The Witlings

The Witlings is a comedic play written by Frances Burney in 1779. It is a comedy of manners that satirizes literary society. Burney's father believed the play was insulting and persuaded her to bury the play. The Witlings was first acted on stage in the 1990s, over two hundred years after it was written.

History

The Witlings is a comedy that satirizes literary society. Burney's father, Charles Burney, understood the insulting parallels in the play, and persuaded his daughter to bury the play. The play went unproduced and almost unknown, until 1945, when her papers were acquired by the New York Public Library.[1] The Witlings was not published until 1994, when Katherine Rogers included it in her anthology of Restoration and 18th-century women playwrights.[citation needed] In 1995, her plays, including The Witlings were published by McGill University.[2]

The play was first performed on February 7, 1998 at the Main Street Theatre.[3] The play was adapted for modern audiences by Patrick Young in 2014.[4]

Plot

Synopsis

The story involves the young lovers, Beaufort and Cecilia, who become estranged when Cecilia's estate is suddenly lost. Lady Smatter, Cecilia's governess, will not allow the match to proceed, but Beaufort's friend, Censor, catches Smatter in her own literary pretensions. Thus blackmailed, Smatter is forced to relent, and the lovers are reconciled and the estate is recovered.[5]

Act 1

The opening to the play takes place in a Milliner's shop where the audience is introduced to a variety of characters: the owner of the shop, workers, and a few guests and clients. As the workers are rushed to work on a few items, a few clients come in and out with concerns on late items. During this time, Mr. Beaufort and Censor walk into the shop. Right away the audience is notified that the Milliner is a public place but really is meant for women, which is also the reason why Censor is so uncomfortable accompanying Mr. Beaufort in the Milliner's shop. They are waiting for Miss Stanley, Beaufort's soon to be wife. Meanwhile, Mrs. Voluble talks everyone's head off, and Mrs. Sapient also comes in, which adds more to Censor's dreadful impression of the place. Throughout Act 1, the audience gets a good understanding of who the characters are as well as their characteristics and backstory. Towards the end of the act, Jack reveals that he was to inform Mr. Beaufort that Miss Stanley was no longer going to meet him and right away Mr. Beaufort and Censor are annoyed with Jack's lack of focus. The act ends with Mrs. Voluble's son asking for his mother for dinner and being shooed off by Mrs. Voluble. A few key characters are Mrs. Wheedle, Mr. Beaufort, Censor, Mrs. Voluble, Mrs. Sapient, and Jack.

Act 2

Act 2 begins with a conversation between Miss Stanley (Cecilia), and Lady Smatter, Mr. Beaufort's Aunt in a drawing room of Lady Smatter's. Their conversations consist of Mr. Dabler's literary works as well as their knowledge of literature in general. The audience starts to understand each other's point of what use is their knowledge and their purpose for involving themselves in these topics. Other characters that walk into the scene are Mr. Codger, Beaufort, Mr. Dabler, and Mrs. Sapient. Beaufort walks into the scene first and addresses the ladies and speaks of Jack's lack of communication in a timely manner. Then Mr. Codger enters and Lady Smatter asks him about friends from the north and Mr. Codger tries to tell a story but takes too long to do so and keeps getting interrupted. Mr. Dabler then enters and Lady Smatter starts to praise his work and at first he seems concerned but then feels at ease talking and sharing his works to Miss Smatter. Mr. Codger questions his work but doesn't really want to read his work. Mrs. Sapient talks just to talk and isn't really being listened to. Then Jack comes with news for Cecilia. Jack tells her that she has news for her but will tell her later in private. Everyone insists that he just tell the news and so finally he announces that Cecilia has gone broke.

Act 3

Scene 1: During this act Cecilia reacts in total disappointment about her being broke. Mr. Beaufort is concerned because Cecilia is so upset and asks that his aunt calm her down. His aunt immediately reconsiders Cecilia's engagement with Mr. Beaufort and thinks it's unfortunate that she is broke but doesn't hesitate to disown her. Both Censor and Lady Smatter want Mr. Beaufort to leave Cecilia be and not marry her anymore but Mr. Beaufort is adamant about marrying Cecilia because he truly loves her.

Scene 2: Opens with Mr. Dabler in his room working on his literature and being interrupted. He becomes frustrated and finally Mrs. Voluble starts to praise his work and skill. Mr. Dabler then leaves and asks Mrs. Voluble to close his room and not let anyone go through his items. Mrs. Voluble waits for him to leave and goes through his papers. As Mrs. Voluble rumuges through his papers she is interrupted by Miss Jenny and Bob. Cecilia then comes asking for advice on where to go to figure out her situation but Mrs. Voluble insists on knowing what is going on.

Act 4

The Esprit Party is introduced at Lady Smatter's apartment. Burney uses this scene to really showcase how ridiculous a few of the characters are in pretending to understand literature and having conversations that mean nothing. The gathering becomes a background once it is interrupted, which also proves that the gathering is really of no importance. The gathering is interrupted and focuses on Censor's concern for Beaufort and Beaufort declaring his loyalty to Cecilia and willingness to give up Lady Smatter's inheritance.

Act 5

The conclusion of the play.

Characters

Lady Smatter:

Miss Stanley/Cecilia:

Beaufort:

Censor:

Codger:

Dabler:

Jack:

Mrs. Wheedle:

Mrs. Voluble:

Mrs. Sapient:

Miss Jenny:

Miss Sally:

References

  1. ^ Young, Patrick (2014). "The Witlings: A Comedy by Frances Burney".
  2. ^ Young, Patrick (2014). "The Witlings: A Comedy by Frances Burney".
  3. ^ Johnson, Odai (1 December 1998). "The Witlings (review)". Theatre Journal. 50 (4): 543–544. doi:10.1353/tj.1998.0114. ISSN 1086-332X. S2CID 191331177.
  4. ^ Young, Patrick (2014). "The Witlings: A Comedy by Frances Burney".
  5. ^ "THE WITLINGS by Fanny Burney". www.pseudopodium.org. Retrieved 5 February 2019.

Read other articles:

Tombs of Mughal emperos Mughal tombs are a set of tombs built by various ruling in Mughal Emperors. All of them have marked influence from Iranian Timurid forms. The Mughal dynasty was established after the victory of Babur at Panipat in 1526. During his five-year reign, Babur took considerable interest in erecting buildings, though few have survived. His grandson Akbar built widely, and the style developed vigorously during his reign. Among his accomplishments were Agra Fort, the fort-city o...

 

Terlanjur CintaNama alternatifWithout Your LoveGenre Drama Roman PembuatMD EntertainmentDitulis olehDono IndartoSkenarioDono IndartoSutradaraAi ManafPemeran Ririn Dwi Ariyanti Andrew Andika Niken Anjani Rama Michael Zaskia Sungkar Arthur Brotolaras Leroy Osmani Febby Lawrence Rina Hasyim Enno Lerian Tri Budiman Penggubah lagu temaKerispatihLagu pembukaDemi Cinta — KerispatihLagu penutupDemi Cinta — KerispatihPenata musikIwang ModulusNegara asalIndonesiaBahasa asliBahasa IndonesiaJm...

 

OPS-24OPS-24 on JS Ariake (DD-109)Country of originJapanIntroduced1990Type3D Air-searchFrequencyL bandAzimuth0-360° The OPS-24 is a shipborne three-dimensional air search radar adopting active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology. OPS-24 was developed by the Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) of the Ministry of Defence, and manufactured by the Mitsubishi Electric. It is the first AESA radar employed on an operational warship, introduced on the JDS...

Si ce bandeau n'est plus pertinent, retirez-le. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus. Cet article ne cite pas suffisamment ses sources (octobre 2019). Si vous disposez d'ouvrages ou d'articles de référence ou si vous connaissez des sites web de qualité traitant du thème abordé ici, merci de compléter l'article en donnant les références utiles à sa vérifiabilité et en les liant à la section « Notes et références ». En pratique : Quelles sources sont attendues ? C...

 

Elastic object that stores mechanical energy For other uses, see Spring (disambiguation). Helical coil springs designed for tension A heavy-duty coil spring designed for compression and tension The English longbow – a simple but very powerful spring made of yew, measuring 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long, with a 470 N (105 lbf) draw weight, with each limb functionally a cantilever spring. Force (F) vs extension (s).[citation needed] Spring characteristics: (1) progressi...

 

Yazirwan UyunLahir(1954-10-02)2 Oktober 1954 Bukittinggi, Sumatera BaratMeninggal15 Januari 2021(2021-01-15) (umur 66) Jakarta, IndonesiaSebab meninggalstrokeKebangsaan IndonesiaAlmamaterUniversitas Padjadjaran, BandungPekerjaanWartawanDikenal atasMantan Direktur Utama TVRISuami/istriRosdianaAnakHendra F.E. dan Floransie C. Yazirwan Uyun (2 Oktober 1954 – 15 Januari 2021) adalah seorang wartawan Indonesia dan mantan Direktur Utama TVRI. Yazirwan menjabat sebagai Dir...

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Snider–Enfield – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Breech-loading rifle Snider–Enfield TypeBreech-loading riflePlace of originUnited KingdomService historyIn service1866�...

 

يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (مارس 2016) في يلي قائمة الفرق التي شاركت في بطولة أمم أوروبا 1984 التي أقيمت في فرنسا في الفترة ما بين 12 يونيو و27 يونيو 1984...

 

Short-lived light, color, or change in appearance on the surface of the Moon This map, based on a survey of 300 TLPs by Barbara M. Middlehurst and Patrick Moore, shows the approximate distribution of observed events. Red-hued events are in red; the remainder are in yellow. A transient lunar phenomenon (TLP) or lunar transient phenomenon (LTP) is a short-lived change in light, color or appearance on the surface of the Moon. The term was created by Patrick Moore in his co-authorship of NASA Tec...

Cet article est une ébauche concernant une personnalité américaine, l’histoire et les forces armées des États-Unis. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Ruggles. Daniel RugglesDaniel RugglesBiographieNaissance 31 janvier 1810BarreDécès 1er juin 1897 (à 87 ans)FredericksburgNationalité américaineAllégeances États-Unis, États confédérés d'Amériqu...

 

سفارة السويد في لبنان السويد لبنان الإحداثيات 33°54′01″N 35°30′09″E / 33.9004°N 35.5026°E / 33.9004; 35.5026   البلد لبنان  المكان بيروت  الاختصاص لبنان  الموقع الالكتروني الموقع الرسمي  تعديل مصدري - تعديل   سفارة السويد في لبنان هي أرفع تمثيل دبلوماسي[1] لدولة �...

 

هذه المقالة بحاجة لصندوق معلومات. فضلًا ساعد في تحسين هذه المقالة بإضافة صندوق معلومات مخصص إليها. يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (فبراير 2016) الطري�...

جامعة موليزي   معلومات التأسيس 1982  الموقع الجغرافي إحداثيات 41°33′22″N 14°39′59″E / 41.5562°N 14.6663°E / 41.5562; 14.6663   المكان كَمبُبَاسة  البلد إيطاليا  إحصاءات عضوية أورسيد  [لغات أخرى]‏ (أكتوبر 2023)[1][2]رابطة الجامعات الأوروبية[3]  الموقع ال...

 

Original and partial cast of Desperate Housewives, from left to right: Paul Young, Martha Huber, Mary Alice Young, Zach Young, Bree Van de Kamp, Rex Van de Kamp, Lynette Scavo, Tom Scavo, Susan Delfino, Julie Mayer, John Rowland, Gabrielle Solis, Carlos Solis, Edie Britt, and Mike Delfino. Desperate Housewives is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased ne...

 

1942 film by Jack Kinney How to Play BaseballDirected byJack KinneyProduced byWalt DisneyStarringPinto ColvigMusic byPaul J. SmithAnimation byLes ClarkMarc DavisHugh FraserOllie JohnstonWard KimballMilt NeilJohn SibleyBill TytlaLayouts byAl ZinnenProductioncompanyWalt Disney ProductionsDistributed byRKO Radio PicturesRelease date September 4, 1942 (1942-09-04) Running time8 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish How to Play Baseball is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Prod...

Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo), Italian explorer who opened the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas Amerigo Vespucci, Italian explorer from whose name the term America is derived[1] This is list of Italian[2] explorers and navigators (Italian: esploratori) in alphabetical order: This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with re...

 

Baltic independence movements (1987–1991) This article is about the revolution in the Baltic states in the late 1980s. For the 2006 film about the revolution in the Baltic states, see The Singing Revolution. Singing RevolutionPart of the Revolutions of 1989 and the Dissolution of the Soviet UnionThe Baltic Way human chain in 1989Date14 June 1987 – 6 September 1991 (1987-06-14 – 1991-09-06)(4 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)Locat...

 

Villers-en-VexincomuneVillers-en-Vexin – Veduta LocalizzazioneStato Francia Regione Normandia Dipartimento Eure ArrondissementLes Andelys CantoneGisors TerritorioCoordinate49°15′N 1°36′E49°15′N, 1°36′E (Villers-en-Vexin) Superficie6,23 km² Abitanti281[1] (2009) Densità45,1 ab./km² Altre informazioniCod. postale27420 Fuso orarioUTC+1 Codice INSEE27690 CartografiaVillers-en-Vexin Modifica dati su Wikidata · Manuale Villers-en-Vexin è un comune...

Radio station in Charleston, West VirginiaWKAZCharleston, West VirginiaBroadcast areaCharleston, West VirginiaKanawha County, West VirginiaFrequency680 kHzBranding95.3 KAZProgrammingFormatCountryOwnershipOwnerWVRC Media(West Virginia Radio Corporation of Charleston)Sister stationsWCHS, WCST-FM, WKWS, WRVZ, WSWW, WVAFHistoryFirst air dateSeptember 12, 1947 (as WCAW)Former call signsWCAW (1947–2006)Technical information[1]Licensing authorityFCCFacility ID71662ClassBPower10,000 watts ...

 

1967 1973 Élections législatives de 1968 dans l'Ain 3 sièges de députés à l'Assemblée nationale 23 et 30 juin 1968 Corps électoral et résultats Inscrits 209 544 Votants au 1er tour 158 015   75,41 %  0,9 Votes exprimés au 1er tour 156 320 Votants au 2d tour 103 594   74,38 % Votes exprimés au 2d tour 101 907 Union des républicains de progrès Liste Union pour la défense de la RépubliqueRépublicains indépendantsModérés Vo...