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Comedy of Manners

The comedy of manners satirizes contemporary societal manners and conventions through witty dialogue and stock characters. It focuses on scandals within high society involving affairs, deception, and questioning of social standards rather than plot. One of the best known examples is Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest from 1895. Stock characters are stereotypical fictional types that audiences easily recognize, helping identify genres. The comedy of manners features risque language, elaborate plots, cross-dressing, affairs, and cynicism critiquing the upper classes in a gentle, witty way through the intelligent lovers at its center.

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Jahangir Alam
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1K views6 pages

Comedy of Manners

The comedy of manners satirizes contemporary societal manners and conventions through witty dialogue and stock characters. It focuses on scandals within high society involving affairs, deception, and questioning of social standards rather than plot. One of the best known examples is Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest from 1895. Stock characters are stereotypical fictional types that audiences easily recognize, helping identify genres. The comedy of manners features risque language, elaborate plots, cross-dressing, affairs, and cynicism critiquing the upper classes in a gentle, witty way through the intelligent lovers at its center.

Uploaded by

Jahangir Alam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Comedy of Manners

Definition
The comedy of manners, also called anti-sentimental comedy, is a form
of comedy that satirizes the manners and affectations of contemporary
society and questions societal standards. Social class stereotypes are
often represented through stock characters such as the miles
gloriosus ("boastful soldier") in ancient Greek comedy or
the fop and rake of English Restoration comedy, which is sometimes
used as a synonym for "comedy of manners".[1] A comedy of manners
often sacrifices the plot, which usually centers on some scandal, to
witty dialogue and sharp social commentary. Oscar Wilde's play, The
Importance of Being Earnest (1895), which satirized the Victorian
morality of the time, is one of the best-known plays of this genre.
Stock Character
• A stock character is a stereotypical fictional person or type of
person in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film who audiences
recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition.
There is a wide range of stock characters, covering men and women
of various ages, social classes and demeanors. They
are archetypal characters distinguished by their simplification
and flatness. As a result, they tend to be easy targets for parody and
to be criticized as clichés. The presence of a particular array of stock
characters is a key component of many genres, and they often help to
identify a genre or subgenre. For example, a story with a knight-
errant and a witch is probably a fairy tale or fantasy.
features
• The characteristics of a comedy of manners include:
• the use of double entendre and other forms of risque language.
• elaborate plots.
• cross-dressing (usually women in men's clothing)
• physical seduction.
• extramarital affairs.
• cynicism.
• the meeting of the aristocracy and common folk.
• intrigues such as forgeries and spying.
Characteristics

• The main elements of the Comedy of Manners are the following :


• The action takes place in London
• Characters are often from the upper class. They are beautiful and
refined.
• The plot is often about an illicit love affair or some other scandal
• The play features at least one pair of very intelligent young lovers
• The woman in these plays are emancipated , bold and emancipated ,
unlike the heroines of sentimental dramas.
To be continued

• Witty dialogue is one important feature of the comedy of


manners.the play appeals to the intelligence of the audience rather
than their emotions. The plays are mildly satirical. The ildleness ,
manners and affectations of the upper class are criticized in a gentle ,
witty way.
• The institution of marriage is always held to ridicule.Both husbands
and wives openly express their dissatisfaction of their spouses.
• These plays also portray the idle lifestyle of the rich society with much
realism.

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