The Country Wife (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays) - Softcover

Wycherley, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486817539 ISBN 13: 9780486817538

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2018

Synopsis

Originally performed and published in 1675, this five-act play parodies the vices and hypocrisies of Restoration London. The plot centers on the eponymous country wife, Margery, whose suspicious husband, Mr. Pinchwife, keeps her isolated. On a rare outing to the theater, Margery encounters the aptly named Mr. Horner. A notorious rake who feigns impotence to trick his way into the intimate company of married ladies, Horner soon schools Margery in the art of deception and realizes Pinchwife's worst fears.
Bursting with racy dialog and bawdy humor, this comic masterpiece offers an enduring blend of cynicism, satire, and farce. The elegance of the play's construction and the glamour of its setting provide a piquant contrast to its earthy celebration of lust and human folly. The Country Wife has been periodically vilified for its immorality but remains ever popular for its lively characters, witty double entendres, and sophisticated drama.

About this title

Book Description:

Cambridge Literature is a series of literary texts edited for study by students aged 14-18 in English-speaking classrooms. It will include novels, poetry, short stories, essays, travel-writing and other non-fiction. The series will be extensive and open-ended, and will provide school students with a range of edited texts taken from a wide geographical spread. It will include writing in English from various genres and differing times.The Country Wife by William Wycherley is edited by Ken Bush, Denefield School, Reading

About the Author:

English dramatist William Wycherley (c.1640–1716) is best known for his plays The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer. His Restoration-era comedies are notable for their keen satires of manners and society, and the playwright was a favorite among the wits in the court of Charles II.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0486817539
• ISBN 13: 9780486817538
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96