• It reflected the life of the Court, which was portrayed as being immoral, corrupt and licentious but also elegant, witty and intelligent

• The main targets of criticism were middle class values and ideals, conventions, hypocrisy and the institution of marriage. True love was rarely a theme of a play

• The dialogues were prose; the comic effect was achieved mostly through the wit and sparkle of the dialogue, which was often in the form of ‘repartee’ – verbal fencing match of witty comments and replies

• While in Elizabethan drama comic characters were usually low and humble in origin, in the Comedy of Manners they were aristocratic ladies and gentlemen

• Two new male character types were created: the gallant ad the fop. The gallant was usually the hero of the play. The flop was a figure of fun ridiculed for his stupidity and pompous pretentiousness

• The leading female characters usually had no feelings or morals. Their only interests were fashion and breaking their marital vows

• The characters usually had names that captured some aspects of their personality (Scandal, Lady Fidget)

• The plays had no moral didactic purpose, they were written merely to entertain the audience.

The 18th century was not a particularly interesting period for drama. Theatrical performances were censored. That made many talented writers turn their attention from drama to novel. While 17th century theatre goes were largely aristocratic, the 18th century audience was predominantly middle class and dictated new trends:

• The 17th century comedy of manners was rejected for its amorality

• Shakespeare continued to be performed but his plays were often cut and transformed to suit the public’s taste.

• Melodramas ( unimaginative sentimental pieces with strong didactic element) became very popular but were of little literary value

• Pantomime - a mixture of singing, dancing, and knockabout comedy was very fashionable.

Towards the end of the century a more refined version of Comedy of Manners again became popular.

Seminar Questions:

1. Mid-century novel:

S.Richardson. Life and works. “Clarissa or The History of a Young Lady”

H.Fielding. Life and works. “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling”

2. Poetry of the second half of the 18^th century.

3. Development of drama in the 17^th-18^th centuries.