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The famous 19th century British author and playwright Oscar Wilde expresses his opinion on societal issues among other things in Lady Windemere's Fan. He uses an everyday interaction, including elements of gossip and joking, to give insight to how that society works and the characters' personal values.The Duchess of Berwick does a great deal of talking in this selection and her views are articulated clearly. By gossiping about a Lady Markby, the reader can understand that the Duchess views social conventions as very important to ones place in society and that they can make or break ones status. The Duchess also sees that the people that one associates with are important to one's place in society. When talking about who will be at Lady Windemere's party, she says, "Of course it's going to be select," showing us that she believes that Windemere has a high place in society and she does associate with the right people. Although the Duchess worries about peoples' place in society, she realizes that the place of women is below that of men, and that women are "positively getting elbowed into the corner."Regarding that same idea, men, like Lord Darlington, realize that they can do most anything and get away with it. Darlington relates marriage to a card game in lines 46-53, saying that women have the high cards and men win anyway. By saying this, he also acknowledges that women may be harder working and stronger of character, but he knows that it doesn't matter because they are women.While the women worry about who is coming to the party, Darlington is subtly securing his attendance at the party for his own enjoyment and amusement. He plans to use the party to fraternize with some of the women that the Duchess and Windemere find "dreadful."Based on the Duchess' diminutive banter and Darlington's smugness, the reader catches a glimpse of Nineteenth Century "nobility" and advancement in society.
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