Product Description

The Critic was Sheridan's response to a very specific political and theatrical situation. In the summer of 1779, a Franco-Spanish invasion seemed imminent and patriotic fervour superseded party divisions and personal animosities. The Critic satirises the panic of the summer in the form of the comically misconceived tragedy 'The Spanish Armada' that is in rehearsal in the second and third acts, but The Critic ends with genuine patriotic feeling. This edition traces both the political and the theatrical objects of Sheridan's satire and discusses its reliance (and improvement) on earlier meta-theatrical burlesques like The Duke of Buckingham's Restoration romp The Rehearsal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #291810 in Books
• Published on: 1989-11-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Customer Reviews

Does the comedy of manners still apply to the 21st century?
When one reads sheriden, one expects a set sructue which marks the vices and follies of upper class society. Allthough this applies in sheridens text, the humour which should be expected can not bring humour due to the aging sentiment of this novel.