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The 18th Century Drama and Sheridan  Richard Brinsley Sheridan (理查德·布林斯利·谢利丹 1751—1816) Life His father was an actor and his mother a novelist. The young man tried his hand at literature and wrote some minor works in collaboration with a friend. In 1772 Sheridan fell in love and eloped with Elizabeth Ann Linley, a beautiful singer, after fighting two duels with his rival. After marriage, the Sheridans lived happily in a country cottage. In 1775, Sheridans first comedy The Rivals was produced and The School for Scandal (1777) is his masterpiece. In 1776 he became the manager of Drury Lane Theatre. In 1780 Sheridan went in for politics and became a Whig M.P. (Member of Parliament, 下院议员) The later years of Sheridans life were saddened by the death of his wife in 1792 and the loss of Drury Lane Theatre by a fire in 1809. Sheridan’s Representative Works (1)The Rivals 《情敌》《对手》 (2)The School for Scandal 《造谣学校》masterpiece (3) The Critic Comedy of manners 风俗喜剧 1662年查理二世复辟后取消了禁戏令。这时的戏剧主要是为伦敦的上层人物提供一种时髦的娱乐，而一般的剧院只有两家。1662年重建的朱瑞巷剧院已具备了现代剧院的基本形式， 并有了布景。 这时出现了大量的“复辟”期喜剧作品,比较重要的有G.艾特利吉(1634?～1692）的《风流人物》(1676)、W.威彻利(1641～1716)的《乡下女人》(1675)。它们描写贵族的风流放荡生活，也反映家庭和婚姻问题，其中可以看到法国戏剧的影响和对莫里哀的模仿，被称为“风俗喜剧”。 从18世纪50年代起，感伤主义日益盛行，感伤主义喜剧也占领了舞台。H.凯利（1739～1777）、R.坎伯兰(1732～1811)等人的作品多愁善感、无病呻吟，把戏剧引向绝路。70年代，O.哥尔德斯密斯（1728～1774）的《委曲求全》(1773)、R.B.谢里丹(1751～1816)的《情敌》(1775)和《造谣学校》(1777)使观众耳目一新。它们虽然也受了感伤主义的影响，但都以强烈的现实主义精神描绘了当时外省资产阶级的生活，并且避免了王政复辟以来英国戏剧常见的粗俗和狭隘。这 3部作品使没落的风俗喜剧重现光彩。 王尔德是唯美主义的鼓吹者,但在他的喜剧创作中,却表现出一种现实主义的批判态度。他的《温德米尔夫人的扇子》(1892)、《认真的重要》(1895)等剧作对上层社会的虚伪进行了揭露和嘲讽，但其中尚有情节剧的痕迹。王尔德反对英国戏剧中存在已久的粗制滥造现象，在创作上刻意求工，语言机智风趣，情节的发展出人意料而又轻松自然。风俗喜剧在王尔德的笔下发出光辉。 Sheridan’s The Rivals (p.169) Sheridan’s The School for Scandal Brief Comments The 18th century is a barren age for English drama. Sheridan is the only important English dramatist of that century. He is at his best with comedies. His comedies are mainly concerned with the current moral issues and the social evils of his own day. Com