The Witlings and the Woman-hater

by Frances Burney, Peter Sabor (Editor), Geoffrey M. Sill (Editor)

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 Molière; 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, Burney’s “Epilogue to Gerilda”; letters and diary entries; contemporary writings on comedy; and Burney’s cast-list for The Woman-Hater .

Genres: Classics, Plays, 18th Century, Drama

329 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1779

About the author

Also known as Fanny Burney and, after her marriage, as Madame d’Arblay. Frances Burney was a novelist, diarist and playwright. In total, she wrote four novels, eight plays, one biography and twenty volumes of journals and letters.

Reviews

[Nadosia Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and funny play. Most characters seem to be exemplified by an archetype that is confirmed by their actions and other characters’ opinions of them. Yet on closer inspection, all of these character refute their own purported roles. Censor appears to be preoccupied with a sensibility that Beaufort criticizes yet, by the end of the play, these roles are reversed. The most interesting thing seems to be the duality between reason and sense. Censor sort of assumes a disinterested know-all mentality by condemning Beaufort and Cecelia’s sensibility in favour of planning a reasoned reunion together. Yet, it’s especially revealing that his plan does not work—i.e. Beaufort and Cecelia reunite, not out of reason, but what seems as chance. Censor’s reasoned approach seems to hinder their reunion more than anything and Lady Smatter is not reconciled with Beaufort even then. “Oh, why must woe weaken all faculties but the memory?” is probably my favourite line because of its truth. Another peculiarity is the fact that most of the acts don’t have individual scenes, but are instead all one scene. The effect culminates in the last act which is one of the most hectic interlacing and converging scenes of any play I’ve ever read.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play in the comedy of manners tradition, but neither published nor performed in Fanny Burney's lifetime - a pity, for it probably would have been well received (it works well theatrically, in the opinion of both viewers and producers of a 1993 performance, and is wittily entertaining; furthermore its reception may have capitalised on the author's recent success with her first novel, "Evelina"). But on the advice of her father and her confidante Samuel Crisp, who both feared reprisals from the targets of the satire (and who sought perhaps to protect the interests of Mr Burney rather than Miss Burney, as one commentator has persuasively argued) she withdrew the play, and turned her attention to writing a new novel. Thankfully Fanny did not destroy the play, or several others she penned subsequently, and today's Burney enthusiasts and scholars can enjoy another dimension of this fascinating writer's craft.

[Magdalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Witlings first and had a hard time feeling like I really grasped what was going on. And even when I read up on it, I didn't find it particularly clever.

But then I tried The Woman-Hater, and I was very surprised to really enjoy it! It felt a lot like The Importance of Being Earnest, in that the characters are like caricatures of people instead of actual humans. Plus the point of most lines is to make the audience laugh, and the plot gets more and more tangled until it all gets resolved at the end. The central figure is Sir Roderick, who got rejected by a woman when he was younger and has hated all women ever since, barely ever even speaking to one and forbidding his chosen heir to interact with women. Of course everyone falls in love at the drop of a hat and secret identities abound. It's mostly to point fun at then-contemporary society, and the way that men would hold grudges and think they know everything about women. One male character also keeps making assumptions about his wife and overreacting, causing problems for everyone.

The women aren't perfect angels, though. Lady Smatter considers herself a patroness of the arts and a literary snob. She constantly quotes pieces of literature, but misattributes all of them and forgets the exact phrases, making herself ridiculous instead. One young woman is the typical shy and demure type, and then another is a chatterbox who doesn't mind making it known that she hates books and completely delightful (although the fact that it turns out she was low-born might indicate Burney's classism).

It was great fun, even if I'm sure at least half of the jokes and references went over my head. I'd love to see it performed live one day, and I wish it were more well-known.

[Kellyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witlings reminded me of The Female Quixote -- where the main conflict for many of the characters is the problematic way that people internalize literature and lead their lives based upon books. The Espirit group in Burney's play is simply hilarious, unable to agree upon anything and falling privy to the terrible human quality of needing to "one-up" one's peers in conversation or achievement. Seemingly, the main romance between Cecilia and Beaufort is second to the alternative plot amongst the Espirits. Codger, Lady Smatter, Mrs. Sapient, and Dabler are utterly ridiculous characters -- so unbelievably self-involved and phony. It's a great commentary by Burney on the false pretenses that reading can cause one to feel or embody. Interesting that the final note of the play is that self-sufficiency is the most important value in the world for a person to hold.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this play was more famous because it's so witty and smart.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witlings

[Bec]

I only had to read one of the two plays in this book for class, but I'm counting it as 'read' because that's a WHOLE PLAY, but it doesn't have a separate listing! Reading challenges wait for no one!