it readily excuses in men—and what those judgments cost a family.
What you’ll discover
- Wit with a sting Enjoy sharp exchanges that expose the cruelty hiding beneath good manners and elegant talk.
- A mother's guarded dignity Meet Mrs. Arbuthnot, whose love for Gerald shapes her fierce protection of a painful secret.
- An offer with stakes Follow Gerald’s excitement as a coveted position draws his family toward an uneasy confrontation.
- Plain speech meets polish Watch Hester Worsley challenge a social world that prizes charm and judges others harshly.
- Morality under the spotlight Look beyond the party’s laughter to the unequal rules governing women’s and men’s reputations.
Is it for you?
This play suits you if you enjoy quick wit, drawing-room comedy, or stories about reputation and double standards. It is a good first Wilde for a reader who wants something short. If you want fast action, the long talk scenes may feel slow.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A weekend party and its sharp tongues
- Lord Illingworth offers a young man a future
- Mrs. Arbuthnot meets a shadow from her past
- Hester Worsley and the English way of judging
- The double standard at the heart of the play
- Wit as a mask and the shape of the play
Who’s who
- Lord IllingworthA rich, witty nobleman who trades in paradoxes and offers Gerald a place as his secretary, charming everyone while caring little for anyone.
- Mrs. ArbuthnotGerald's quiet, dignified mother, who lives apart from society and guards a painful secret out of love for her son.
- Gerald ArbuthnotA young, eager bank clerk who dreams of a bright career and is thrilled by the offer of a post abroad.
- Hester WorsleyA serious young American with strong moral views, who speaks plainly to the English guests and grows close to Gerald.
- Lady HunstantonThe warm, forgetful hostess of Hunstanton Chase, who likes everyone and rambles through her stories.
- Lady Caroline PontefractA stern, disapproving guest who lectures her husband and judges the morals of others.
- Mrs. AllonbyA clever, teasing society woman who matches Lord Illingworth in wit and enjoys the games of the party.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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A Woman of No Importance
by Oscar Wilde· 1894
A mother’s secret threatens her son’s chance to advance.
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Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A weekend party and its sharp tongues
The play opens on the terrace of Hunstanton Chase, the home of Lady Hunstanton. She is a kind, vague, talkative woman who loses the thread of her own stories. Around her sit the guests of a fashionable weekend. There is the stern Lady Caroline Pontefract and her husband Sir John, the gossipy Lady Stutfield, the clever Mrs. Allonby, and the Archdeacon, Doctor Daubeny.
They talk about marriage, husbands, fashion and the faults of other people. Wilde gives them a stream of epigrams, and the comedy comes from how seriously they take their own small judgments. The talk is light, but it already shows the rules of the world they live in. A person is measured by rank, manners and reputation, and a slip can end a place in society.
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The author
Oscar Wilde
1854–1900 · Irish playwright and poet
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and novelist born in Dublin. He lived in London and later in France, where he died in Paris. He published The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890. His play The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed in 1895.
“The youth of America is their oldest tradition. It has been going on now for three hundred years.”
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What is A Woman of No Importance about?
It is a four-act comedy about a weekend at an English country house. A young clerk is offered a job by a witty lord, and his mother has a secret reason to fear the offer.
Who is Lord Illingworth in A Woman of No Importance?
He is a wealthy, clever nobleman who speaks in paradoxes and offers Gerald Arbuthnot the post of private secretary. Wilde uses him to show how charm and wit can hide a cold heart.
What does the title A Woman of No Importance mean?
The title echoes how high society regards a woman without rank or reputation. Wilde uses it ironically, since the woman it describes proves to be the most serious and admirable person in the play.
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