English Literature

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN Comedy of Manners is a name given to witty, intellectual form of dramatic comedy that depicts and often satirizes the manners and affectations of a contemporary society. The plot of such a comedy usually concerned with an illicit love affair or similarly scandalous matter. It also consists witty dialogue and pungent commentary on human foibles. Plays of this type are typically set in the world of the upper class, and ridicule the pretensions of those who consider themselves socially superior, deflating them with satire. With witty dialogue and cleverly constructed scenarios, comedies of manners comment on the standards and mores of society and explore the relationships of the sexes. Marriage is a frequent subject. Typically, there is little depth of characterization; instead, the playwrights used stock character types�the fool, the schemer, the hypocrite, the jealous husband, the interfering old paren...

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN �The School for Scandal� is a very skillfully constructed play. It has two separate plots which are linked together through the Teazles. A close examination of the play will show that there are in fact three plots--- one, the marital relations of Peter and his Lady; second, the love of Charles and Maria and third, the arrival of Sir Oliver and his discovery of the true character of Joseph. One might almost add a forth- Lady Sneerwell� attempt to secure Charles for himself. All these are cleverly woven together by the agency of the arch hypocrite Joseph who is equally at home in Sir Peter�s house and in the company of Lady Sneerwell. Joseph is courting Maria; Joseph is making love to Lady Teazle; Joseph is plotting with Lady Sneerwell; Joseph is playing the false friend to Sir Peter; Joseph�s finger is in every pie.           In the opening scene Snake and La...

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN Sheridan�s admirers say that his comic characters go beyond others. His dialogue is wittier, is situations are funnier and his satire is more biting. �The School for Scandal� is an excellent example of satirical and artificial kind of comedy, which depicts the manners, follies and hypocrisy of the age with the help of a well-constructed plot and witty dialogues. Realism And Satire On Scandal Mongering           Unlike the Elizabethan romantic comedy, �The School for Scandal� is characterized by realism, social analysis and satire. Sheridan held a mirror to the finer society of his time and portrayed their Love-intrigues and hypocrisy. To destroy other�s characters was a favorite pass-time for the scandal mongers. In the words of Sir Peter Teazle:             �Mercy on me! Here is the whole set! A charact...