George Etherege

Author of The Man of Mode

11+ Works 477 Members 3 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

George Etherege helped to develop the comedy of manners, or society comedy, in which the brilliant world of wits and fops is both portrayed and satirized. In his best-known comedy, The Man of Mode (1676), Dorimant, the central character, is hardly a model for how the young man about town should show more behave. Etherege is a cool observer of manners. Sir Fopling Flutter is clearly a Frenchified fop and dandy, yet he is also lovable. Harriet is a prototype of the witty, liberated woman-coquettish, teasing, and intelligent. Etherege's other comedies are The Comical Revenge, or Love in a Tub (1664) and She Would If She Could (1668). (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Goerge Etherege, Sir G. Etherege, Sir George Etherege, Sir George Etheredge, George Etherege, Sir, 1635?-1691

Works by George Etherege

Popular Recent

The Man of Mode (1676) — Author — 216 copies, 2 reviews

Three Restoration Comedies: The Man of Mode; The Country Wife; Love for love (English Library) (2005) 208 copies

She Would If She Could (1971) — Author — 18 copies

The Comical Revenge/The Man of Mode/She Wou'd If She Cou'd (1982) — Author — 14 copies, 1 review

The Poems of Sir George Etherege (1963) — Author — 7 copies

Letters of Sir George Etherege (1974) — Author — 4 copies

The Letterbook of Sir George Etherege (1928) — Author — 4 copies

Comedy Restored or Ten English Plays of Manners (1986) 2 copies

The Works of Sir George Etheredge: Plays and Poems (2010) 2 copies

The dramatic works of Sir George Etherege, volume II (The Man of Mode; She Would If She Could) 1 copy

The comical revenge, or, Love in a tub acted at His Highness Duke of York's Theatre in Lincolns-Inn-Fields 1 copy

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Associated Works

Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy [Norton Critical Edition] (1973) — Contributor — 282 copies, 2 reviews

Restoration Plays [Everyman] (1953) — Contributor — 238 copies, 1 review

Restoration Plays [Modern Library] (1953) — Contributor — 181 copies, 1 review

The Standard Book of British and American Verse (1932) — Contributor — 130 copies, 1 review

Cavalcade of comedy; 21 brilliant comedies from Jonson and Wycherley to Thurber and Coward (1953) — Contributor — 100 copies

British Dramatists from Dryden to Sheridan (1934) — Contributor, some editions — 93 copies, 1 review

Men and Women: The Poetry of Love (1970) — Contributor — 9 copies

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17th century (22) 17th century literature (3) 18th century (6) 2.1 (3) British literature (14) classic (3) comedy (15) Congreve (3) drama (71) English (9) English literature (16) Etherege (5) fiction (19) FL (3) humor (3) letters (3) literature (11) On Shelf (3) play (16) plays (33) read (3) Regents Restoration Drama Series (6) restoration (22) restoration and 18c drama (4) restoration comedy (6) restoration drama (5) script (3) special editions (3) theatre (19) to-read (7)

Common Knowledge

Legal name: Etherege, Sir George
Birthdate: c. 1635
Date of death: c. 1691/1692
Gender: male
Occupations: playwright
poet
Nationality: UK
Birthplace: Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK
Places of residence: Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK (birth)
Place of death: Paris, France
Map Location: England, UK

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3 reviews

tjsjohanna 3,274 reviews

The Man of Mode (IN "Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy") by George Etherege

The main character, Dorimant, successfully juggles various lovers, while finding himself attracted to a female version of himself - one who can match wits with him. I didn't find Dorimant very likeable, so I didn't enjoy his intrigues and I felt genuine sorrow for Belinda. I actually enjoyed Sir Fopling Flutter - he was funny.

Nov 22, 20111 other review

mmckay 573 reviews

The Man of Mode by George Etherege

Wikipedia: Between 1668 and 1671 Etherege went to Constantinople as secretary of the English ambassador Sir Daniel Harvey. After a silence of eight years, he came forward with one more play, unfortunately his last. The Man of Mode or, Sir Fopling Flutter, indisputably the best comedy of manners written in England before the days of Congreve, was acted and printed in 1676, and enjoyed an unbounded success. Besides the merit of its plot and wit, it had the personal charm of being supposed to show more satirize, or at least to paint, persons well known in London. Sir Fopling Flutter was a portrait of Beau Hewit, the reigning exquisite of the hour; in Dorimant the poet drew the Earl of Rochester, and in Medley a portrait of himself (or, equally plausible, of his fellow playwright and wit Sir Charles Sedley); while even the drunken shoemaker was a real character, who made his fortune from being thus brought into public notice.
Etherege holds a distinguished place in English literature as one of the "big five" of Restoration comedy. He inaugurated a period of genuine wit and sprightliness. He invented the comedy of manners, and led the way for the masterpieces of Congreve and Sheridan.

Etherege's portraits of fops and beaux are considered the best of their kind. His wit is sparkling and frivolous, his style picturesque. Etherege is noted for his delicate touches of dress, furniture and scene; he vividly draws the fine airs of London gentlemen and ladies, perhaps better than Congreve; but he has less insight and less energy than Congreve. His biography was first written in detail by Edmund Gosse in Seventeenth Century Studies (1883). show less

Aug 25, 20071 other review

AlexHofmann 19 reviews

The dramatic works of Sir George Etherege by George Etherege