| The Rivals Contributor(s): Sheridan, Richard Brinsley (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0486404331 ISBN-13: 9780486404332 Publisher: Dover Publications OUR PRICE: $2.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 1998 * Not available - Not in print at this time *Annotation: Immensely popular comedy of manners featuring such memorable characters as the lovely Lydia Languish, her suitor, Capt. Jack Absolute; and Lydia's aunt -- Mrs. Malaprop, cleverly revolves around false identities, romantic entanglements, and parental disapproval. Brilliant comic masterpiece satirizing the pretentiousness and sentimentality of 18th-century society. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Drama | European - English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh |
| Dewey: 822.6 |
| LCCN: 98-26166 |
| Series: Dover Thrift Editions |
| Physical Information: 0.21" H x 5.2" W x 8.02" (0.15 lbs) 80 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: During a brief but brilliant literary career, Irish-born dramatist and statesman Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) wrote cleverly plotted plays that revealed his nimble wit and keen eye for comic situations. Two of them -- The School for Scandal and The Rivals -- are among the funniest in the English language. The Rivals, brimming with false identities and with romantic entanglements carried on amid a cloud of parental disapproval, satirizes the pretentiousness and sentimentality of the age. It features a cast of memorable characters, among them the lovely Lydia Languish, whose pretty head has been filled with nonsense from romantic novels; Capt. Jack Absolute, a young officer in love with Lydia; Sir Anthony Absolute, Jack's autocratic father; Sir Lucius O'Trigger, a fiery Irishman; and Jack's provincial neighbor, Bob Acres, a bumptious but lovable country squire in love with Lydia. Hoping to win Lydia's affection, Captain Jack woos the pretty miss by pretending to be a penniless ensign named Beverley, an act that nearly incites a duel with Acres. His actions also provoke serious objections from Lydia's aunt, Mrs. Malaprop, a misspeaking matron whose ludicrous misuse of words gave the English language a new term: malapropism. Ultimately, the hilarious complications are resolved in a radiant comic masterpiece that will entertain and delight theater devotees and students of English drama alike. |