The Country Wife

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Theatre, Playwriting, Performing Arts, Drama
Cover of the book The Country Wife by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden ISBN: 9781408179918
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: February 13, 2014
Imprint: Methuen Drama Language: English
Author: William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
ISBN: 9781408179918
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: February 13, 2014
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Language: English

'He's a fool that marries, but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.'

This bawdy, hilarious, subversive and wickedly satirical drama pokes fun at the humourless, the jealous, and the adulterous alike. It features a country wife, Margery, whose husband believes she is too naïve to cuckold him; and an anti-hero, Horner, who pretends to be impotent in order to have unrestrained access to the women keen on 'the sport'. A number of licentious and hypocritical women request Horner's services – the country wife among them.

The Country Wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. The seventeenth century libertine king Charles II saw it twice, and is said to have joined the 'dance of the cuckolds' at the end of one performance; the eighteenth century actor-playwright David Garrick declared it 'the most licentious play in the English language'; the Victorian Macaulay compared it to a skunk, because it was 'too filthy to handle and too noisome even to approach'. Twentieth century productions heralded it a Restoration masterpiece. Sexually frank, and as ready to criticise marriage as infidelity, the virtuosity, linguistic energy, brilliant wit, naughtiness and complexity of this ribald play have made it a staple of the modern stage.

This student edition contains a lengthy, entirely new introduction, by leading scholar, Tiffany Stern, with a background on the author, structure, characters, genre, themes, original staging and performance history, as well as an updated bibliography and a fully annotated version of the playtext.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

'He's a fool that marries, but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.'

This bawdy, hilarious, subversive and wickedly satirical drama pokes fun at the humourless, the jealous, and the adulterous alike. It features a country wife, Margery, whose husband believes she is too naïve to cuckold him; and an anti-hero, Horner, who pretends to be impotent in order to have unrestrained access to the women keen on 'the sport'. A number of licentious and hypocritical women request Horner's services – the country wife among them.

The Country Wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. The seventeenth century libertine king Charles II saw it twice, and is said to have joined the 'dance of the cuckolds' at the end of one performance; the eighteenth century actor-playwright David Garrick declared it 'the most licentious play in the English language'; the Victorian Macaulay compared it to a skunk, because it was 'too filthy to handle and too noisome even to approach'. Twentieth century productions heralded it a Restoration masterpiece. Sexually frank, and as ready to criticise marriage as infidelity, the virtuosity, linguistic energy, brilliant wit, naughtiness and complexity of this ribald play have made it a staple of the modern stage.

This student edition contains a lengthy, entirely new introduction, by leading scholar, Tiffany Stern, with a background on the author, structure, characters, genre, themes, original staging and performance history, as well as an updated bibliography and a fully annotated version of the playtext.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book US Infantryman in World War II (1) by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Critical Critters by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Philosophical Thinking and the Religious Context by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Hermeneutics between History and Philosophy by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Puppets by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Contemporary Democracy and the Sacred by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Little Owl’s First Day by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Reputation Management by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Sorcery, Totem, and Jihad in African Philosophy by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book The M60 Machine Gun by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book The Bloomsbury Introduction to Popular Fiction by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Luke: An Introduction and Study Guide by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Bradshaw’s Handbook by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book The Methuen Drama Book of Suffrage Plays by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
Cover of the book Commissions of Inquiry by William Wycherley, Dr Tiffany Stern, James Ogden
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy