Appunti di Letteratura Inglese, libro consigliato: She stoops to conquer, Oliver Goldsmith

GOLDSMITH ON CUMBERLAND

He’s the author of The West Indian:

In his unfinished poem The Retaliation (1774) Goldsmith briefly gave his view of the impediment in

Cumberland's vision of comedy. He was:

A flattering painter, who made it his care

To draw men as they ought to be, not as they are.

His gallants are all faultless, his women divine,

And comedy wonders at being so fine.

PEFFERY, OR NOT QUITE

A Comparison between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy is not a unique instance of puffery (pubblicità),

but rather one in a series of polemics that make up Goldsmith's sustained engagement with the reviewers, his

attempt to influence their opinion of him by instructing them how to judge him.

The Good-Natur'd Man (1768) - moderate success.

Contemporary criticism of the bailiff scene (ufficiale giudiziario)

This whole scene in which those fellows perpetually joined conversation, in language uncommonly low, gave

some offence, and it is hoped that the author will for the future wholly omit it.

In the scene, vulgar characters discuss refined topics, namely the fact that corrupted taste is of foreign

origin.Volgural character considered to be offensive

THE GOOD- NATUR’D MAN- PREFACE

When I undertook to write a comedy, I confess I was strongly prepossessed in favour of the poets of the last

age, and strove to imitate them. The term, genteel comedy, was then unknown amongst us, and little more

was desired by an audience, than nature and humour, in whatever walks of life they were most conspicuous..

[The author] hopes that too much refinement will not banish humour and character from ours, as it has already

clone from the French theatre. Indeed the French comedy is now become so very elevated and sentimental,

that it has only banished humour and Molière from the stage, but it has banished all spectators too".

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This is the preface of the printed edition

He introduces the idea that what is wrong with this kind of comedy is that it comes from France. He uses

politics to debate. Nationalism against reviewers that have criticised his play. Fall naturally in the tradition of

English comedy.

Nationalism as a weapon and the political import of the debate > by appealing to this nostalgic patriotism.

Alluding to a contemporary french stage

There is a political conception of literature > laughing vs sentimental is political import

THE ART OF LAUGHING

This is the preface of THE GOOD- NATUR’D MAN > Banish humour from the stage

"Humour at present seems to be departing from the Stage, and it will soon happen that our Comic Players will

have nothing left but a fine Coat and a Song. It depends upon the Audience whether they will actually drive

those poor Merry Creatures from the Stage or sit at a Play as gloomy as at the Tabernacle. It is not easy to

recover an art when once lost; and it would be a just punishment that when, by our being too fastidious, we

have banished Humour from the Stage, we should ourselves be deprived of the art of Laughing".

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

First performed on March 15, 1773 at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.

Other title > The miftakes of a night

In its first season, from March until the end of May, She Stoops to Conquer received 12 performances.

The popularity of the play rapidly spread geographically and during 1773 performances were given in Paris,

Dublin, New York, as well as in many Georgian playhouses throughout England.

The play has been revived in London over sixty times and at most provincial theatres as well as by most

amateur societies, and in operatic musical and film versions even now >>> Flamboyant (Sgargiante) and

full of music.

National Theatre, 2012 revival.

Michael Billington wrote that the real pleasure lies in seeing Goldsmith's great comedy restored to its rightful

place in the repertory

REACTIONS AND REVIEWS

The Morning Chronicle, March 16, 1773

«[Goldsmith] has offered the public a true comic picture, and altho' it differed most essentially in manner, stile

[sic] and finishing from those which have of late years been received [...] laughter sat on every face, mirth and

extatic [sic] joy, the proper effects of comedy, universally prevailed, and the most impartial, and repeated

plaudits were showered down on the author».

Dr Samuel Johnson > Goldsmith’s friend

«I know of no comedy for many years that has so much exhilarated an audience, that has answered so much

the great end of comedy - making an audience merry».

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Fulfil Goldsmith’s intention to explain the comparison of the sentimental vs laughing comedy

SOURCES, INSPIRATION

- Pierre de Marivaux, Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard (1730); a three-act comedy, first represented

on January 23, 1730 a the Théâtre-Italien in Paris.

When young Parisians Silvia and Dorante are matched for marriage by their wealthy fathers, they both swap

places with their servants to examine one another unawares, as they have never met. Servants and masters

alike then grapple with romantic sentiments that seemingly transcend social ranks, eliciting speculation that

personal merit may prevail over one's class.

It happened also in she stoops to conquer > Mrs Hardcaste finds out the true nature of Marlow

- Isaac Bickerstaffe, Love in a Village (1762), a comic or ballad opera, first staged at Covent

Garden on December 8, 1762.

Rosetta has run away from home, terrified at the pressure being applied for her to marry a man she has never

met, the son of an old friend of her father. She enters domestic service in the employ of the Woodcocks. She

quickly meets Thomas, a young gardener on the estate, and they fall in love. Sir William Meadows arrives,

having traced his errant son to the Woodcock estate. It turns out that Thomas was, all along, the young man to

whom Rosetta had been betrothed - and he had also run away to escape the repugnant forced marriage. All

ends happily.

THE TITLE

- “We are all in labour for a name to Goldy's play", Johnson remarked to Thomas Davies.

- At least three titles were considered and rejected: "The Old House a New Inn" was replaced by "The

Novel, or the Mistakes of a Night", which in turn made way for Joshua Reynolds' suggestion, "The

Belle's Stratagem".

- This last apparently was favoured until Goldsmith hit upon "She Stoops to Conquer”

He didn't know which title was more appropriate until the last moment. The first title was taught because

Marlow and Hastings mistaked the House of Hardcastle as an inn (locanda) and they act if they are in it. Kate

realises Marlow’s confusion but she agrees to be a woman of a lower class in order to get him. Ella mi umilia

per conquistare > in social term SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

DEDICATION TO SAMUEL JOHNSON

Goldsmith dedicated the play to Johnson because he was supportive of the play

Goldsmith introduces to the topic, he wants to write a new comedy different from the popular sentimental

comedy. Colman was the manager of the Cover Garden, he was not welcome to this play, in fact he rejected at

first. But on the contrary the play was successful.

THE PROLOGUE

The PROLOGUE was made by David Garrik (manager of Drury Lane theatre),

Mr Woodward who was leading comedian at Covent Garden

the idea is that comedy has left in laughter (the art of laughing)

“The Comic Muse” beer and bier (bara) are homophones > drunk on stage

“sweet maid is laid upon the bier” when comedy will die (drab > sluttern woman, squallida) the sentimental

“who deals in sentimentals, will succeed!”

plays will substitute it. expression in english when you don't understand

“We can as soon speak greek as sentiments! both nervous grown”

(speak greek is impossible to understand as sentimental)

maybe he can have a career in sentimental drama > he imitates popular actors in sentimental

“thus i begin”

drama >>> they speak always with moralistic phrases and expressions

CRITIC TO THE SENTIMENTAL DRAMA > the content meaning of these proverbs. In

“let not your virtue trip”

sentimental play people stick (si attaccano) and play in a very conventional way > everything is devoid of any

kind of meaning especially comedy

the doctor is Goldsmith that uses the title > restore the comic view

“doctor” a dose of medicine prepared a potion > 5 acts for the end of play

“five draughts” if he succeed he will be doctor if not he won't be played > use the medical metaphor but is

“should he succee”

talking about the play. A regular proper doctor or a quack (ciarlatano)

ACT FIRST

The play is not set as Wicherley’s plays in London, town but in the COUNTRYSIDE

he introduces the typical position of a husband > opposition between country and

“you’re very particular”

town, husband doesn't like town, wife wants to go to town. The idea was that every kind of sophistication

was in town not in the countryside

Mr Hardcastle represent the husband that dislike the fashion of the town > he doesn't want

“ay, and bring back”

town the mansion looks like an inn > it prepares for the mistake of the night > is to be

“old rumbling mansion”

restored. The house is old and nobody comes to visit them

this is a typical contrast of Restoration Comedy not only to the country and

“i hate such old- fashioned trumpery”

the town but also the relationship between male and female characters (husband and wives). Theatrical

convention > typical restoration opposition In Restoration comedies everything is founded in jealousy, here the

values of city life and countryside are mixed with humans feelings

it is the sentiment and the feeling that is REAL > the conventional opposition is humanised

“and i love it” she‘s after the lady fashions and a lover of the town but she’s also a liar of her

“ I’m not so old as you’d make me,”

age (nearly 60, pretending to be younger). This will be functional to the plot, because she has a son from a

previous marriage and she is lying to him about his age and her age > she wants to control him (with her

sayings he’s not full age, maggiorenne) She’s not 40, she is 57

“twenty added to twenty makes justfifty and seven.”

Tony is not Mr Hardcastle's son. Tony is going to marry a particular girl that his

“ no matter. tony lumpkin”

mother wants > she wants to control her son and the choices of him. Firstly we don't know that she’s

lying about her age and her son's age.

Tony is a practical joker > a prank (joke) > he plays tricks as a kid. He tied the

“i’d sooner allow him a horse-pond”

wig to the chair. Names are also comic (Mrs. Frizzle > curly hair)

No school for him of he might be sick

“the poor boy was always too sickly ”

it’s like