<DIV>The social comedies, <I>Lady Windermere’s Fan</i>, <I>A Woman of No Importance</i>, and <I>An Ideal Husband</i> offer a moving as well as witty dissection of society and its morals, with a sharp focus on sexual politics. By contrast, the experimental symbolist <I>Salomé</i>, written originally in French and illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley, was banned for public performance by the English censor. His final dramatic triumph was his “trivial” comedy for serious people, <I>The Importance of Being Earnest—</i>probably the greatest farcical comedy in English.</div>