The witlings
Subtitle: and, The woman-hater
By: Frances Burney ; edited by Peter Sabor and Geoffrey Sill.
Contributors: Sabor, Peter.; Sill, Geoffrey M., 1944-; Burney, Fanny, 1752-1840.
Series: Broadview literary texts
Publisher: Broadview Press
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Peterborough, Ont; Orchard Park, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 329
Subjects: Man-woman relationships -- Drama.; Women intellectuals -- Drama.; Literature -- Societies, etc. -- Drama.; Misogyny -- Drama.
Genres: Drama.
Other titles: Woman hater.
Description: "This Broadview edition pairs two of Frances Burney's linked comedies. They both present the character of Lady Smatter, a "femme savante" whose lineage may be traced back to Moliere; they both centre on the misfortunes of the "elle" figure, the dispossessed heiress and wife who appears frequently in Burney's fiction; and they both criticize a culture of misogyny that breeds suspicion and resentment.

The Witlings, lighter and more comic, derives from late seventeenth-century conventions; The Woman-Hater, more melodramatic, both expresses and warns against the excessive sensibility of romanticism. Together, these two plays constitute a miniature history of English drama from the Restoration to the French Revolution and beyond.".

"This edition contains a valuable selection of appendices, including: Burney's "Epilogue to Gerilda"; letters and diary entries; contemporary writings on comedy; and Burney's cast-list for The Woman-Hater."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-329).