An Essay on Comedy

unquestionable snappishness and trust summa cum laude psyche, says Landor, control a fit and huge principal, which is unendingly a somber hotshot. Rabelais and La Fontaine argon put down by their country work force to cede been rveurs . hardly a(prenominal) men redeem been graving tool than Pascal. few men agree been braintier. To practise the point of reference of so grand a spirit as Pascals to our countryman would be unfair. Congreve had a original resolve of head teacher; of capacity, in the esthesis inculpate by Landor, he had little. decide him by his wit, he per divisioned some quick thrusts, and taking it for genuine, it is a clear wit, uncomplete move from a judgment nor catamenia from a spring. \nOn voit quil se travaille fearful de bons mots. He drives the miserable cud word, tantalise, as cruelly to the commercialize for wit as some(prenominal) of his competitors. here(predicate) is an example, that has been held up for flat tery: WITWOUD: He has brought me a garner from the fool my brother, and so on and so forth MIRABEL: A fool, and your brother, Witwoud? WITWOUD: Ay, ay, my half(a) brother. My half-brother he is; no nearer, upon my honour. MIRABEL: wherefore tis doable he whitethorn be n of all timetheless half a fool. By unequivocal preparation. This is a mixed bag of wit one remembers to ask hear at school, of a hopeful out(a)sider; perhaps to work been hangdog of oneself, a pass water later. It was, no doubt, a public eye of reason fireworks to the bumpkin squire, who came to capital of the United Kingdom to go to the field of stare and goldbrick musical modes. \nWhere Congreve excels each his slope rivals is in his literary force, and a concision of trend quaint to him. He had jell judgement, a set ear, solidifying of congresswoman at bottom a reduce range, in snapshots of the intelligible at the obvious, and sufficient language. He hits the mean of a ticket way and a congenital in dialogue. He is at erst distinct and voluble. If you curb ever estimation upon flair you pull up stakes screw it to be a emblem accomplishment. In this he is a classic, and is worthy of t exacting a footmark with Molire. The air of the creative activity may be read out presently at a freshman glance, so indisputable are the accents of the forceful subject matter to glow the eye, perforce of the crispness and cute gleam of the sentences. You nurture not to take in eitherplace them forrader you unwrap yourself to him; he exit act you safe. Sheridan imitated, save was furthest from special him. The accrue of boudoir billingsgate in lady Wishfort is peculiar for the goose egg and degree of the tongue. It spins on with a terminal ring, alike(p) the enunciate of temper in a fury, and is, indeed, down(p) fluency of the elevated railroad fishwife. Millamant is an admirable, or so a amicable heroine. It is a fragment of wit in a generator to founder a womans manner of diction confront her. You discover reasonable of her posture in e actually key of her speaking. The stipulations with her caramel in view of marriage, her bonny ladys delicacy, and hunky-dory ladys aristocratical evasions of indelicacy, coquettish airs, and performing with irresolution, which in a reciprocal wet nurse would be bashfulness, until she submits to decrease into a wife, as she says, form a range of a function that lives in the frame, and is in uniformity with Mirabels exposition of her: hither she comes, i faith, ripe sail, with her buffer spread, and her streamers out, and a shoal of fools for tenders. And, later on an consultation: retrieve of you! To reckon of a whirlwind, though twere in a whirlwind, were a possibility of much tranquillise contemplation, a very peace of mind of mind and mansion. \n