This edition brings together four eighteenth-century comedies that
illustrate the full variety of the social and cultural mores of the
time. Fielding's The Modern Husband, written before the 1737 Licensing
Act that restricted political and social comment, depicts wife-pandering
and widespread social corruption. In Garrick and Colman's The
Clandestine Marriage two lovers marry in defiance of parental wishes
and rue the consequences. She Stoops to Conquer explores the comic and
not-so-comic consequences of mistaken identity, and in Wild Oats, the
strolling player Rover is a beacon of hope at a time of unrest.
Part of the Oxford English Drama series, this edition has
modern-spelling texts, critical introduction, wide-ranging annotation,
and an informative bibliography.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has
made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the
globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to
scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other
valuable features, including expert introductions by leading
authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date
bibliographies for further study, and much more.