The Country Wife (New Mermaids)) - Softcover

Wycherley, William; James Ogden

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0713666889 ISBN 13: 9780713666885

Publisher: Methuen Drama, 2003

Synopsis

'Cuckolds like lovers should themselves deceive' So concludes one of Wycherley's most revived and much discussed plays. It is a satirical comedy sharply focussed on the follies, vices and hypocrisies of Restoration London through its central characters: the desperate Pinchwife; his naive wife; the sex-obsessed Horner and Lady Fidget's 'virtuous gang' of town ladies. Wycherley's strong wit informs almost every speech and his alarmingly familiar revelations of character leave us to draw our own conclusions. It remains a controversial play, admired as satire or farce, condemned as immoral and frivolous, and appreciated again as a serious work of dramatic art. Modern critics have much debated its central themes, and question marks remain: is Horner hero or villain? This student edition contains a fully annotated version of the playtext in modern spelling. The Introduction includes an account of Wycherley's life and a detailed discussion of The Country Wife's interpretation and stage history.

About this title

Review:

The Country Wife is shown to surpass much Restoration comedy in structural and thematic unity by counterpointing the principal's attitudes on sex and marriage. Although the plot is episodic and portrays multiple sets of lovers, Wycherley succeeds in evolving a clear dramatic line. --Seventeenth Century News

Book Description:

Cambridge Literature is a series of literary texts edited for study by students aged 14–18 in English-speaking classrooms. It will include novels, poetry, short stories, essays, travel-writing and other non-fiction. The series will be extensive and open-ended, and will provide school students with a range of edited texts taken from a wide geographical spread. It will include writing in English from various genres and differing times. The Country Wife by William Wycherley is edited by Ken Bush, Denefield School, Reading.

About this edition

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0713666889
• ISBN 13: 9780713666885
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208