William Wycherley wrote Restoration comedy known for sexual intrigue, social hypocrisy and sharply competitive dialogue. The Country Wife centres on Horner, who spreads a false rumour about his impotence so husbands will trust him around their wives, turning the plot into a sustained satire of marriage, reputation and male vanity. The Plain Dealer presents the misanthropic Manly returning from sea and discovering betrayal among friends and lovers, with blunt speech repeatedly colliding with fashionable deceit. Wycherley's plays are fast, cynical and explicit by the standards of much later British comedy, relying on double meanings, disguise and social games rather than sentimental reconciliation. His work fits Restoration drama, comedy of manners and theatre history, particularly for readers interested in the sexually frank stage culture of late seventeenth-century London. Read more Less
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