Comedy of Wit - Revision history

Pankratz at 10:49, 6 November 2009

2009-11-06T10:49:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:49, 6 November 2009
Line 6:		Line 6:
	Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedies by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).		Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedies by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

	There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of [[William of Orange]]. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), [[William Congreve]] and [[John Vanbrugh]] were among the leading playwrights of this period.		There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of [[William of Orange]]. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), [[William Congreve]] and [[Sir John Vanbrugh\|John Vanbrugh]] were among the leading playwrights of this period.

	== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==		== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==

Pankratz at 10:49, 6 November 2009

2009-11-06T10:49:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:49, 6 November 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 to 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]").		Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 and 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]").
	It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal ~~fulfilment~~. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritanism\|Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real" (Burns 14-15).		It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfillment. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritanism\|Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real" (Burns 14-15).

	The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural" (ibid.)		The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural" (ibid.)

	Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the ~~comedy~~ by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).		Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedies by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

	There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of [[William of Orange]]. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), [[William Congreve]] and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.		There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of [[William of Orange]]. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), [[William Congreve]] and [[John Vanbrugh]] were among the leading playwrights of this period.

	== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==		== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==

WikiSysop at 14:49, 10 July 2009

2009-07-10T14:49:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:49, 10 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 to 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]".		Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 to 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]").
	It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritanism\|Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real." (Burns 14-15)		It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritanism\|Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real" (Burns 14-15).

	The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)		The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural" (ibid.)

	Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).		Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

	There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), William Congreve and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.		There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of [[William of Orange]]. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), [[William Congreve]] and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.


	== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==		== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==

	William Wycherley: ''The Country Wife'' (1675)		William Wycherley: ''The Country Wife'' (1675) <br />
			William Wycherley: ''The Plain Dealer'' (1676) <br />
	William Wycherley: ''The Plain Dealer'' (1676)		George Etherege: ''The Man of Mode'' (1676) <br />
			Aphra Behn: ''The Rover'' (1677) <br />
	George Etherege: ''The Man of Mode'' (1676)		William Congreve: ''Love For Love'' (1695) <br />
			William Congreve: ''The Way of the World'' (1700) <br />
	Aphra Behn: ''The Rover'' (1677)

	William Congreve: ''Love For Love'' (1695)

	William Congreve: ''The Way of the World'' (1700)




	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

	Burns, Edward. ''Restoration Comedy: Crises of Desire and Identity''. London: Macmillan, 1987.		Burns, Edward. ''Restoration Comedy: Crises of Desire and Identity''. London: Macmillan, 1987.
			<br />
	Knutson, Harold C. ''The Triumph of Wit: Molière and Restoration Comedy''. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1988.		Knutson, Harold C. ''The Triumph of Wit: Molière and Restoration Comedy''. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1988.

Pankratz at 14:18, 10 July 2009

2009-07-10T14:18:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:18, 10 July 2009
Line 13:		Line 13:
	William Wycherley: ''The Country Wife'' (1675)		William Wycherley: ''The Country Wife'' (1675)

	William Wycherley: ''The Plain Dealer'' (~~1677~~)		William Wycherley: ''The Plain Dealer'' (1676)

	George Etherege: ''The Man of Mode'' (1676)		George Etherege: ''The Man of Mode'' (1676)

Pankratz at 14:17, 10 July 2009

2009-07-10T14:17:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:17, 10 July 2009
Line 4:		Line 4:
	The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)		The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)

	Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright Molière (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).		Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright [[Molière]] (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

	There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), William Congreve and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.		There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), William Congreve and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.

Pankratz at 14:11, 10 July 2009

2009-07-10T14:11:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:11, 10 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 to 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]".		Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 to 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]".
	It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real." (Burns 14-15)		It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritanism\|Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real." (Burns 14-15)

	The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)		The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)
Line 6:		Line 6:
	Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright Molière (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).		Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright Molière (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

	There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (ca. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), William Congreve and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.		There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (c. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), William Congreve and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.

Pankratz at 14:10, 10 July 2009

2009-07-10T14:10:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:10, 10 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~'''Comedy~~ of ~~Wit''' is the term for~~ Restoration Comedy. ~~It refers to plays that were written in the period from 1688~~ to 1710 in England.		Term for a type of Restoration Comedy (written between c. 1668 to 1710 in England) (sometimes also known as "[[Comedy of Manners]]".
	It is a comedy in prose that is set in urban London~~. A common setting~~ is a park. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from ~~other~~ ridiculed or satirised character-types. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real." (Burns 14-15)		It is a comedy in prose that is often set in urban London (famous exception: Behn's ''The Rover'' which is set in Naples, Italy), in a park or appartments and salons. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from ridiculed or satirised character-types such as old fathers and mothers, hypocritical [[Puritans]] or stupid country bumpkins. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real." (Burns 14-15)

	The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)		The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)

	Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the "comedy ~~of manners"~~ by the French playwright Molière (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).		Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the comedy by the French playwright Molière (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

	There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the ~~comedy~~ of ~~wits~~ can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir George Etherege (ca. 1635-1692) ~~was~~ amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746) ~~was one of~~ the playwrights of this period.		There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the Comedy of Wit can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir [[George Etherege]] (ca. 1635-1692) and [[William Wycherley]] were amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers such as [[John Dryden]] and [[Aphra Behn]]. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746), William Congreve and John Vanbrugh were among the leading playwrights of this period.


	== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==		== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==

			William Wycherley: ''The Country Wife'' (1675)

			William Wycherley: ''The Plain Dealer'' (1677)

			George Etherege: ''The Man of Mode'' (1676)

	Aphra Behn: ''The Rover'' (1677)		Aphra Behn: ''The Rover'' (1677)
Line 15:		Line 21:
	William Congreve: ''Love For Love'' (1695)		William Congreve: ''Love For Love'' (1695)

	William ~~Wycherley~~: ''The ~~Country Wife~~'' (~~1675~~)		William Congreve: ''The Way of the World'' (1700)

Alexandra.kollek: Created page with ''''Comedy of Wit''' is the term for Restoration Comedy. It refers to plays that were written in the period from 1688 to 1710 in England. It is a comedy in prose that is set in u…'

2009-07-10T11:59:46Z

Created page with ''''Comedy of Wit''' is the term for Restoration Comedy. It refers to plays that were written in the period from 1688 to 1710 in England. It is a comedy in prose that is set in u…'

New page

'''Comedy of Wit''' is the term for Restoration Comedy. It refers to plays that were written in the period from 1688 to 1710 in England.
It is a comedy in prose that is set in urban London. A common setting is a park. The cast usually consists of a group of young people that seek pleasure. They stem from fashionable families and their ultimate goal is personal fulfilment. They receive opposition from other ridiculed or satirised character-types. Sexual explicitness is one of the main characteristics of a comedy of wit. Restoration comedy inverts or parodies the conventions of pastoral intrigue. Nevertheless, "Restoration comedy is to be distinguished from its two rival forms of intrigue play - the 'Spanish' play and the tragi-comic romance - not simply by its insistence on a contemporary London setting, but by the social and psychological contingencies that accrue from this limited and apparently contradictory claim on the real." (Burns 14-15)

The term "wit" that classifies this type of plays is "the ability to use social and linguistic artifice for personal ends" (ibid. 17). Wit "overrides 'decorum' - the affirmation of an intrinsically self-righting social order - and thus the plays reach their endings on kinds of contracts, not on an order re-discovered, presumed to have been somehow always 'there' and hence presented as natural." (ibid.)

Critics point out that the comedy of wit has been influenced by the "comedy of manners" by the French playwright Molière (1622-1673) (see Knutson, for example).

There are basically three stages of Restoration comedy. The first evolution of the comedy of wits can be dated to the period from 1660 to 1680. Sir George Etherege (ca. 1635-1692) was amongst the first writers of Restoration comedy. The second phase took place during the Royalist crisis in the 1680s. Here, Restoration comedy was adapted by professional writers. The last phase is often labelled a "revival" (Burns 18), which took place between 1690 and 1700 after the accession of William of Orange. Thomas Southerne (1660-1746) was one of the playwrights of this period.

== Examples of Restoration Comedy ==

Aphra Behn: ''The Rover'' (1677)

William Congreve: ''Love For Love'' (1695)

William Wycherley: ''The Country Wife'' (1675)

== Sources ==

Burns, Edward. ''Restoration Comedy: Crises of Desire and Identity''. London: Macmillan, 1987.

Knutson, Harold C. ''The Triumph of Wit: Molière and Restoration Comedy''. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1988.