The Way of the World (Paperback)

~ (Author) "My Lord,-Whether the world will arraign me of vanity or not, that I have presumed to dedicate this comedy to your lordship, I am yet..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sir Rowland, Sir Wilfull, Madam Marwood

Editorial Reviews

Review

Comedy of manners in five acts by William Congreve, performed and published in 1700. The play, which is considered Congreve's masterpiece, ridicules the assumptions that governed the society of his time, especially those concerning love and marriage. The plot concerns the efforts of the lovers Millamant and Mirabell to obtain the permission of Millamant's aunt for their marriage. Despite a scheme that goes awry and after several misunderstandings are cleared up, the two finally obtain her consent. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"Occasionally a book comes to hand that is so satisfactory that one would not change it in the slightest detail. Miss Lynch''s edition of the greatest of all Restoration comedies of manners in such a book. . . . A model for 20th-century editors."-Choice (Choice ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (January 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055703194X
• ISBN-13: 978-0557031948
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,235,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eek!, March 12, 2000

By	Elise (the top of the Delta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way of the World (Regents Restoration Drama) (Paperback)

I had to write a review after reading the two preceeding mine!

This is perhaps the most brilliant of the late Restoration comedies. For all of those unfamiliar with Restoration drama, it is a rich, witty genre which has been too often neglected in American educational institutions, relegated to the "secondary canon" of English lit. The Way of the World is ridiculously sublime, incorporating the tropes of the genre, but exceeding its predecessors.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Comedy of Manners - Restoration Period, November 28, 2004

By	Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Way of the World (Barron's Educational Series) (Hardcover)

The first three acts of William Congreve's play, The Way of the World (1700), involve little action. The scenes focus on introducing and contrasting characters, highlighting witty dialogue, and slowly revealing details of prior events through casual references. Polite, formalized language disguises selfish motives, rivalries, deceit, and deviousness.

Selfish motives, deciet, and other negative attributes may not seem a proper basis for comedy, and yet The Way of the World warrants four stars. For comparison purposes I strongly recommend reading two other Restoration period comedies: Wycherley's The Country Wife (1675) and Etherege's The Man of Mode (1676). All three plays share a cynical view of the sanctity of marriage and portray a self-centered London society obsessed with extramarital affairs.

The action (certain steps to overcome obstacles to a marriage) in The Way of the World does not occur until the later acts. The marriage between Mirabell and Millamant proceeds only after both are assured that their financial situation will not be jeopardized. Love is secondary. Similarly, the unpleasant situation of Mrs. Fainall - a marriage without any pretence of love - remains unchanged.

While humor may be somewhat sparse in the earlier acts, the tempo clearly picks up in acts four and five. The plot becomes extremely fluid when Mirabell's inventive fraud unravels, and his rival, Mr. Fainall, gains the upper hand. However, the last act offers a delightful twist that puts things right. (Puts things right might be an overstatement given that the play's key characters are somewhat lacking in scruples.)

Although The Way of the World is only occasionally staged today, this play is often assigned reading. My favorite edition is Barron's Educational Series (1958) as it provides plentiful stage directions. In particular, indications of expression - essentially guidance to actors on the proper delivery of the dialogue - are inserted as the dialogue switches from one character to another. Examples include: "somewhat sourly recollecting the rebuff of the previous evening", "using frankness as a bait to draw equal frankness from her companion", and "too preoccupied to pay serious attention". The Barron's edition also has a lengthy introduction by Vincent Hopper and Gerald Lahey, a 5-page note on staging by George Hersey, and illustrations by Fritz Kredel.

A Crofts Classic edition (published 1951, reprinted 1985) provides a useful section titled The Argument of the Play, in which the editor, Henry T. E. Perry, summarizes events that occurred prior to the beginning of the play. (Remember that the dialogue in the early acts slowly - and often obliquely - reveals details of prior events through casual references.) Perry also discusses how William Congreve adroitly used dialogue to reveal much about the personalities of his characters.

The Way of the World can also be found in the Norton Critical Edition (1973) titled Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy. The extensive appendix includes an 80-page section titled Criticism From Lamb to the Present; two articles directly address Congreve's play: The Way of the World by Norman Holland and Form and Wit in The Way of the World by Martin Price.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic, Cold, and Wickedly Witty: The Masterpiece of Late Restoration Comedy, July 9, 2008

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Way of the World (Paperback)

The English theatre of 1700 was not noticeably like western theatre of today. Simply stated, the audience was half the show.

Aristocrats and nobility dressed to ridiculous heights of fashion, arrived late with as much disruptive fanfair as possible, spent a great deal of time talking to each other, and thought nothing of nipping out for a half-hour or so during the play. The middle and lower class spectators paid as much attention, if not more, to these goings on--and if by some chance you became bored by both play and audience you could always visit one of the attractive young women who sold refreshments and often themselves as well.

These circumstances gave a very distinct shape to plays of the period. They tended to very long, running three and four hours, with the plot itself not becoming apparent until well into the play, all of the major characters discussed in virtually every scene, and each essential plot repeated over and over again. You could arrive half an hour or an hour late; you could miss an entire scene through conversation with your neighbor; you could step out for a drink and come back again--and even so you could still follow the play.

Read today, the vast majority of Restoration drama seem horrendously drawn out, and they are now seldom read or performed. Restoration comedy, however, is a different matter: a master could turn the repetitive structure into a dazzling display of wit, style, and high art. When it comes to Restoration comedy, and in spite of the fact that his output was actually quite small, William Congreve (1670-1729) was a master's master indeed. First staged in 1700, THE WAY OF THE WORLD sparkles like a collection of rare jewels. Congreve had reason to exert himself to the full extent of his talents on this occasion: the play was written for celebrated actress Anne Bracegirdle, who was said to be his lover.

The play is convoluted in terms of characters and subplots, but at core it is remarkably direct. Mirabelle has a somewhat questionable past that includes numerous romantic conquests; he has, however, decided to marry the beautiful and wealthy Millimant. Unfortunately, the match is greatly opposed by Lady Wishfort, whose refusal to give consent will have the effect of depriving Millimant of her fortune. The action of the play arises from Mirabelle's efforts to trap Lady Wishfort into giving consent, thereby securing Millimant's inheritance.

The play is particularly interesting because the characters behave according to a highly polished code of elegant manners and express a preoccupation with love--but are actually motivated by money to an amazingly crass degree. A romantically inclined beauty might speak of her great emotion, but she is careful to keep a hand on her pocketbook and her eye on the bottom line just the same. The result is akin to a frilligree heart unexpectedly carved into a block of ice; the form is beautiful but the content too cold to embrace. There is no doubt that Mirabelle and Millimant love each other, but there is no doubt that neither will marry the other without a lot of cash thrown in for good measure.

More than one critic has regarded THE WAY OF THE WORLD as a satire on the superficial values of Restoration aristocracy. More than one has also preferred Congreve's earlier LOVE FOR LOVE, which is considerably warmer in tone. Clearly, there is an iciness about THE WAY OF THE WORLD that some find distinctly off-putting! But as Congreve himself might have said, money makes the world go round--and love is included in the spin. Whatever the case, THE WAY OF THE WORLD is a wickedly funny, subtly nasty, and unexpectedly enchanting play, among the best of the best. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer