The ten plays in this new collection show both the continuity and the changes in comedy over the course of the Restoration and eighteenth century. Each play includes its original prologue and epilogue, as well as an historical introduction and full annotation. The editor’s Introduction provides a rich historical and literary context for the plays’ composition and production. A glossary of frequently used words likely to be unfamiliar to general readers is also included.
Comments
“This volume is a terrific addition to Broadview’s range of texts for students. Brian Corman’s comprehensive general introduction clearly situates the plays in their cultural and theatrical context and elucidates eighteenth-century debates about comedy. Many of the texts in the appendix are made available here to students for the first time and will greatly enhance their study of the drama of the period. This volume offers editions of the plays ideal for classroom use and the contextual material necessary in order to better understand Restoration and eighteenth-century comedy.” — Fiona Ritchie, McGill University
“The new Broadview Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy is a welcome addition to the field. Corman’s introduction is a short course in the history of stage comedy, which illuminates and contextualizes his selection of plays and critical resources. The inclusion of prologues, epilogues, and a very useful selection of contemporary critical material from Dryden, Dennis, Cibber, Hill, and others make this anthology a wonderful resource for the classroom.” — Misty Anderson, University of Tennessee
Preface
Introduction
Select Bibliography
John Dryden
- Marriage à la Mode
BRIAN CORMAN, ED.
William Wycherley
- The Country Wife
PEGGY THOMPSON, ED.
George Etherege
- The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling
Flutter
JOHN H. O’NEILL, ED.
Aphra Behn
- The Rover; or, The Banished Cavaliers
ANNE RUSSELL, ED.
William Congreve
- The Way of the World
RICHARD KROLL, ED.
Richard Steele
- The Conscious Lovers
LISA A. FREEMAN, ED.
John Gay
- The Beggar’s Opera
DIANNE DUGAW, ED.
Oliver Goldsmith
- She Stoops to Conquer; or, The Mistakes of a Night
RICHARD A. BARNEY, ED.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
- The School for Scandal
MITA CHOUNDHURY, ED.
Frances Burney
-
The Witlings: A Comedy by a Sister of the Order
PETER SABOR AND GEOFFREY SILL, EDS.
Appendix: Critical Texts
DARRYL P. DOMINGO, ED.
- From John Dryden, An Essay of Dramatic Poesy (1668)
- Thomas Shadwell, Preface to The Sullen Lovers; or, The Curious Impertinent (1668)
- From John Dryden, Preface to An Evening’s Love; or, The Mock Astrologer (1671)
- Thomas Shadwell, Preface to The Humourists (1671)
- Aphra Behn, Preface to The Lucky Chance; or, An Alderman’s Bargain (1686)
- From Nahum Tate, Preface to A Duke and No Duke (1693)
- John Dennis, Letters to Congreve “On Humour” (1695)
- William Congreve, “Concerning Humour in Comedy” (1695)
- From Jeremy Collier, A Short View of the Immorality and Profanenes of the English Stage (1698)
- From William Congreve, Amendments of Mr. Collier’s False and Imperfect Citations (1698)
- From Richard Steele, The Spectator (1711-14)
- From John Dennis, “A Defense of Sir Fopling Flutter” (1722)
- Richard Steele, Preface to The Conscious Lovers (1723)
- From John Dennis, “Remarks on a Play Called The Conscious Lovers, A Comedy” (1723)
- From Samuel Richardson, The Apprentice’s Vade Mecum; or, Young Man’s Pocket Companion (1734)
- From Colley Cibber, An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber (1740)
- From John Hill, The Actor: A Treatise on the Art of Playing (1750)
- From Samuel Johnson, The Rambler (1750-52)
- From Oliver Goldsmith, “An Essay on the Theatre; or, A Comparison between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy” (1773)
- From Samuel Johnson, The Lives of the Poets (1779-81)
Glossary
Brian Corman is Professor of English and Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto.