Description
This superb edition includes selections from two exciting centuries of British drama. It begins with a comedy whose appearance signaled a broader and more positive view of society on the Augustan stage and concludes with another comedy, a brilliant satire that ushers in the modern notion of the artist as outsider. Between the charm of George Farquhar's The Beaux' Stratagem and the razor-edged perfection of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, we are treated to the middle-class morality of Richard Steele's The Conscious Lovers; the genial amorality of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera; the profound realism of George Lillo's The London Merchant; the brilliant wit of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal; the effective melodrama of Dion Boucicault's The Octoroon; and the joyous iconoclasm of W. S. Gilbert's Ruddigore.
Each of these eight plays enjoyed much success in its day, developing the resources and conventions of the stage as we know them today. The wit, humor, charm, and psychological insight of these timeless pieces, along with the understanding of a larger society, exemplify a landmark contribution to our great theatrical tradition.
Edited and with an Introduction by Katharine M. Rogers
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