Restoration Comedy

The two plays presented in full in this volume – Wycherley's The Country Wife and Congreve's The Way of the World – illustrate the evolution of Restoration comedy between 1675 and 1700.

• 
  
• Includes full texts of Wycherley's The Country Wife and Congreve's The Way of the World.
• 
  
• Demonstrates how Restoration comedy evolved between 1675 and 1700.
• 
  
• Introduces general readers or students to the genre.
• 
  
• An editorial introduction guides readers through the plays and the period.

Series Editor's Preface.

Introduction.

1. William Wycherley (1641-1716):.

The Country Wife (1675).

2. William Congreve (1670-1729):.

The Way of the World (1700).

Index of titles and first lines.

David Womersley has been a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Jesus College, Oxford since 1984.

Duncan Wu is a Fellow of St Catherine's College, Oxford, and University Lecturer in English Literature.

Readers seeking a first introduction to the classic texts of English literature will welcome these short, pocket-sized collections. Each book in the series contains a selection of the most significant poetry or drama from a particular period. Traditional favourites are placed alongside less well-known titles, reflecting the ways in which the literary canon has changed in recent years. A succinct introduction to each volume gives readers a sense of how literature developed during the period in question.

These concise volumes are designed for general readers wishing to extend their cultural horizons and literary knowledge.

Featuring plays by Wycherley and Congreve, RESTORATION COMEDY gives readers a flavour on the bawdy and satirical comedies performed in the sophisticated theatres of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.