A Woman of No Importance
A Woman of No Importance, first performed at the Haymarket Theatre in April 1893 under Herbert Beerbohm Tree, is the second of Oscar Wilde's society comedies. At a country-house party at Hunstanton Chase, Lord Illingworth, a cynical peer, offers a post as his secretary to the young Gerald Arbuthnot, not knowing that Gerald's mother, who lives quietly nearby, is the woman he seduced and abandoned twenty years before. Mrs. Arbuthnot's refusal to explain her objection, the American visitor Hester Worsley's puritan judgments on English society and the epigrams of Mrs. Allonby and Lady Hunstanton fill three acts before the fourth brings mother, son and father together. The play has been faulted for melodrama and loved for its lines. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first act is free.
Start reading right away, without signing up. The complete text is included in Vinteuil Reading, or yours forever with a one-time purchase.
Frequently asked questions about A Woman of No Importance
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read A Woman of No Importance online?
Yes. A Woman of No Importance opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is A Woman of No Importance free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of A Woman of No Importance is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is A Woman of No Importance in the public domain?
Yes. A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde is a public-domain work. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read A Woman of No Importance?
About 1 h 30 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is A Woman of No Importance?
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde is filed under "Drama" in the Vinteuil library.
