The Way of the World
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1700
- Form
- Comedy
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 110 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Way of the World and Other PlaysPenguin Classics, 2006Eric Rump's edition of Congreve's four comedies with notes on the period idiom.
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Congreve's last comedy, first performed in March 1700 and coolly received. Mirabell wants to marry Millamant, but her aunt Lady Wishfort, whom he once pretended to court, controls half her fortune and hates him. His scheme to trap Lady Wishfort into consent with a fake suitor is exposed by Mrs Marwood, who wants Mirabell herself, and Fainall, Lady Wishfort's son-in-law, tries to blackmail the family with his wife's past. A deed of trust that Mirabell holds defeats Fainall. The proviso scene, in which Mirabell and Millamant set out the conditions on which they will marry, is the most famous in Restoration comedy.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Way of the World are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
