45 pages • 1 hour read
William WycherleyThe Country Wife
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1675A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
The Country Wife by William Wycherley, written in 1675, is a Restoration comedy centered on Harry Horner, who feigns impotence to gain access to and seduce married women. Meanwhile, newlywed Jack Pinchwife tries to keep his naive wife, Margery, away from Horner but fails as she falls for him. Concurrently, Frank Harcourt pursues Pinchwife’s sister, Alithea, who is engaged to the foolish Mr. Sparkish. The play humorously explores themes of marriage, infidelity, and male competition.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
The Country Wife by William Wycherley is celebrated for its sharp wit and satirical edge, epitomizing Restoration comedy. Critics laud its clever dialogue and incisive social commentary. However, some note its outdated gender politics and bawdy humor may not resonate with modern audiences. Overall, it remains a vital, though polarizing, theatrical work.
Who Should Read The Country Wife?
An ideal reader for The Country Wife by William Wycherley enjoys witty and risqué Restoration comedies. Fans of provocative humor and critiques of social mores akin to Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest or Richard Sheridan's The School for Scandal will relish Wycherley's satirical take on marriage and hypocrisy.
184
Play • Fiction
London • 1670s
1675
Adult
18+ years
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