English 3700 Lecture Notes - Bedroom Farce, Pure Comedy, Restoration Comedy
Document Summary
Conscious lovers: characters are middle class (bourgeois), emphasis on family, conservative ideas, honor. Performed on the stage every year until 1775. Style: no bedroom farce of restoration drama, elevation of the drama, decency. Main plot (serious and conventional lovers at the center of the play) and sub plot. In some ways it"s a free adaptation of terence"s andria. Introducing the published edition of the play, advertisement of the edition. Talks about the relationship between the stage play and the printed play: printed play (half the life of the play, gets people to go watch it) performance (the play is of value, example and precept). Improve comedy by depicting scenes that appeals to reason and good sense (weeping is morally instrumental). We laugh at instances that are below us, crude laughter. (she . Plays before have used farce, fancy costumes, disfigurements, sexual innuendo, wenches. Insulting his audiences a little by revealing what they like.