Product Description

This magisterial work forms a close critical study of all the surviving plays first written and professionally premiered in England between 1660 and 1700. Hughes's readable volume analyses many texts, often in detail and for the first time, and also places them within the range of contemporary theatrical output, with its diversity of outlook and constant shifts in fashion and subject. The Country-Wife and The Man of Mode are treated not as typical `Restoration Comedies' but as almost unique plays. Hughes also presents innovative work on the politcal, intellectual, and social background of the corpus, with extensive discussion of its treatment of women and the contribution of women dramatists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1736201 in Books
• Published on: 1996-03-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 520 pages

Review
"No one planning to write papers or books on Restoration drama will ignore this work....This masterful work is in many ways the culmination of the careful research in this period by many scholars over the last two decades."--Choice
"The grace with which Hughes handles the material and the amount of detail he offers on almost all of the plays discussed is truly impressive."--Modern Philology