OSCAR WILDE LORD ARTHUR SAVILE’S CRIME
About the Book
1 This story by Oscar Wilde is short, easy to read, and fun to think about.
2 In these pages, you will find both ‘dark humour’ and mystery.
3 The story is interesting and with a surprise ending.
4 You will enjoy reading about the many funny and strange things that happen.
5 You will discover what rich people in the Victorian period liked.
About the Author
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a famous writer from Ireland. He is known for his plays, poems, and stories. He became very famous in the late 1800s.
Early Life and Family
Oscar Wilde was born on 16th October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. His father, William, was a famous doctor, and his mother, Jane Francesca, was good at languages and wrote poetry. They had three children, Willie, Oscar and Isola Francesca. Oscar’s sister died when she was ten years old and Oscar was twelve.
Studies
After finishing school, Oscar studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and then at Oxford University. Here he became interested in the Aesthetic Movement. This was an artistic movement in the late 1800s, also known as “art for art’s sake”. For these people, the most important thing was that art was beautiful and that it didn’t need an important meaning behind it.
Travelling and Love
After university, Oscar went to live in London. He wrote a book of poetry called Poems (1881) and people started to think of him as a good writer. That same year he met Constance Lloyd for the first time in London. Then Oscar decided to go to the United States to talk about art and beauty in the universities there. He stayed for nine months. Then he came back to Great Britain and in 1884, Oscar became Constance Lloyd’s husband. They had two children, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886), but after Vyvyan was born, Oscar and Constance weren’t as happy as before. Oscar began to prefer men to women. This was a problem in Victorian England because homosexuality was against the law.
His Writings
After writing for many magazines, Oscar became editor of The Lady’s World magazine in 1888. This was a very good moment for Oscar. He became famous for writing The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888). Then in 1891, he wrote another collection of children’s stories called A House of Pomegranates. That same year, he wrote his one and only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. He wrote funny plays for the theatre too. The most famous is The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).
Later Life
Wilde liked to be different and was popular because of his ideas and story-telling words, but in 1895, he went to prison for his homosexuality He spent two very difficult years in prison. When he came out, he went to France and stayed with friends or in cheap hotels. He wrote a poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, about his time in prison. Oscar died on 30 November 1900 at the age of 46 and was buried in Paris.
OOKMARKS
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Don’t miss Bookmarks Readers, the series where every reader finds their place.
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime by Oscar Wilde
Adaptation and activities by Silvana Sardi Illustrated by Sara Cristofori
Bookmarks
Founder and Series Editors
Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director)
Graphic Design and Layout: Emilia Coari
Production Manager: Francesco Capitano
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Typeset in 12 / 15 pt Monotype Dante
Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Recanati – EBM101.01
ISBN 978-88-536-4857-0 First edition: February 2026
Oscar
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
Wilde
Retold by Silvana Sardi
Illustrated by Sara Cristofori
About the Story
This short story about Lord Arthur Savile, a rich, young man, is set in London during the Victorian period (18371901). Lord Arthur is happy and in love with Sybil. She will soon become his wife. Then one evening at a party, a cheiromantist ‘reads’ Lord Arthur’s hand. He tells him that he will kill someone in the future, and Lord Arthur believes him. Here, Wilde shows us how rich people believed in cheiromantists and other strange things.
Lord Arthur is rich and doesn’t have to work, so he spends all his time worrying about what the cheiromantist said. He doesn’t want Sybil to become his wife until after the ‘crime’. This is a funny and crazy idea. Wilde shows us that rich people at that time often worried about silly things and about looking good for others instead of real problems. Lord Arthur tries to kill people, but things don’t go as planned. This is what makes the story so funny to read and shows that his idea is wrong. Wilde uses these situations to make us think about the Victorians and their strange ‘values’.
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, first published in 1887 in the British literary magazine The Court and Society Review, talks about ‘fate’, love, and choosing what to do in your life. Later, this story and others by Wilde, like The Canterville Ghost, became part of a collection called Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories, published in 1891.
Main Characters
Lord Arthur Savile
The protagonist and title character of the story.
Lady Gladys Windermere
She loves life and having parties.
Sybil
Merton
Sybil loves Lord Arthur very much and wants to become his wife as soon as possible.
Mr Septimus Podgers
He ‘reads’ the lines on people’s hands to tell them about their future.
The Dean of Chichester
The Dean, Lord Arthur’s uncle, loves clocks.
Count Rouvaloff
One of Lord Arthur Savile’s friends, he’s a Russian with revolutionary ideas.
Lady Clementina Beauchamp
Lady Clem is Lord Arthur’s cousin.
Herr Winckelkopf
He’s good at making all kinds of things.
Chapter 1 Lady Windermere’s Party
Every important person in London was at Lady Gladys Windermere’s last party before summer. Lady Gladys was now forty years old with no children. After three husbands but always only one lover, she loved parties and all the good things of life.
There were all kinds of people at the party. There were men of the world of business and important women in beautiful dresses. There was even Princess Sophia of Carlsruhe, with her little black eyes and her big expensive hat. The party was very good, and Princess Sophia stayed until about 11.30 p.m. After she left, Lady Windermere went to talk to the Duchess of Paisley. She looked about the room and said, ‘Where’s my cheiromantist*?’
‘Your what, Gladys?’ said the Duchess. Was it the same as a cheiropodist*? she asked herself.
‘My cheiromantist, Duchess. He tells me what to do. He comes to see my hand every week, on Tuesdays and on Fridays,’ said Lady Gladys. ‘Come and meet him!’
‘Oh! Is he here?’ The Duchess of Paisley didn’t want to meet him… not at a party. After all, he was a kind
Lady Windermere’s Party
of cheiropodist, only Gladys’s cheiromantist did hands, not feet. She never saw her cheiropodist at parties!
‘Of course he’s here! I only have parties when he can come,’ said Gladys. ‘He tells me about my future!’
‘Oh, I see!’ said the Duchess, happier now. ‘Does he tell you lots of nice things?’
‘Good and bad,’ answered Lady Windermere. ‘For example, next year, the sea isn’t safe for me, so I won’t go on any boats. It’s all here to see on my hand. I think it’s a good idea for everyone to have a meeting with a cheiromantist two or three times a month. Then you know what not to do. Now, where is Mr Podgers?’
‘I’ll go and look for him, Lady Windermere,’ said a tall, good-looking young man near them.
‘Thanks so much, Lord Arthur, but I don’t think you’ll find him.’
‘But Lady Windermere, you say he’s wonderful*! I’ll find him no problem.’
‘You don’t understand. There’s nothing wonderful about him. He’s a little fat man with no hair on his head. He wears big glasses… Ah, here he is! Now, Mr Podgers, please read the Duchess of Paisley’s hand.’
‘Dear Gladys, I really don’t think it’s right,’ said the Duchess, but she took off the glove of her right hand.
‘Nothing interesting ever is,’ said Lady Windermere. ‘So, Mr Podgers, what can you see?’
Mr Podgers looked at the Duchess’s little fat hand and said, ‘You’ll live a long life, Duchess, and you’ll be very happy….’
Lord Arthur Savile’s
‘Oh, Mr Podgers! Tell us something more… interesting!’ said Lady Windermere.
‘I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more to tell. The Duchess has got lots of love in her life. She lives a good life because she knows very well what’s right and wrong.’
‘Oh! What a wonderful man!’ said the Duchess. ‘Please tell me more, Mr Podgers.’
‘I see that you love new things,’ said Mr Podgers. Lady Windermere laughed*.
‘When I became Paisley’s wife,’ said the Duchess, ‘he had eleven castles* in Scotland but not one house that I could live in.’
‘And now he has got twelve houses and not one castle,’ laughed Lady Windermere.
‘Well, my dear,’ said the Duchess, ‘I like –’
‘Nice things,’ said Mr Podgers. ‘Things like hot water in every bedroom. Your Grace is right. Life is easier with nice things.’
Next, there was Lady Flora, the Duchess of Paisley’s daughter. She was a tall Scottish girl with light brown hair. Mr Podgers took her long, slim hand in his to read.
‘Ah, I can see this lady plays the piano!’ said Mr Podgers. ‘Yes, she’s a wonderful pianist, but she doesn’t really understand music very well. I also see that she’s honest*, so she doesn’t say much, and she loves animals.’
‘That’s right!’ said the Duchess to Lady Windermere. ‘Flora has twenty-four dogs at one of our houses in the country. She’d like to bring them to our house in town too, but her father always says no.’
Lady Windermere’s Party
‘Well, I like lions* better than dogs,’ said Lady Windermere, laughing. ‘They usually come to my house on a Thursday evening!’
Sir Thomas, an old man with white hair, was next. He was very happy with Mr Podgers’ words. He wanted Mr Podgers to read his second wife’s hand, but she didn’t like the idea. She wasn’t the only one. The Russian Ambassador didn’t even take his glove off! Other people didn’t like the idea of getting their hand read after Mr Podgers said to Lady Fermor, ‘I see that you don’t like music, but you’re very fond of* musicians!
Lord Arthur Savile didn’t know anything about Lady Fermor’s story, and he really wanted Mr Podgers to read his hand. He went over to Lady Windermere and, a little red in the face, asked, ‘Can Mr Podgers read my hand?’
‘Of course!’ said Lady Windermere. ‘That’s what he’s here for. All my lions do what I say, Lord Arthur, but remember I’ll tell Sybil everything. I’m seeing her for lunch tomorrow to talk about hats.’
Lord Arthur smiled. ‘I’m not worried,’ he answered. ‘Sybil knows everything about me, and I know everything about her.’
‘Oh, how boring!’ said Lady Windermere. ‘Now, Mr Podgers, Lord Arthur Savile wants you to read his hand. Don’t tell us that he’ll get married* to Sybil, one of the most beautiful girls in London. That was in the newspapers a month ago.’
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
Mr Podgers smiled, took Lord Arthur’s right hand, and looked at it. Then he stopped smiling and said nothing. Lord Arthur saw that something was wrong and said, ‘I am waiting, Mr Podgers.’
Mr Podgers said nothing, but he took Lord Arthur’s left hand and looked at it too. His face became white, and he looked very worried. Then he remembered where he was.
‘Hmm... You will be very happy,’ said Mr Podgers quickly. He didn’t look at Lord Arthur in the face.
Lord Arthur wasn’t happy. Something was very, very strange*. Lady Windermere was bored. She told everyone to follow her into the next room for something to eat. Lord Arthur stopped Mr Podgers and said, ‘Mr Podgers, be honest with me.’
Mr Podgers looked around. Then he said, ‘I saw something bad in your future.’
‘How bad?’ asked Lord Arthur.
‘Very…you... you will murder* someone,’ said Mr Podgers.
Lord Arthur stood there with his mouth open. ‘Murder? Me? No! I’m not that kind of person! I’m nice!’ he cried*.
‘I know,’ said Mr Podgers. ‘But I saw it in your future. You can’t change it. You’ll commit a crime*, and it will be murder.’
Lord Arthur ran out of the house into the cold night air. He walked and walked. He couldn’t believe it! I can’t get married to my dear Sybil and then murder someone,
Lord Arthur Savile’s
he thought. He went from street to street, through the park, without seeing anything. He passed two women with painted faces in a dark street. They laughed at him, but he didn’t see or hear them. When he got to his home in Belgrave Square, the sky was blue. He could hear the birds singing in the gardens. He went into his home and slept.
GLOSSARY
Chapter 1
cheiromantist someone who tells you about your future by ‘reading’ your hand cheiropodist (modern spelling chiropodist) someone who looks after your feet wonderful very nice, very good laugh ha-ha-ha – you do this when something is funny castle a large, strong building where kings and queens lived in the past honest you say what you think lions (here) the men in Lady Windermere’s life be fond of like very much get married (marry) when two people become husband and wife strange not usual, difficult to understand murder when you take a person’s life cry (here) to speak loudly because you’re excited commit a crime do something very bad against the law
Chapter 2 on their way going to enemy not a friend gift something you give someone for example on their birthday cousin your uncle and aunt’s son or daughter kill murder poison something that can kill you if you eat or drink it chemist’s shop where you buy something if you don’t feel well (person - chemist) surprised how you feel when something happens that you didn’t think was possible rabies a very dangerous virus straight away immediately
ugly not beautiful medicine what you take to feel better when you aren’t well solve find an answer to something overjoyed very, very happy lawyer a person who looks after legal questions peaceful quiet, no pain wedding the celebration when two people get married throw away not keep suddenly quickly, and when you don’t think something is going to happen drop let fall
Chapter 3 postpone do later bomb for sale that you can buy spy secret agent (like 007) knock make a noise at the door with your hand, so someone will open it explode when a bomb goes ‘boom!’
Chapter 4
material what you make clothes with sermon the speech you listen to in church cap kind of hat freedom when you can choose what to do or say symbol an object that stands for an idea last stay like this for some time invent make something new float stay on top of water couple (here) two people who are married horrible not nice imposter someone who isn’t what he / she says to be telepathy when you can communicate without speaking, just by thinking nonsense something that has no meaning
ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1 Are the sentences about Chapter 1 true (T) or false (F)?
Lady Windermere loves parties. o o
1 Lady Windermere’s cheiropodist is at the party. o o
2 Next year, Lady Windermere won’t go on any boats. o o
3 Mr Podgers is tall and slim. o o
4 The Duchess of Paisley loves nice things. o o
5 Lady Flora is the Duchess of Paisley’s daughter. o o
6 Lord Arthur wants to know about his future. o o
7 Lord Arthur is in love with Lady Flora. o o
8 Mr Podgers laughs when he looks at Lord Arthur’s hand. o o
9 Lord Arthur is worried after speaking to Mr Podgers. o o
10 Mr Podgers says that someone will murder Lord Arthur. o o
2 Complete the sentences about Chapter 2 with one or two words.
The morning after the party, Lord Arthur wakes up at twelve o’clock.
1 It’s a beautiful, warm ________________.
2 Before his bath, he has a cup of ________________.
3 There’s a photo of Sybil Merton on ________________.
4 Lord Arthur chooses to murder ________________, Lady Clem.
5 Lord Arthur puts the poison in a nice ________________.
6 Lady Clem gets ________________ very often.
7 Lord Arthur says the poison is a new ________________ from America.
8 Lord Arthur tells Sybil that they can’t ________________ for the moment.
9 Lord Arthur stays in Venice with ________________, Lord Surbiton.
10 Lady Clem doesn’t ________________ because of Lord Arthur’s poison.
3 Choose the correct answer (A, B or C) about Chapters 3 and 4 of the story.
What does the Dean of Chichester like?
A bombs
B clocks C clothes
1 Who is Count Rouvaloff?
A the Dean’s friend
B a clock maker C a Russian spy
2 What does Herr Winckelkopf need to finish?
A breakfast
B lunch C dinner
3 What kind of clock does Herr Winckelkopf give Lord Arthur?
A an ugly one
B a French one C a big one
4 When does Lord Arthur want the clock to explode?
A the next day
B at the weekend C on Friday
5 How much does Lord Arthur pay for the clock?
A £1.10
B £4.10
C £5.10
6 Who does Lord Arthur’s mother get a letter from?
A the Dean
C the Dean’s daughter.
B her cousin
7 How does Lord Arthur feel after reading the letter?
A sad
B happy C excited
8 Where does Lord Arthur go after dinner?
A home
B to the River Thames
C to Mr Podgers’ house
9 Who does Lord Arthur kill?
A Mr Podgers
B his brother C a police officer
10 What does Lady Windermere love at the end of the story?
A cheiromancy
B lions C telepathy
Speaking and Writing
4a Match the sentences to the pictures with a partner. Talk about what you remember about the story.
A Lord Arthur commits the crime.
B The poison is still in the box.
C Mr Podgers sees something he doesn’t like.
D Lord Arthur finds what he’s looking for.
E Lord Arthur Savile doesn’t know what to do.
F Lord Arthur loves the clock.
4b Write a short paragraph about Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime. Use the pictures and sentences in exercise 4a to help you.
Prepositions
5 Complete the sentences with a preposition from the box.
from in on (2) about at before to after with in Every important person in London was at Lady Gladys Windermere’s party.
1 Mr Podgers hasn’t got any hair _____________ his head.
2 Lady Flora is tall _____________ light brown hair.
3 Lady Flora has got lots of dogs _____________ her parents’ house in the country.
4 Lord Arthur sees it’s a nice day _____________ his bedroom window.
5 He decides he has to do the murder _____________ he gets married.
6 He sends some flowers _____________ Sybil.
7 For a long time, there is no ‘bad’ news _____________ Lady Clem.
8 Surbiton takes his brother to Ravenna _____________ his boat.
9 The clock will arrive at the Dean’s house _____________ Thursday.
10 Lord Arthur feels sad _____________ he reads the letter from the Dean’s daughter.
Vocabulary
6 Choose the correct alternative. People usually laugh / cry when something is funny.
1 Lord Arthur had some problems to commit / solve.
2 Lord Arthur killed / knocked Mr Podgers.
3 They took / threw away a lot of old things at Lady Clem’s house.
4 Lord Arthur stopped / postponed his marriage many times.
5 Count Rouvaloff gave / took an address to Lord Arthur.
6 Mr Podgers’ hat exploded / floated on the water.
7 Complete the sentences with a word from the box. imposter wedding newspaper chemist police material gift beach
For Lady Windermere, Mr Podgers was an imposter.
1 Lord Arthur got the poison from a _____________.
2 The Dean’s daughter liked the _____________ for her new dress.
3 The Dean of Chichester thought the clock was a _____________ from someone.
4 Lord Arthur and Sybil’s _____________ was at St. Peter’s.
5 Mr Podgers’ body was found on the _____________ at Greenwich.
6 The story about Mr Podgers was in the evening _____________.
7 Lord Arthur spoke to a _____________ officer on the bridge.
Looking Into the Future
8 In modern times, a cheiromantist is called a ‘palm reader’.Think about these questions and write your answers.
1 Do you believe in palm readers? Why? / Why not? __________________________________________________.
2 What would you like to know about your future? __________________________________________________.
3 What wouldn’t you like to know about your future? __________________________________________________.
4 How do you think your life will change in the next ten years? __________________________________________________.
5 Do you think it’s better to think about the present or the future? Why? __________________________________________________.
6 What changes do you think there will be in the future in schools? __________________________________________________.
Change the Ending
9 Rewrite the ending of the story.
Use one of the ideas below to help you:
• Lord Arthur decides not to murder anyone
• a police officer sees Lord Arthur throwing Mr Podgers into the river
• Sybil discovers Lord Arthur’s crime
• Mr Podgers doesn’t die
Impossible Interview
10 Write an imaginary interview between you and a character.
Include:
• a short introduction (‘Today I’m interviewing Lord Arthur…’)
• 3–4 questions from you
• 3–4 answers from the character
Sample question starters
• Why do you feel…?
• What will you do next?
Personal Opinion about the Book
11 Write a blog telling people why it's a good idea to read this book.
• Who was your favourite character in the story? Why?
• Which character(s) didn’t you like in the story? Why?
• Which part of the story did you think was funny? Why?
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
OOKMARKS
• Level 1
Oscar Wilde, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
• Level 2
Frances H. Burnett, A Little Princess
• Level 3
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Level 4
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime tells the story of a young man called Lord Arthur. He is rich and he loves a young woman called Sybil.
At a party, a man reads his hand and tells him something about his future. Lord Arthur feels afraid and confused. After this, many strange and funny things happen.
The story is about love, fate, and making choices.
EXTENSIVE READING SERIES
LEVEL 1 BEGINNER
(400 HEADWORDS) A1
LEVEL 2 ELEMENTARY (700 HEADWORDS) A2
LEVEL 3 PRE-INTERMEDIATE (100 HEADWORDS) A2/B1
LEVEL 4 INTERMEDIATE (1400 HEADWORDS) B1
LEVEL 5 UPPER INTERMEDIATE (1800 HEADWORDS) B2
LEVEL 6 ADVANCED (2500 HEADWORDS) C1
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ISBNLordArthurSavile’sCrime 978-88-536-4857-0