British Dramatists from Dryden to Sheridan

By George H. and Arthur E. Case ed. Nettleton

Book Overview

Representative selections from Restoration and eighteenth-century drama, comedy, satire, tragedy, and farce are prefaced by descriptions of the theaters, acting styles, methods of play production, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080930743X
• ISBN13: 9780809307432
• Release Date: August 1975
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Length: 976 Pages
• Weight: 2.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.9" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

THIS WONDERFUL ANTHOLOGY COLLECTS THE FOLLOWING 24 PLAYS:

Dryden -- The Conquest of Grenada Villiers -- The Rehearsal Dryden -- All for Love Otway -- Venice Preserved Etherege -- The Man of Mode Wycherley -- The Plain Dealer Vanbrugh -- The Relapse Congreve -- The Way of the World Farquhar -- The Beaux' Stratagem Cibber -- The Careless Husband Steele -- The Conscious Lovers Addison -- Cato Rowe -- The Tragedy of Jane Shore Gay -- The Beggar's Opera Fielding -- Tom Thumb Lillo -- The London Merchant Garrick -- The Lying Valet Home -- Douglas Colman -- The Jealous Wife Cumberland -- The West Indian Goldsmith -- She Stoops to Conquer Sheridan -- The Rivals Sheridan -- The School for Scandal Sheridan -- The Critic plus two essays: Collier -- A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage Goldsmith -- An Essay on the Theatre; or, A Comparison Between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy This handsome volume is actually a more convenient and more economical way to collect these 24 plays and additional essays than piecing together single plays in the New Mermaids, Regents Renaissance, or Revels series. In fact, many of the plays in this volume are not otherwise available. This book is an embarrasment of riches -- enjoy!

Nettleton rules!

Desperation can be the source of wisdom. I've known for a year that this fall I'll be teaching restoration and 18th century drama. Worse, I volunteered to do so. Worse yet, as of yesterday I had only 7 weeks left in which to pick a text of plays. And absolutely worst of all, while trying to look up restoration and 18th century texts on the Web, I found my own course staring me in the face: "English 232, Smith College, Gillian Kendall". Yikes! It was definitely time to find a text.Nettleton saved me. I had been about to order a completely new edition of the plays (sample copy graciously sent to me by the publisher), albeit the edition was in many ways, well, let's say "not quite right for the course". Then I went to the library. Despite the recommendation of a friend -- a renowned 18th century expert -- I had been suspicious of Nettleton. The copyright on the edition I looked at was 17 years before I was born (sorry about the ageism, Mr. Nettleton). But the volume has everything. Lovely grandiose heroic drama (but not too much of it); Dryden's adaptation of Shakespeare's *Antony and Cleopatra*; five classic comedies of manners (the backbone of restoration drama), and a pleasant smorgasbord of the best of the 18th century.I have a text. My students have a text. Life is good.