Böcker av Richard Brinsley Sheridan

A revised edition of this 18th century comedy with an introduction in which aspects of language, staging and interpretation are explored. The reader is encouraged to examine the strong political element in the play and to see how this relates to its literary and theatrical parodies.

The plot centres on the two young lovers, Lydia and Jack. Lydia, who reads a lot of popular novels of the time, wants a purely romantic love affair. To court her, Jack pretends to be "Ensign Beverley", a poor army officer. Lydia is enthralled with the idea of eloping with a poor soldier in spite of the objections of her guardian, Mrs. Malaprop, a moralistic widow. 4 women, 8 men

The Rivals and Polly Honeycombe revolve around young women who wish the world would conform to novelistic convention. Unlike most eighteenth-century heroines keen on novel reading, however, Lydia Languish and Polly Honeycombe are neither deluded nor in any real danger. Rather, they inhabit a world in which everyone is engaged in some sort of quixotic performance; the more appealing characters are just willing to admit it. Both farcical and wise, these plays teasingly celebrate the perennial appeal of fiction, while never letting us forget how much it relies upon the everyday rituals of performance. The introduction to this Broadview edition explores the interrelations between print and performance in the eighteenth century, including a detailed and well-illustrated account of what it was like to go to the theater. Appendices include material on the original casts, the often dubious reputation of novel reading and circulating libraries, Sheridan's high-profile elopement with Elizabeth Linley (which made him a celebrity before he ever staged a word), and the narrative possibilities conjured up by setting The Rivals in the resort city of Bath.

Richly exploited comic situations, effervescent wit, and intricate plots combine to make Sheridan's work among the best of all English comedy. This edition includes his most famous plays, The Rivals, The School for Scandal, and The Critic, and two lesser known musical plays, The Duenna and A Trip to Scarborough. A fine introduction and notes on Sheridan's playhouses and critical inheritance make this an invaluable editionfor study and performance alike.

A major new edition which brings a modern approach to the Introduction and text.

Sheridan's most successful play, often considered the apex of English comedy.

In The School for Scandal, Sheridan's artificial world of heightened wit and heightened folly delights its audience, but at times it engages them with moments of human pain and happiness, before delivering them back to its comedy.