The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-10-08

that if dialogue is not absolutely the
thing in a comedy it is at least an
exceedingly important element. And
'onsFeNe and Wilde are by no means
alone in furnishing this sort Of evil
dence; for a study Of the dialogue in
and representative Queen Anne or
early Georgian comedy, quite apart
from consideration of situation or
plot. show very clearly why the Eng
FISH Omedy of the age Of Richard
Steele and Hugh Kelly and Richard
Cumberland has received the name,
"Sentimental Comedy"
For the sake of concrete illustra-
ton. let us examine Cumberland's
False Impressions a play which
though now practically forgotten,
was extremely popular in it's day,
and is thoroughly typical Of the
sentimental Comedy School.
One of the most striking character
istics Of the dialogue in False I'm
pressions' is. l think, its abundance.
BY this 7 mean that very much that
could well be brought out by action
IN fact, is brought out by action as
the play prOgresses-is explained to
the audience through stiff. wearisome,
abSurdly obvious. and altogether sup
ernous conversation. For instance. in
the first scene of the play. two of the
servants, Simon Single and Jenny
Scud, tell us at considerable length
that Emily, the heroine. is being
forced into a marriage much against
her will; that A~lgernOn. the hero. is
a l~Ong-suffering. grossly misunder-
stood person: that Earling is a scOun-
drel-all facts which become entirely
self-evident before the end Of the
first act.
Another salient characteristic OF the
dialogue in this play is its bOokish-
ness. To put the matter concretely.
If. we could conceive of house-servants
in real life talking about "inebriety."
'parrylng defamatiOn,' adhering to
Instructions" "dictum est" and "ca-
ressing scurrility'; if we could imag-
inc ordinary people in common con-
VersatiOn. talking in suspended sen
fences Of more than fifty words and
constantly employing such expresc-
sions as What but the glorious prize
for which l struggle and "The very
citadel Of our life and honor is
besieged-the we might consider that
the characters in False Impressions
talk naturally.
But in my opinion the most serious
defect in the dialogue of this play
Is its sappiness. Once let A~lgernOn
and Emily be left alone together. and
they seem bent upon trying with each
other to see which can give the great
or number Of trite compliments,
Thus, in Act TT, s%ceneII. A%lgernon
asks, Am ] not your s~ervant?' to
which Emily replies. my heroic pre-
server. that is your r1ghtful charac-
ter, and by that title you have a claim
upon my gratitude, which can only
expire with life And then Alger-
non puts another question: Am ]
not supremely blessed to see you,
hear you. and behold that face, that
was of late so pale and worn with
terror, restored to all the lustre OF
it's charms?" And Emily assures him
that Tina face will never be turned
from you to league with those who
seek to rob you of your fame and for
tune Noble sentiments. yet how
far removed, both in dictiOn and IL
form. from the language Of real life
But what of the good qualities il
the dialogue Of False Impressions
Does the dialogue help, in the slight
est degree, to i~ndividualiZe the char
act>rs? Is there to be found in i
any of that scintillating humor which
is the one great redeeming featurt
Of the better comedies Of the Wycher
~, Congreve. Vanbrush, and Farqu
har. the great restoration comic dra
matists? In the conversation Of tn
leading characters in False 1mpres
Sions," 7 find nothing which could b
termed inGividulistic. All talk in VIVA
we might call good, conventions
journalistic diction, Constructing thei
sentences very carefully and Away
avoiding the fointest scmblance o
profanity. This. ! think. has bee
adequately illustra ed in the CONVEX
Sation which | quoted between Aleer
non and Emily. Doctor Jerr
Scud, 4 comparatively minor charac
ter, and in my opinion the mos
nearly human being in the play, doe
speak in a more Or i.ss ineividualisti
manner. He elides some Of his word:
says damn at least twice, occasion
ally ends a sentence with an primitive
and he uses the technical a~pothecar
terms, "g%allipot." pills. "pEvsic.
and my patients with suf1 "ier
frequency to make himself stand ou
in the mind Of the reader or audito
with something Of an individuahts
Moreover, Scud, in his conversatio