48 pages • 1 hour read
Richard Brinsley SheridanThe School for Scandal
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1777A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Context: The Comedy of Manners
Comedy of manners is a satirical, comedic genre of drama that explores the social and cultural norms and behaviors of its time. The genre was most popular in what became known as the Restoration comedy period (1660-1710), utilizing predominantly archetypical, or stock, characters. By maintaining these characters within rigid social conventions, playwrights exposed flaws and foolishness in the unspoken rules that govern society.
During the Interregnum period, all art was banned except that which related to distinctly Christian religious worship, and, in the Restoration, a boom of sexually explicit and “pagan” art developed. Throughout the Restoration period, plays like William Congreve’s The Way of the World, George Etherege’s The Man of Mode, and William Wycherley’s The Country Wife dominated the stage with antics of upper-class characters making fools of themselves. As the Restoration progressed, Jeremy Collier’s 1698 pamphlet, “Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage,” objected to the nature of English comedic drama, arguing for the need for greater moral displays and less profanity or lewdness.
Congreve’s The Way of the World is a good example of this shift, which carried over into later 18th-century works, such as The School for Scandal. Where a Restoration playwright might have taken, for example, Joseph’s attempted seduction of Lady Teazle in a bawdy direction, Sheridan interrupts the scene before any intimacy can take place. This interruption illustrates Sheridan’s focus on the manners of gallantry and infidelity, rather than on sexuality or lewdness.
The comedy of manners, by Sheridan’s time, maintained the contemporary relevance of earlier works, such as the frequent references to annuities and newspapers, both of which would have been considered topical in 1777.
Socio-Historical Context: Publishing, Newspapers, and Scandal
Following the restrictive laws of the 17th century, 18th-century England saw a boom in printed works, including pamphlets and newspapers. While many of these articles were focused on news and politics, the 18th century saw a rise in satirical publications and gossip.
Much like the comedy of manners, the link between gossip and satire contributed to an engaging publishing culture, which sees its continuation in modern publications like People or TMZ. Though much of the early satirical news highlighted hypocrisy and criticisms of politics, Parliament, and the monarchy, the mid- to late-18th century saw an uptick in critiques of fashionable society. Such satires included gossip, caricatures, and misinformation, but they were enjoyed by both lower classes—who enjoyed laughing at the upper classes—and the upper classes themselves, who often found enjoyment in the misfortune of their contemporaries.
Robert Walpole, a Whig politician who served as Prime Minister from 1721-42, wanted to censor publishers to stem the tide of satire and gossip, much as Sneerwell accuses Peter Teazle of trying to do in The School for Scandal. However, the challenge of opposing satire was that it would involve admitting to some truth in its criticisms of the upper classes, including politicians. Publications like The Tatler, The Female Tatler, The Observator, and The Flying Post were known for publishing gossip, which upper-class socialites would discuss and spread among their friends. The society kept by Lady Sneerwell, then, is a realistic depiction of upper-class social behavior, including the frequent spread of misinformation, ill-informed rumors, and open discussion of others’ misfortunes.
