Fashion (play)

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Fashion is a play by the American dramatist Anna Cora Mowatt , written in 1845.

Dramatis Personae

  • Adam Trueman
  • Count Jolimaître
  • Colonel Howard
  • Mr. Tiffany
  • T. Tennyson Twinkle
  • Augustus Fogg
  • Snobson
  • Zeke
  • Mrs. Tiffany
  • Prudence
  • Millinette
  • Gertrude
  • Seraphina Tiffany

action

The nouveau riche Mrs. Tiffany was once a simple cleaner ; now she wants to rise to the social elite of New York . Emulating the latest Parisian fashions (or whatever she thinks they are), she brings her husband to the brink of financial ruin. At the beginning of the play, the French maid Millinette instructs a new servant , the African-American Zeke, in his duties. Mrs. Tiffany finds his name too vulgar and from now on wants to call him Adolph. A number of admirers of Seraphina, the daughter of the house, appear at the weekly reception: the poet Twinkle, the philosopher Fogg and the arrogant Count Jolimaître, whom Mrs. Tiffany has chosen as her son-in-law because of his title. Adam Trueman, a wealthy farmer and old friend of Mr. Tiffany's, is her uninvited guest because of his rude manners.

Tiffany has committed small scams out of money and is blackmailed by his accountant Snobson. In return for his silence, Snobson demands the hand of Seraphina.

Colonel Howard woos Gertrude, Seraphina's music teacher. Count Jolimaître also chases after Gertrude and offers her to make her his lover as soon as he has married Seraphina. Trueman intervenes and then questions Mrs. Tiffany's sister Prudence about Gertrude's character and virtues. The old maid Prudence falls in love with Trueman and wants to win him over.

Tiffany urges his wife to be less wasteful. His desire to marry Seraphina to Snobson only encourages Mrs. Tiffany in her choice of the Count as son-in-law. Snobson's visit is interrupted by the arrival of Jolimaître, who successfully proposes marriage to Seraphina. She promises him to keep the wedding a secret.

Millinette recognizes Jolimaître. He is neither French nor Count, but her former lover. Gertrude happened to overhear the conversation; she threatens to expose Jolimaître, but initially cannot counter Jolimaître's cunning.

In order to establish his identity beyond any doubt, Gertrude, pretending to be Millinette, secretly meets with Jolimaître in a dark utility room. Prudence, who wants to ingratiate herself with Trueman, learns of the plan and alerts him and the family. When they find Gertrude alone with Jolimaître, the alleged count claims that Gertrude lured him to a rendezvous under false assumptions . Gertrude's reputation seems ruined; Mrs. Tiffany quits her immediately. However, Gertrude manages to convince Trueman of her innocence. He in turn initiates a reconciliation between Gertrude and Colonel Howard.

Prudence comes, wailing, with the news that Seraphina has run away with the count. Mrs. Tiffany's disappointment that there won't be a big wedding party now contrasts with the joy of having a countess as a daughter. Tiffany, on the other hand, fears that Snobson will expose her as a forger and drive into ruin.

Trueman recognized the genuine love between Gertrude and Col. Howard; he reveals that Gertrude is his granddaughter and heir to his fortune . Gertrude tells Mrs. Tiffany about Jolimaître's betrayal. Millinette confirms the allegation.

Angry at the news of Seraphina's marriage and Tiffany's breach of word, Snobson got drunk and reveals his financial machinations. Seraphina appears, still unmarried, to fetch her jewelry, which the count would like to take. Tiffany begs her to take Snobson as husband and save the family. In the hour of greatest need, Trueman stands by his friend Tiffany: He scares Snobson by accusing him of being a confidante and thus an accomplice of Tiffany, so that he fled to California . Trueman wants to pay for Tiffany's debts if he and his family renounce the glamorous world of New York. Trueman makes it clear to Prudence, who is mad about him, that there is no place for her at his side.

Jolimaître confesses his imposture. He agrees to resume his previous job as a cook and to marry the former lover Millinette. In his closing remarks, Trueman underlines the primacy of the nobility over mere titles of nobility and acknowledges the sole importance of inner, down-to-earth values, which make the fashion trends of urban society appear to be null and void.

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