Women in the Victorian Era. Oscar Wilde's comedies Lady Windermere's Fan A Woman of no Importance and An ideal Husband

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2014 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur Note: 23 Universität Osnabrück (Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft) Veranstaltung: Oscar Wilde's Comedies Sprache: Deutsch Abstract: The first section of this paper will examine the Victorian feminine standards in particular it deals with the prevailing ideals that women had to fulfill in order to protect their good reputation. Apart from these roles women had to meet the topic of marriage which was indispensable for a good woman will be covered. Last but not least this chapter also deals with the moral ambiguity women's disadvantage in comparison to men. The third chapter is concerned with the cultural concept of a 'Fallen Woman' and seeks to point out typical 'Fallen Women' in Wilde's plays. The fourth chapter presents the findings of the research focusing on the cultural concept of the 'New Woman' and 'New Woman'-characters in Oscar Wilde's plays. Finally the conclusion gives a brief summary and critique of the findings.