What Do I Read Next?
- Sheridan's debut play, The Rivals, penned in 1775, is a comedy that explores social issues through the use of disguise and romance. The play is notable for its witty language and, similar to School for Scandal, features generational conflict as a recurring theme.
- Sheridan is frequently compared to William Congreve, whose play The Way of the World is esteemed as one of his greatest comedies. This work employs sharp dialogue to showcase the absurdity of human nature.
- French playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière is often mentioned as an influence on Sheridan. Molière's School for Wives, first staged in 1662, is a satire that uses mistaken identities and misunderstandings to drive its plot forward.
- Oliver Goldsmith's play She Stoops to Conquer, first performed in 1773, was a critique of the sentimental comedy popular during the Restoration Age. Goldsmith is sometimes considered the only other successful playwright of the late eighteenth century, alongside Sheridan.
- England in the Age of Hogarth by Derek Jarrett, published in 1986, offers insight into the social history of England in the period just before Sheridan began his writing career.
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