Four Great Restoration Comedies

by Janet Baine Kopito (Editor), Mary Carolyn Waldrep (Editor), William Wycherley (Contributor)

When England's theaters reopened in 1660, 18 years after being closed by an act of Parliament, audiences embraced the witty and satirical dialogue spoken by "plain folks" characters—it was a new era in drama. The four comedy classics featured in this one convenient collection are typical of the works popularized during one of the most exciting and innovative periods in English theater.
Brimming with bawdy and satirical comedies and rampant with notorious womanizers, amorous adventure, and marital discord are works by William Wycherley ( The Country Wife ), Sir George Etherege ( The Man of Mode ), Aphra Behn ( The Rover ), and Sir John Vanbrugh ( The Relapse ).

Genres: Classics, Plays, Drama, Anthologies, School

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2005

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: This is NOT another edition of Four Great Restoration Comedies despite what GoodReads thinks! It has different plays, including the marvellous "She Stoops to Conquer" by Oliver Goldsmith and "The School for Scandal" by Richard Sheridan.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read The Country Wife for uni, and I just finished The Rover because I obviously hate myself. These were never meant to be read. So I wont try again. I might watch a production if I come across it ...

[Keaton]

Read: "The Country Wife" and "The Man of Mode"