It attests to Farquhar's stature as a man that he composed this warm-hearted and vibrant play while he was dying. Like The Recruiting Officer, the play is set in a provincial town and its plot is slight: Aimwell and Archer, two impecunious London gentlemen, arrive in Lichfield looking for an heiress to marry. Aimwell, posing as his elder brother, falls in love with his `prey' Dorinda and confesses his imposture to her; his `man-servant' Archer arouses the wistful interest of the unhappily married Mrs Sullen. The ...
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It attests to Farquhar's stature as a man that he composed this warm-hearted and vibrant play while he was dying. Like The Recruiting Officer, the play is set in a provincial town and its plot is slight: Aimwell and Archer, two impecunious London gentlemen, arrive in Lichfield looking for an heiress to marry. Aimwell, posing as his elder brother, falls in love with his `prey' Dorinda and confesses his imposture to her; his `man-servant' Archer arouses the wistful interest of the unhappily married Mrs Sullen. The introduction to this edition discusses the play for its theatrical merits and argues that it dramatises the ills of marriage in early modern England, shown by Farquhar to be more injurious to the wife than to the husband, and calls for a reform of the divorce laws.
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Seller's Description:
Good in Poor jacket. -Corners bumped and covers are a little rubbed and foxed-Edges of text block lightly toned-Inside covers and endpapers foxed-Underlining in pen throughout w/ some minor annotations plus notes to the rear blank pages-Dustwrapper is heavily rubbed, chipped and faded w/ large tear to top edge of rear and small tear to top edge of front-Book ow/ solid, clean and tight-71 pages. 8vo. In Poor Dustwrapper.