The country wife essays are academic essays for citation. Deception in the country wife and the conscious lovers. To understand what a restoration comedy is, and to appreciate the play. James jarvis the novels other protagonist, a white landowner whose farm overlooks ndotsheni. Horner rumour that he is sexually impotent sir jasper fidget enters becomes sure the rumour is true entrusts lady fidget to horner jack pinchwife enters he fears horner will cuckold him becomes obvious his attitude towards women he learns horner saw his wife at the theather becomes. The countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. Get the entire the country wife litchart as a printable pdf. The country wife summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Analysis of the country wife one of the most significant aspects of this play is the way that it ends. The country wife by wycherley william coursework sample. About the play the country wife is a hilariously bawdy and subversive drama that.
The country wife by wycherley, william 16401716 one of the key themes of country wife which come out quite clearly from the script is the failure of the restoration arrangement of the marriages in the society. It is a comingofage story about a young girl, sam hughes, who has just finished high school and isnt sure if she wants to stay in hopewell. Well look at the political and literary context of the play as well as the plot. Harry horner, a notorious womanizer, spreads a rumor that he has contracted venereal disease and that, while being treated for this by a french surgeon, he has accidentally been made impotent. Sparkish, engaged to alithea sir jaspar fidget, a noble gentleman mrs. Mar 30, 2020 the country wife, comedy of manners in five acts by restoration dramatist william wycherley, performed and published in 1675. There are pessimistic remarks on honor, class, women, and love. As the story goes on, it is shown how he gains access to these ladies. Page the country wife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. But horner is anything but impotent, and before long he is bedding a host of bored, foolish, and incredibly horny womenincluding the young, silly margery, an ignorant country girl recently wed to an elderly man. As a genre, restoration comedy is notable for displaying a recrudescence of bawdiness, the public expression of which had been suppressed under the puritans, and for taking a satirical, or even cynical, view of marriage and sexuality.
The country wife study guide from litcharts the creators of. When he first appears in the novel, jarvis is a relatively conservative farmer and a man of few words. These comedies usually involve complex love triangles, mistaken identities, sexual jokes, references to contemporary figures, witty social critique, and a celebration of courtly life. The country husband new providence school district. The country wife william wycherley 1641 1716 one of the most notorious restoration comedies in existence, william wycherleys the country wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest.
When brothers share a wife minnesota state university. A product of the tolerant early restoration period, the play reflects an aristocratic and antipuritan ideology, and was controversial for its sexual explicitness even in its own time. Critical guide to settings and places in literature. John cheevers the country husband is one of the more. But the tragic news that his only son, arthur, has been murdered leads him to johannesburg, where he begins to rethink his opinions and his relationship to the villagers that. As a genre, restoration comedy is notable for displaying a recrudescence of bawdiness, the public expression of which had been suppressed under the puritans, and for taking a satirical, or even cynical, view of marriage and. Download william wycherleys the country wife for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile. This 45page guide for the country wife by william wycherley includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 5 chapters, as well as several more. Some brief info on the historical background of restoration comedy and how it relates to the play. Jamess park was favoured by the kings mistress, the duchess of cleveland. Summary and analysis of the plot william whycherlys the county wife is a hilarious comedy about men and women in love and marriage.
Poets like cudgeld bullys, never do at first, or second blow, submit to you. I am impatient that any work is censured, not because it is thought to be coarse or inelegant in style, but because it is modern, and that what is claimed for the ancients should be. The country wife is a restoration comedy, that is, an english theatrical comedy written during the period 16601710. The country wifes place in english literature is more relevant to the history of drama than to the literary canon itself. My students cant get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the. The country wife study guide contains a biography of william wycherly. The country wife has reached little consensus about certain interpretative issues even now. Such an analysis can guide us in making distinctive, precise interpretive decisions about the characters in this comedydecisions that are based in the text and in. When brothers share a wife among tibetans, the good life relegates many women to spinsterhood melvyn c. About the country wife the country wife summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis act i. Wycherleys play has been tactlessly solemn, yet to insist as.
A quack is as fit for a pimp, as a midwife for a bawd. The country wife quotes by william wycherley goodreads. Famous quote from a migrant and seasonal head start mshs staff person to mshs director at a. She hit him on the ear, and she meant to hit him on the ear, because he messed up her china collection. Horner claims to have extensive knowledge of the china collected by fashionable ladies, and this provides them with an excuse to visit his rooms to discuss china.
Horner poets, like cudgeled bullies, never do at first or second blow submit to you. Helen burke refers to its notorious resistance to interpretation. Francis turns to his son, but the boy has justification for the kickshe hit him first. Horner rumour that he is sexually impotent sir jasper fidget enters becomes sure the rumour is true entrusts lady fidget to horner jack pinchwife enters he fears horner will cuckold him becomes obvious his attitude towards women he learns horner saw his wife at the theather becomes distressed and leaves. The country wife 1675 a comedy by wycherley, william 16401716 the persons mr. Indignor quicquam reprehendi, non quia crasse compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper nec veniam antiquis, sed honorem et praemia posci. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Mythic parody in the country wife oxford academic journals. In country, by bobbie ann mason, is a novel set in hopewell, kentucky in the summer of 1984. Aug 21, 2014 some brief info on the historical background of restoration comedy and how it relates to the play.
Front matter indignor quicquam reprehendi, non quia crasse compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper. In a spirited defense of the excellences of restoration culture, john dryden praises king charles i1 for having awakened the dull and heavy spirits of the english, from their natural reservdness. Here we have horner, the trickster hero of the play, who is determined to sleep around with married women and thereby cuckold their husbands. The country wife is an example of restoration comedy, or a comedy of manners. At this time nobody found it funny, and positive criticism tried to rescue it as satire and. Related links essay questions quiz 1 quiz 2 quiz 3 quiz 4 citations. A further analysis of the characters names in the country wife reveals insight into wycherleys aptlynamed lady fidget, mrs. Hume does on its inspired buffoonery also leads to pitfalls. Popular for its lively characters and its double entendres, the bawdy comedy was occasionally vilified for immorality. The term restoration comedy refers to comedies produced during the reign of charles ii, from 1660 to 1685. The restored monarch, charles ii, wanted to assert the centrality of the theater in english culture as a way of harkening back to the glory days of the stuart dynasty in the early part of the century, when his grandfather. The country wife quotes showing 14 of 4 marrying to increase love is like gaming to become rich. The best study guide to the country wife on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. Full of banter and repartee, it is fun to read, but the play is most.
Goldstein eager to reach home, dorje drives his yaks hard over the 17,000foot mountain pass, stopping only once to rest. The country wife is a hilariously bawdy and subversive drama that pokes fun at the jealous and humourless. How to write a country analysis term paper illustrates all the aspects that should be in a good country analysis research paper. The title itself contains a lewd pun with regard to the first syllable of country. The article presents a literary criticism on the play country wife by william wycherley.
Preliminaries omitted play details the country wife. It is classified in english literature as a restoration comedy. The plyant discourse of wycherleys the country wife. The plays action begins with harry horner explaining to the quack his brilliant ruse for making a. The country wife by william wycherley was published in 1675. Pdf downloads of all 1291 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. How to write a country analysis term papers on aspects of.
These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the country wife by william wycherly. It is said to be obvious to the ordinary reader that the play is nourished with references to acting and the theater, wherein the language of the play is constantly directing the audiences attention to the art of the drama. In the midst of a continual banter of sexual innuendo there lies, cynical commentary and misogonistic attitudes upon. Advanced country analysis and forecast adcaf provides daily analysis of world events, detailed country reports, proprietary country and sovereign risk ratings, and comprehensive economic forecasts and historical data to help your business assess its. This lesson will explore william wycherleys the country wife. This 45page guide for the country wife by william wycherley includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 5 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Horners lodging enter horner, and quack following him at a distance. Harcourt, his acquaintance, enamored of alithea mr. Hes also critiquing the merchant class, country bumpkins, society in general, men and women in general. The country wife study guide from litcharts the creators. The country wife summary from litcharts the creators of.
The country wifewilliam wycherleyfree downloadpdf epub. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The country wife essaysthe country wife is a very funny comedy about men, women and marriage. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the country husband by john cheever. Support your business plans with unparalleled risk analysis and the economic forecast for over 200 countries. It satirizes the sexual duplicity of the aristocracy during the reign of charles ii. Condemning hypocrisy, praising dissolution, and elevating innuendo into an art form, the play is titillating, disquieting and witty. Agnes in the school for wives is a simple and amiable girl, whose heart is indeed full of love, but of love sanctioned by honour, morality, and religion. Is william wycherley critiquing only the nobility in the country wife, or is the play making a statement about the nature of people, regardless of their social status.
And discuss it they do indeed, so much so that the very word china becomes funnier with every. The countrywife, comedy of manners in five acts by restoration dramatist william wycherley, performed and published in 1675. He persuades his doctor, a quack, to spread this story all over town, hoping that gullible men will leave. One of the most notorious restoration comedies in existence, william wycherleys the country wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. Introduction theater was central to the culture of restoration london. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Customer logins obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. The plyantdiscourse of wyc herleys the country wife. The country wife project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The hunter was seated several places away from his wife. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The country wife is particularly famous, or infamous, for the socalled china scene.
He and his two older brothers, pema and sonam, are jointly marrying a woman from the next village in a few weeks, and he. The country wife social historical context youtube. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the country wife. The country wife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. The country wife summary and analysis of the plot essay. The country wife, act i the open anthology of literature. Studying the comedy of the country wife english literature essay. Full text and introduction nhb drama classics kindle edition by wycherley, william, griffiths, trevor. Pray, sister, where are the best fields and woods to walk in. Page the countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. The country wife is a romp and a farce and a classic of restoration comedy, very typical of the genre. She looked over at him finally, a look of recognition, of warmth, and then looked away again. But will provoke you still, and never have done till you are. William wycherley a shropshire lad, born 1641, died 1715.
There is a continual joking of sexual suggestion and double meaning. In the country wife, horner allows society to believe he is impotent, and as such husbands entrust him with their wives. Like a good name is seldom got by giving it oneself. The country wife is a restoration comedy written in 1675 by william wycherley. Thematic analysis wycherleys the country wife, like many comedies of manners, focuses on sexual relations as its primary theme. Horner, a disreputable london rank who has recently returned from france, spreads the rumor that a venereal disease caused him to become impotent in order to win the favor of the ladies from upper class.