The Country Wife

The Country Wife PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408179911
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
'He's a fool that marries, but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.' This bawdy, hilarious, subversive and wickedly satirical drama pokes fun at the humourless, the jealous, and the adulterous alike. It features a country wife, Margery, whose husband believes she is too naïve to cuckold him; and an anti-hero, Horner, who pretends to be impotent in order to have unrestrained access to the women keen on 'the sport'. A number of licentious and hypocritical women request Horner's services – the country wife among them. The Country Wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. The seventeenth century libertine king Charles II saw it twice, and is said to have joined the 'dance of the cuckolds' at the end of one performance; the eighteenth century actor-playwright David Garrick declared it 'the most licentious play in the English language'; the Victorian Macaulay compared it to a skunk, because it was 'too filthy to handle and too noisome even to approach'. Twentieth century productions heralded it a Restoration masterpiece. Sexually frank, and as ready to criticise marriage as infidelity, the virtuosity, linguistic energy, brilliant wit, naughtiness and complexity of this ribald play have made it a staple of the modern stage. This student edition contains a lengthy, entirely new introduction, by leading scholar, Tiffany Stern, with a background on the author, structure, characters, genre, themes, original staging and performance history, as well as an updated bibliography and a fully annotated version of the playtext.

The Country Wife

The Country Wife PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408179911
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
'He's a fool that marries, but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.' This bawdy, hilarious, subversive and wickedly satirical drama pokes fun at the humourless, the jealous, and the adulterous alike. It features a country wife, Margery, whose husband believes she is too naïve to cuckold him; and an anti-hero, Horner, who pretends to be impotent in order to have unrestrained access to the women keen on 'the sport'. A number of licentious and hypocritical women request Horner's services – the country wife among them. The Country Wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. The seventeenth century libertine king Charles II saw it twice, and is said to have joined the 'dance of the cuckolds' at the end of one performance; the eighteenth century actor-playwright David Garrick declared it 'the most licentious play in the English language'; the Victorian Macaulay compared it to a skunk, because it was 'too filthy to handle and too noisome even to approach'. Twentieth century productions heralded it a Restoration masterpiece. Sexually frank, and as ready to criticise marriage as infidelity, the virtuosity, linguistic energy, brilliant wit, naughtiness and complexity of this ribald play have made it a staple of the modern stage. This student edition contains a lengthy, entirely new introduction, by leading scholar, Tiffany Stern, with a background on the author, structure, characters, genre, themes, original staging and performance history, as well as an updated bibliography and a fully annotated version of the playtext.

The Country Wife and Other Plays

The Country Wife and Other Plays PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191611425
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 528

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Book Description
Wycherley's four comedies are admired for their satirical wit, farcical humour, vivid characterization, and social criticism.Love in a Wood, a lively comedy of intrigue, established him as a brilliant new dramatist.The Gentleman Dancing-Master, in contrast, disappointed contemporary audiences, but the central relationship between Hippolyta and Gerrard features an original and sympathetic study of a young woman's attitudes and feelings. The Country Wife is a sharp but also highly amusing attack on social and sexual hypocrisy. The Plain Dealer, a powerful dramatic satire loosely based on Moliere's Le Misanthrope, continues and enlarges Wycherley's assault on greed and corruption. Under the General Editorship of Michael Cordner of the University of York, the texts of the plays have been newly edited and are presented with modernized spelling and punctuation. In addition, there is a scholarly introduction, a note on staging, and detailed annotation. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The Country Wife

The Country Wife PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher: Courier Dover Publications
ISBN: 0486828174
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
A notorious rake feins impotence to trick his way into the intimate company of married ladies in this comic masterpiece, which offers an enduring combination of cynicism, satire, and farce.

Works; Containing Plain-dealer, Country-wife, Gentleman-dancing-master [and] Love in a Wood

Works; Containing Plain-dealer, Country-wife, Gentleman-dancing-master [and] Love in a Wood PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English drama
Languages : en
Pages : 462

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Book Description


Delphi Complete Plays of William Wycherley (Illustrated)

Delphi Complete Plays of William Wycherley (Illustrated) PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher: Delphi Classics
ISBN: 1913487393
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 986

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Book Description
The late seventeenth century playwright William Wycherley produced satirical and comic masterpieces, winning the admiration of his fellow writers, including John Dryden and William Congreve, who described him as “appointed to lash this crying age.” Following the restoration of Charles II, dramatists experienced new freedom in an age that broke from the strict morality of puritan rule and in which elegance and wit became the most prized of virtues. Irreverent, cynical and licentious, Wycherley’s works illuminate the many vices of these colourful times, satirising the widening disparity between appearances and reality. This comprehensive eBook presents Wycherley’s complete plays, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Wycherley’s life and works * Concise introductions to the plays * All the plays, with individual contents tables * Play texts based on W. C. Ward's 1893 unexpurgated edition * Includes the original footnotes - ideal for students * Features rare poems appearing here for the first time in digital publishing * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Features two biographies – discover Wycherley’s intriguing life * Ordering of texts into chronological order and genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Plays Love in a Wood (1671) The Gentleman Dancing Master (1673) The Country Wife (1675) The Plain Dealer (1676) The Poetry Hero and Leander (1669) Epistle to the King (1682) Epistle to the Duke (1682) The Dedication to the Greatest Friend of the Muses, Vanity (1704) The Author to the Bookseller (1704) Upon the Discretion of Folly (1704) Upon the Most Useful Knowledge, Craft or Cunning (1704) A Song against Delays in Love (1704) In Vindication of Simplicity and Good Nature (1704) The Biographies William Wycherley (1893) by Thomas Babington Macaulay William Wycherley (1900) by George Atherton Aitken Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks

The Country Wife

The Country Wife PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1849438110
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 123

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Book Description
This new version of William Wycherley 's most famous classic, The Country Wife has been adapted by Tanika Gupta, one of the country 's leading playwrights. This contemporary farce tells the story of twenty-something friends and rivals on their journey through love and liberation. Following Hardeep 's return to London he begins broadcasting his newly invented celibate state in a bid to attract women keen to reignite his passion for them. With this deception more than successful his endeavours turn to the naive country wife, Preethi, Alok's virgin bride to settle unfinished business between old friends. A fast paced comedy laced with deception, disguise and lustful behaviour brought about by double standards, adultery and promiscuous living. Country Wife was performed at the Watford Palace theatre in October 2004

The Country Girl

The Country Girl PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English drama (Comedy)
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description


The Plain-Dealer

The Plain-Dealer PDF Author: William Wycherley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781332943142
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
Excerpt from The Plain-Dealer: A Comedy; As It Is Acted at the Theatre-Royal Jhdge, and I beforehim. Andgou won'd haveme tell the new Officer, who bought his Employment larely, that heis a coward'. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Country Housewife's Family Companion

The Country Housewife's Family Companion PDF Author: William Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chores
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description


The Perception of Men and Women and the Aspect of Misogyny in William Wycherley's the Country Wife

The Perception of Men and Women and the Aspect of Misogyny in William Wycherley's the Country Wife PDF Author: Claudia Wipprecht
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638814068
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Erfurt (Philosophische Fakultät), course: Restoration Comedy, 4 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The re-opening of the theatres in 1660 after 18 years of banishment announced a rebirth for English drama. The following period was called Restoration and was quite popular primarily for the sexual explicitness, which was highly encouraged by Charles II. Socially diverse audiences watched the crowded and bustling plays. "Variety and dizzying changes are typical of Restoration comedy" (http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_comedy). The era of Restoration comedy culminated twice: in the mid-1670s with aristocratic comedies and in the mid-1690s with the acceptance of a wider audience. The comedies of these two times are extremely different from each other. William Wycherley's works are an example of the gold 1670s era and are quite 'hard' representing ceaseless machinations and conquest in an aristocratic macho lifestyle. The play that is going to be examined was written in 1675 and mirrors an aristocratic and anti-Puritan ideology. It is based on different plays by Molière with some added features like colloquial prose dialogue, a complicated, bustling plot gallimaufry, and many sex jokes. It contains two insensitive plot devices: a libertine pretending being impotent in order to have secret affairs with married women and a young country wife discovering the pleasures of city life, especially the spellbinding men. The play itself was a subject to elaborate praise and moral outrage. A lot of critics appreciated the linguistic energy and wit. Nowadays the original play is a stage favorite again, especially due to the linguistic finesse, the incisive social satire, and the openness to different interpretations.