ENG 2574 The Comedy of Manners
The purpose of the theatrical comedy of manners has always been to improve society by reflecting back its empty affectations: the conventions by which we "act properly" and the clichéd ways we pursue love, fame, and fortune. But who is really being reflected in these plays and to what ends? In many cases, the self-interested men in these comedies, who trade on their cleverness for financial gain and sexual pleasure (William Wycherley's rakes, Oscar Wilde's dandies, Joe Orton's thugs, and the modern-day yuppies of contemporary drama), are ultimately as satirized as their societies. And what of the other sex: the women these rakes pursue and who pursue them in turn? This course addresses these questions by examining the evolution of the comedy of manners from Restoration Comedy through contemporary theatre and film.
Course Types
Expression, Literature