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When the public theatres reopened in 1660 after an 18-year ban, a tradition was established which was a response to, and reflection of, new tastes and fashions. The active patronage of King Charles II as well as the somewhat steep cost of admittance of one to four shillings ensured that theatre audiences were recruited primarily from the aristocratic circles. In a period of literary history notable for the rejection of solemnity and moral seriousness, the new comedies were preoccupied with vitriolic satires on the artificial sheen and dubious morals of English society. In this course we will focus on two celebrated Restoration plays, George Etherege's The Man of Mode and George Farquhar's The Beaux' Stratagem. Topics to be discussed will include: theories of comedy; elements, variables and dramatic types; exemplary characters; realism and comedy; love and marriage; Restoration libertinism; women in the theatre, influences of sentimentalism. Required Reading:
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Restoration Comedy