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18thcenturyDrama•TheEnglishdramaofthe18thcenturydoesnotreachthesamehighlevelasitsnovel.OneofthemainreasonsisthattheLicensingActof1737whichdroveFieldingoutofthetheatrerestrictedthefreedomofexpressionbydramatists.Thegreatestnamein18thcenturyEnglishdramaisnotthatofaplaywright,butthatofaplayer,DavidGarrick(1717-1779),whowasagreatpopularizerofShakespeare.•TheEnglishdramaexperiencedabrieffloweringinthesecondhalfofthe18thcenturyforthecomediesofSheridanandGoldsmith.•Sheridan(1751-1816)•RichardBrinsleySheridan,themostimportantEnglishplaywrightinthe18thcentury,wasborninDublin.Hisfatherisanactorandhismotheranovelist.In1772,SheridanfellinloveandelopedwithElizabethAnnLinley,abeautifulsinger,afterfightingtwoduelswithhisrival.Aftermarriage,theSheridanslivedhappilyinacountrycottage.thelateryearsofSheridan’slifeweresaddenedbythedeathofhiswifein1792andthelossofhistheatrebyafirein1809.Hismajorworks•TheRivals(1775)ThemainplotofthiscomedyrevolvesroundtheloveaffairofLydiaandCaptainAbsolute.Lydia,agirlfullofromanticfancies,prefersanadmirerwithoutsocialstanding社会地位totheheirofabaronet准男爵of3,000poundsayear.SohersuitorCaptainAbsoluteassumesthecharacterofapoorensign(海军少尉)tocaptureherfancy,andhiscourtshipisfavorablyreceived.ButhehasarivalinBobAcres,whoisacowardbutcompelledtofightaduel.Onhiswaytotheduel,Acresfindshiscouragealready“oozingoutatthepalmofhishands.”FortunatelyatthecrucialmomenthediscoversthathisrivalisnoneotherthanhisfriendCaptainAbsolute,soherefusestofightandgivesuphisclaimtoLydia.AndLydia,afteraquarrelwithherloverfordeception,finallyforgiveshim.Mrs.Malaprop,Lydia’saunt,isafamouscomiccharacterinthisplay.Shehasalikingforforeign,bigwordswhichsheoftenusesincorrectly.Shesays“epitaph”碑文insteadof“epithet”描述词,“illiterate”insteadof“obliterate”(抹去).Fromherisderivedtheterm“malapropism”(词语误用，荒唐的用词错误)whichmeansaridiculousmisusageofbigword.•TheSchoolofScandal(1777),hasbeencalledagreatcomedyofmanners风俗喜剧;世态喜剧（用讽刺文抨击特殊社会群，常是针对上流社会.）ItgivesabrilliantportrayalandabitingsatireofEnglishhighsociety.Intheplay,theauthorcontraststwobrothersCharlesSurfaceandJosephSurface.Charlesseemsaprodigalfromalloutwardappearance,butheisfrank,honestandgood-hearted.Josephseemstobepious,alwaysutteringmoralspeechesandappearingtobeamanofhonor.Butbehindhismask,heisahypocrite,backbiterandseducerofhisfriend’swife.Thisplay,repudiating(批判)thehighsocietyforitsvanity,greedandhypocrisy,hasbeenregardedasthebestEnglishcomedysinceShakespeare.Significanceofhisplays:•a.TheRivalsandTheSchoolforScandalaregenerallyregardedasimportantlinksbetweenthemasterpiecesofShakespeareandthoseofBernardShaw,andastrueclassicsinEnglishcomedy.•b.Inhisplays,moralityistheconstanttheme.Heismuchconcernedwiththecurrentmoralissuesandlashesharshlyatthesocialvicesoftheday.•c.Sheridan’sgreatnessalsoliesinhistheatricalart.Heseemstohaveinheritedfromhisparentsanaturalabilityandinbornknowledgeaboutthetheatre.Hisplaysaretheproductofadramaticgeniusaswellasofawell-versedtheatricalman.•d.Hisplotsarewell-organized,hischaracters,eithermajororminor,areallsharplydrawn,andhismanipulationofsuchdevicesasdisguise,mistakenidentity认错人anddramaticironyismasterly.Wittydialoguesandneatanddecentlanguagealsomakeacharacteristicofhisplays.Goldsmith(1730?-1774)•Twopoems(botharewritteninheroiccouplet):•TheTraveller旅游人•TheDesertedVillage荒村Goldsmith’sbestpoem•TheVicarofWakefield威克菲尔德牧师传anovel,Goldsmith’smasterpiece.Inthisnovel,thedepravityofthelandedgentryandthecorruptionofthetownlifearecontrastedtoanidyllofquitefamilyhappinessinthebosomofnatureandthepeaceable(平静的)mannersofthevillage.•TheGoodNaturedMan好心人acomedy•SheStoopstoConquer屈身求爱acomedyofmanners•TheCitizensoftheWorld世界公民acollectionofessaysGoldsmith’spositioninEnglishliterature:•Goldsmithwasapoet,novelist,dramatist,andessayist,allcombinedinoneperson.Inhisworks,hedepictedthesocialandeconomicevilsinEngland.Inpoetry,headoptedtheconventionalformofheroiccouplet,buthehadadelicateromanticspiritofhisown,whichmadehimoneoftherepresentativepoets,called“sentimentalists”byliteraryhistorians,whowroteinthetransitionalperiodfromclassicismtoromanticism.SentimentalismandPre-RomanticisminPoetry•Sentimentalism•Inthefirsthalfofthe18thcentury,PopewastheleaderofEnglishpoetryandtheheroiccoupletthefashionofpoetry.Bythemiddleofthecentury,however,sentimentalismgraduallymadeitsappearance.Sentimentalismcameintobeingastheresultofabitterdiscontentwithsocialreality.•Dissatisfiedwithreason,whichclassicistsappealedto,sentimentalistsappealedto“sentiment”,tothehumanheart.•Sentimentalismturnedtothecountrysideforitsmaterial,andsoisinstrikingcontrasttoclassicism,whichhadconfineditselftotheclubsanddrawingrooms,andtothesocialandpoliticallifeofLondon.•PopeandAddisonentertainedandeducatedthemiddleclass,buthadnomessageforthelabouringpeople,whilethepoetryofthesentimentalistsismarkedbyasinceresympathyforthepoverty-stricken,expropriatedpeasants.•TheappearanceanddevelopmentofsentimentalistpoetrymarksthemidwayinthetransitionfromclassicismtoitsoppositeromanticisminEnglishpoetry.•Pre-Romanticism•Inthelatterhalfofthe18thcentury,anew