The Witlings and The Woman-Hater by Frances Burney

The Witlings and The Woman-Hater by Frances Burney

This Broadview edition pairs two of Frances Burney's linked comedies. They both present the character of Lady Smatter, a "femme savante" whose lineage may be traced back to Molière; they both centre on the misfortunes of the "elle" figure, the dispossessed heiress and wife who appears frequently in Burney's fiction; and they both criticize a culture of misogyny that breeds suspicion and resentment. The Witlings, lighter and more comic, derives from late seventeenth-century conventions; The Woman-Hater, more melodramatic, both expresses and warns against the excessive sensibility of romanticism. Together, these two plays constitute a miniature history of English drama from the Restoration to the French Revolution and beyond.

This edition contains a valuable selection of appendices, including: Burney's "Epilogue to Gerilda"; letters and diary entries; contemporary writings on comedy; and Burney's cast-list for The Woman-Hater.

It is no longer a secret for specialists only that Frances Burney wrote some of the finest stage comedies of the eighteenth centuryThanks to Peter Sabor and Geoffrey Sill, this splendid edition makes two of her best plays available to readers, directors, actors, and students alike." - Brian Corman, University of Toronto

"Burney’s comedies, like her novels, have lively and funny moments, but are likely to appeal to modern readers as much for their uncomfortably vivid depictions of embarrassment, vulnerability and marginalisation on the basis of gender, class, status and money. Peter Sabor and Geoffrey Sill’s edition effectively contextualises The Witlings and The Woman-Hater within eighteenth-century theatrical culture and Burney’s own preoccupations, literary and personal. This is an attractive, affordable, and excellently annotated edition." - Jacqueline Pearson, The University of Manchester

Burney, Frances: -

Frances Burney (1752-1840) was an English novelist, playwright, and satirist. Born in Lynn Regis, England, Burney was the third child of six and began writing at the age of ten. In 1778, Burney published Evelina, her first novel, anonymously. Despite her attempts to conceal her identity--which stemmed from a fear of social condemnation as an upper-class woman--her family and friends soon identified Burney as the author of Evelina, for which she would receive critical acclaim and popularity. Following the success of her debut, Burney would write three more novels--Cecilia (1782); Camilla; Or, A Picture of Youth (1796); and The Wanderer; Or, Female Difficulties (1814)--all of which satirize the lives and social conventions of English aristocrats. Although she wrote plays throughout her career, she was dissuaded from having them performed by her father; Edwy and Elgiva, her only play to be produced, closed after one night due to poor audience reception. Regardless of the hostility she faced as a woman and professional writer, her works were widely read and received praise from such figures as Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Jane Austen, and William Makepeace Thackeray.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781551113784
ISBN 10	1551113783
Title	The Witlings and The Woman-Hater
Author	Frances Burney
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Broadview Press Ltd
Year published	2002-09-30
Number of pages	329
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.