ABSTRACT
In the twelve years from 1664 to 1676 Restoration comedy of manners became well established as a dramatic type. During these years Etherege and Wycherley produced their masterpieces, and a goodly number of other comic dramatists worked, with varying degrees of success, in the same tradition. Etherege’s importance as the first dramatist to express the Restoration comic spirit with artistic completeness is very generally recognized. For the most part, modern critics have been disposed to regard with some misgivings Gosse’s very definite account of the relations between Etherege and the great French master. A candid study of the play makes it apparent that the first venture of Etherege’s genius has been much overrated. Etherege’s plays represent remarkable achievements in the genre of Restoration comedy. Etherege’s people of fashion enact with unswerving devotion a social rôle which is amply commended by its artificial elegance.
