William Congreve Livres

Culturally significant, this work has been preserved from its original artifact, maintaining authenticity through original copyright references and library stamps. It reflects the foundational knowledge of civilization, providing insights into historical contexts and themes that have shaped society. The reproduction aims to offer a faithful representation of the original text, making it a valuable resource for scholars and readers interested in the heritage of literature and thought.

A classic comedy of manners from the Restoration period. In the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series.

Set in the late 17th century, this play explores themes of love, betrayal, and deception. The characters navigate a world of intrigue and romantic entanglements, with witty dialogue and sharp social commentary. As the plot unfolds, misunderstandings and double dealings lead to comedic situations, showcasing Congreve's mastery of Restoration comedy. The work highlights the complexities of human relationships and the consequences of dishonesty, making it a timeless reflection on the nature of love and trust.

Depicts the shallow, brittle world of 'society' where the right artifice in manners, fashion and conversation - and money - eased the passage to success.

More successful in its day than The Way of the World, which is now accounted Congreve's best play, Love for Love (1695) is a comical farce manifesting the verbal polish and the theatrical wit that audiences so enjoy in Congreve. Valentine, Sir Sampson's dissolute eldest son, finds himself at a standstill; the only way out of his financial difficulties is to give in to his father's pressure to renounce his right of inheritance. While this suggestion immediately increases the chances of his bluff younger brother Ben on the marriage mart, Valentine's own chances with his beloved Angelica would proportionally decrease. To avoid having to sign the renunciation Valentine puts on an 'antic disposition' and pretends to be mad. Angelica, seeing through him, provokes him back into sanity by pretending to agree to marry his father. Valentine recovers, the lovers reunite, and Ben, too, has meanwhile found the girl of his heart

The three plays collected here mirror the era after King Charles II. In Etherege's The Man of Mode, Dorimant meets his match. In Wycherley's The Country Wife, Horner fakes impotence to fool husbands into giving him access to their wives. In Congreve's Love for Love, the Valentine can win his beloved only if he loses his inheritance.

If seventeenth- and eighteenth-century comedy differ in that the former is about sex (and adultery actually happens) while the latter is about love (and adultery is merely threatened), then Congreve - writing at the turn of the century - occupies a phase of transition. Mirabell is no saint, but he deserves the title of 'hero' for masterminding the action with the same wit and humanity with which the dramatist designed the play. Mirabell is both financially and amorously interested in the skittish Millamant, who declares that she might, with certain provisos, 'dwindle into a wife'. The introduction to this edition clarifies the playwright's and his characters' highly intricate plotting and argues that the key metaphor of the play is card-playing, in which fortune, cunning, concealment and a high trump drawn from the sleeve at the right moment will win the game - and the heiress.

Arguably the most perfectly poised of Restoration wit comedies, The Man of Mode is a finished exercise in dramatic sprezzatura, or nonchalance, matching the beguiling 'easiness' and 'complaisance' of its central character. The play's imaginative brilliance depends upon its author's ability to hint at the dark abyss of passion and emotional violence at whose edge the modish denizens of the town perform their graceful ballet. Its seemingly casual construction and wanton breaches of comic decorum mask a ferocious artistic control designed to upset the complacency of the audience's moral, social and aesthetic assumptions by luring them into sympathy for a character whose dangerous 'wildness' they ought to deplore. It is at once among the funniest and the most unsettling of comedies in English. The full, modernized play text is accompanied by incisive commentary notes, while its engaging introduction unpacks the complexity of the Restoration's political and theatrical context, analyses the play's performance history (including Nicholas Hytner's 2007 modern-dress version) and demonstrates Etherege's linguistic finesse. This edition is supplemented by a plot summary and an annotated bibliography. $c --From publisher's description

This classic play by William Congreve is widely considered one of the greatest comedies of the Restoration period. Set in the world of high society in London, it satirizes the pretensions and hypocrisies of the wealthy and powerful. With its sparkling dialogue and memorable characters, The Way of the World is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of English drama.

Considered one of the greatest plays of the English Restoration period, The Way of the World is a witty and sophisticated comedy of manners that satirizes the aristocracy and their social customs. Written by William Congreve and first performed in 1700, this play remains a classic of English literature that continues to be staged and celebrated to this day.