"THE CONSCIOUS LOVERS"   Term Paper ID:18760 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: (Sir Richard Steele). Analyzes sentimental comedy portraying 18th Cent. post-Restoration England.... More...

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Paper Abstract: (Sir Richard Steele). Analyzes sentimental comedy portraying 18th Cent. post-Restoration England. Paper Introduction: The purpose of this research is to examine in detail The Conscious Lovers by Sir Richard Steele. The plan of the research will be to set forth the social milieu in which The Conscious Lovers first appeared, and then, with reference to the pattern of ideas and events emerging in the work, to discuss the importance and standing of The Conscious Lovers as a representative drama of its type (sentimental comedy). As appropriate, reference will be made to the role that prevailing or emerging social mores played in positioning the play in the post-Restoration period. A useful way of appreciating the social milieu of The Conscious Lovers is to refer, first to the milieu of the play, then to evidence of the societal environment in which it appeared, and then to judgments of both play and society. Steele's preface to the published play is framed by a deliberate Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. In this regard,MacMillan and Jones say that The Conscious Lovers "marks the climax of thefirst stage in the development of sentimental, characterized by thepresentation of a moral problem and the sentimental misinterpretation ofPlautus and Terence" (549). The Conscious Lovers. The theatre is always quickly responsive to a change in audience attitude, and it is therefore.no surprise that after 17 , playwrights began to experiment with a new form of comedy-- a didactic comedy in which sentiment was substituted for wit (Gassner and Allen 442). Barrett H. The author seems to be all the time on his good behavior, as if writing a comedy was no very creditable employment, and as if the ultimate object of his ambition was a dedication to the queen. I know you so well that I am sure to have found this letter about a man you had killed would have been worse than death to yourself. 1:444-5.----------------------- 11 Ed. "Remarks on the Preface to The Conscious Lovers." Theatre and Drama in the Making. The duel isnarrowly averted when that misunderstanding is clarified, and Mr. Sealand'smisgivings about Bevil and Indiana are resolved when he learns that she ishis long-lost daughter. It is but a step from here to theperception on the part of the mass of theatergoers--not incidentally markedby their presence in the emergent middle classes--that sentimental comedyrepresents not only an ideal working-out of dramatic conflict but also arealistic picture of how people behave. Plays of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century as They Were Acted at the Theatres-Royal by Their Majesties' Servants. Gassner and Allen characterize the play as"almost unreadable today," but they also take note of Steele's preface "asa kind of manifesto of the sentimental school, and as such it hashistorical importance." Further, when Gassner and Allen say that TheConscious Lovers "exerted considerable influence on the development ofDenis Diderot's middle-class dramas" (Gassner and Allen 443), they areessentially noting the historical case for a kind of drama that might befamiliar to anyone who is familiar with the environment of Leave It toBeaver, Family, or Father Knows Best. True. In a lecture delivered in 1819, nearly 1 years afterthe premiere of the play, Hazlitt positions Steele's comedies as anintentional departure from the prevailing form of Restoration drama, andhis judgment, here abridged, is not particularly generous: The comedies of Steele were the first that were written expressly with a view not to imitate the manners, but to reform the morals of the age. In TheConscious Lovers, the statement is simply fatuous, too pious for a laughand too laughable to be taken seriously upon reflection. New York: Holt, Rinehart, 1931. 1918. Cimberton withdraws his suit to Lucinda when hesees her fortune will be divided with her half-sister Indiana, leavingMyrtle and Lucinda, and Indiana and Bevil free to wed. The Conscious Lovers is the best; but that is far from good, with the exception of the scene between Mr. Thomas and Phillis, who are fellow-servants, and commence lovers from being set to clean the window together . I am sorry that in this censure I should have Parson Adams against me; who thought the Conscious Lovers the only play fit for a Christian to see, and as good as a sermon. . 1:446-5 .Gassner, John, and Ralph G. John Gassner and Ralph G. But thecrux of action, the moral conflict does not come from within the charactersbut from external forces: Indiana was the victim of pirates, Mr. Sealandthe victim of shipwrecks, Bevil the victim of filial piety, and everyonethe victim of misunderstanding. "On the Comic Writers of the Last Century." European Theories of the Drama. With what face can I see my benefactor, my advocate, whom I have treated like a betrayer?--Oh, Bevil, with what words shall I-- BEVIL. I begin to fear I have been too far transported . This is a descriptionof the difference between wit and "feel-good" dramatic technique. There needs none; to convince is much more than to conquer (IV.i). Allen. The plan of the research will be to setforth the social milieu in which The Conscious Lovers first appeared, andthen, with reference to the pattern of ideas and events emerging in thework, to discuss the importance and standing of The Conscious Lovers as arepresentative drama of its type (sentimental comedy). As appropriate,reference will be made to the role that prevailing or emerging social moresplayed in positioning the play in the post-Restoration period. . Gassner and Allen connect Steele's approach tocharacter and action to a shift in the social fabric of which theRestoration theater (and its sociology) was a part. But both The Plain Dealer and TheBeggar's Opera savage for the laugh, driving home their point mercilessly --The Plain Dealer by making Olivia, who expresses something of the samesentiment (in a lie), a disagreeable gold-digger and The Beggar's Opera byskewing marital logic and making the Peachums fatuously lament thatdaughter Polly is not the mercenary they reared her to be. The rising business class, for the most part sympathetic to Jeremy Collier's opinions, were unable to divorce art from morality, and as a result, they were not amused by the polished gaiety of Etherege, Wycherley, and Congreve. BEVIL. Then might the contents of the letterbe revealed, courtesy of clever servant Tom, the folly of the duelistsexposed, and the friendship repaired. John Gassner and Ralph G. 2 vols. Dennis's 1723 review of theplay essentially takes Steele to task for employing The Conscious Lovers,in comic form, as an obvious piece of social instruction rather than as apiece of more subtle social criticism: "[I]n Moliere's Opinion, It is theBusiness of a Comick Poet to enter into the Ridicule of Men, and to exposethe blind Sides of all Sorts of People agreeably; that he does nothing atall, if he does not draw the Pictures of his Contemporaries, and does notraise the Mirth of the sensible Part of an Audience, which, says he, It isno easy Matter to do" (Dennis 448). But this cannot have occurred toSteele; he is too intent on declaring the decency and constancy of fastfriends. Consider, you kept your temper yourself no longer than till I spoke to the disadvantage of her you loved. After declaring that its performancewas "received with universal acceptance," he adds a brief discussion ofwhat seems to be his "take" on the comedy of manners. That is what is meant when Steele says TheConscious Lovers presents a "Joy too exquisite for laughter" (Steele 444).How else can one explain Bevil's statement-which logic suggests has to be arestatement made for purposes of dramatic exposition--of affection andfilial piety toward Sir John: "I say,sir, experience has made you wiser inyour care of me,--for, sir, since you lost my dear mother, your time hasbeen so heavy, so lonely,and so tasteless that you are so good as to guardme against the like unhappiness by marrying me prudentially by way ofbargain and sale" (I.ii) . New York: Holt, Rinehart, 1931. Ed. Nothing can be better meant, or more inefficient. The chief design of this was to be an innocent performance, and the audience have abundantly showed how ready they are to support what is visibly intended that way. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1964. When Lucinda's merchant fatherdiscovers Bevil's generosity toward Indiana, he draws the wrong conclusionand wants to break the engagement. BEVIL. By the time the play was produced (1722),Collier's famed attack on the Restoration stage (1698) had been a part ofwhat might be termed theater sociology for nearly a quarter of a century.It appears to have taken such a great hold that certain dramatists soughtto apply it to the craft of playwrighting as a whole. Works CitedDennis, John. One could say that that way liesthe high level of comfort that bourgeois society feels with itself. 548-5 .Steele, Sir Richard. "The Comedy of Wit and the Comedy of Sentiment." Theatre and Drama in the Making. . But let me tell you I have saved you from the most exquisite distress even though you had succeeded in the dispute. [Aside] When he is thoroughly mortified and shame has got the better of jealousy, when he has seen himself thoroughly he will deserve to be assisted towards obtaining Lucinda. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1964. Meanwhile, Bevil's best friend Mr.Myrtle, who with Bevil's servant tries to prevent Lucinda's mother frommarrying her off to a distant and disagreeable cousin (Cimberton),concludes when in his presence Lucinda receives a letter from Bevil thatBevil has deceived him; he challenges Bevil to a duel. Allen. It comforts rather thanafflicts, and in so doing denies comedy its mission. IfThe Conscious Lovers has any overriding theme, therefore, it is adeclaration of permission to behave honorably toward one's spouse,betrothed, and children. For myself, I would rather have read, or heard him read, one of his own manuscript sermons (Hazlitt 431-2) As a piece of social criticism, The Conscious Lovers seems to havemuch the same intent as Wycherley's The Plain-Dealer, but whereas thelatter play employs the devices suited to imitating Restoration mannerswith a view toward turning them savagely back upon themselves and sovigorously condemning them, The Conscious Lovers presents an affirmativealternative to such manners. The plot concerns the dilemma faced by Bevil, Junior, aprudent and genteel young man who is engaged to Lucinda Sealand but whoafter rescuing the beautiful orphan Indiana from pirates and taking herunder his honorable protection has fallen in love with her. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1964. contend that the tearswhich were shed on that occasion flowed from reason and good sense" (Steele444). But how much more fun it might be for everyone in thetheater were Bevil and Myrtle to draw swords precipitately, only to findthe lodgings too cramped for a proper duel and themselves a trifle tooclumsy to conduct a duel properly. Whatever the response of the bourgeois theater-going public, thereaction of the more sophisticated element of the society to which TheConscious Lovers was presented was negative. . . Plays of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century as They Were Actedat the Theatres-Royal by Their Majesties' Servants. Introduction. Dougald MacMillanand Howard Mumford Jones. Ed. Clark. A further elaboration of negative criticism of The Conscious Loverscomes from Hazlitt. 551-84.---. In other words, Steele has violatedthe first principle of authentic comedy, which is to take an ironicattitude toward the comic drama's characters. The problem with such a statement when viewedfrom the perspective of more wicked Restoration comedy is not that it doesnot contain much truth; indeed, The Plain Dealer and The Beggar's Operaalike contain criticism of marriage-for-money psychology that prevailed inhigh society in Restoration England. I am sure Mr. Bevil cannot doubt but I had rather have satisfaction from his innocence than his sword. To be sure, Steele may havehad a noble purpose in seeking to condemn the as it were cavalier practiceof duelling as a social ideal. Ed. In effect, Steele isreacting to and arguing against the just-preceding cultural dominance ofone element of Restoration morality, which is to say against the much-vaunted decorousness of the self-serving vice that permeated sexuality as awhole, and marital and extramarital adult relationships in particular. New York: Crown, 1965. "Preface to The Conscious Lovers." Theatre and Drama in the Making. Ed. Indiana is as listless, and as insipid, as a drooping figure on an Indian screen; and Mr. Myrtle and Mr. Bevil only just disturb the still life of the scene. MYRTLE. Dougald MacMillan and Howard Mumford Jones. with a sickly sensibility, that shows as little hearty aversion to vice, as sincere attachment to virtue . Allen. The London theatre at the beginning of the eighteenth century was becoming increasingly bourgeois. 2 vols. MYRTLE. Read it. . But consider the moment when Myrtlerealizes that Bevil's letter to Lucinda might not be a love letter but someother kind of note. The purpose of this research is to examine in detail The ConsciousLovers by Sir Richard Steele. 426-38.MacMillan, Dougald, and Howard Mumford Jones. The Conscious Lovers is a valid social document to this extent, thatit reflected (or at least portrayed) a qualitative shift in the prevailingcultural morality on one hand, and a declaration on the playwright's partfor the legitimacy of that shift on the other. Allen. . Sentimental comedy, in thisview, is a violation of the comic spirit. Unwilling toabandon the engagement for sake of duty to his father, who wants the match,and Lucinda, he invites her by letter to break it in order to accommodatehis best friend and love-rival Mr. Myrtle. The occasion for Steele's defense of his play may be discerned fromits action. In other words, the recognition scene is the culmination of goodhuman psychology, or the good that ought to be human psychology. If TheConscious Lovers may be said to retain standing as a thoughtful, well-crafted experiment that remains a strong representative of its type, it isalso a historical curiosity. The tidiness of the plot resolution, the expression of good feelingsand intentions of virtually everyone in the cast except Cimberton and Mrs.Sealand, the unfailing generosity of Bevil's spirit toward Indiana, Myrtle,and Lucinda, the respect that young Bevil has for his father's wishes, theresiliency of friendship between Bevil and Myrtle, the helpfulness andrespect of the servants of Bevil and Sealand--all of these elementsrepresent dramatic departures from the wicked behavior and ironies typicalof other Restoration plays. He is too intent on inventing sentimental comedy for the Londonstage, the progenitor of situation comedy on the American screen. 2 vols. The ConsciousLovers. The fact that the work may be a piece of wishfulthinking on the playwright's part does not detract from the fact that italso represents the appearance and institutionalization of something of anovel dramatic form, which is the sentimental comedy of manners. 1:442-3.Hazlitt, William. Why, then, would you ask it first that way? . Steele's preface to the published play is framed bya deliberate consciousness of its utility as a dramatic piece of what todaymight be called social documentary. John Gassner and Ralph G. . TheConscious Lovers, on this view, explains to the world the nature anddetails of such psychology. it is almost a misnomer to call them comedies; they are rather homilies in dialogue . A similar piece of sentimental logic is at work in IV.i, in whichBevil and Myrtle narrowly avert a deadly duel. Steele goes on to defend the sometimes tearful sentiment of therecognition scene between Indiana and her long-lost father as validmaterial for comedy, noting that he "must . . [Aside] With what a superiority he has turned the injury on me as the aggressor! A useful way of appreciating the social milieu of The ConsciousLovers is to refer, first to the milieu of the play, then to evidence ofthe societal environment in which it appeared, and then to judgments ofboth play and society. On the other hand, it may have potential asan ABC Movie of the Week. MYRTLE. Ed. Nor do I make any difficulty to acknowledge that the whole was writ for the sake of the scene of the fourth act, wherein Mr. Bevil evades the quarrel with his friend, and hope it may have some effect upon the Goths and Vandals that frequent the theatres, or a more polite audience may supply their absence (Steele 444). No doubt about it, Bevil and Myrtle are a couple of decent anddashing fellows. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.