On The Artificial Comedy Of The Last Century
by
Charles Lamb
(Summary & Analysis)
Summary
In
"On The Artificial Comedy Of The Last Century," Charles Lamb talks
about how comedy of manners, or artificial comedy, declined in the 18th
century. He says that people of that time didn't enjoy these plays anymore
because they didn't align with their moral values. These plays showed
characters behaving in flirtatious and deceptive ways without facing any serious
consequences. Lamb believes that the audience had strict moral standards and
couldn't see these characters as fictional or enjoy the play without applying
real-life morals to them.
Lamb compares artificial comedy to the new type of drama that replaced it, which he finds more harmful. In this type of drama, the moral message is everything, and the characters and events are relatable to real life. The audience brings their own moral judgments and concerns to the theater, making it hard to separate fiction from reality. Lamb argues that this change removes the middle ground between good and bad, and there are no neutral characters or situations that aren't judged morally.
He
also suggests that artificial comedy, as shown in plays by Congreve and
Wycherley, exists in its own world, separate from the moral framework of
reality. The characters in these plays are promiscuous and immoral, driven only
by their pursuit of pleasure. However, in their own world, their actions don't
offend moral values or affect real-life institutions like family or marriage.
Lamb believes that these characters aren't judged morally because they exist in
a realm of pure comedy where morals don't apply.
Lamb
expresses his liking for artificial comedy, especially plays like Congreve's
"The Way of the World." He says that reading them makes him feel
happier and more refreshed. He appreciates how these plays skillfully exclude
good characters or any pretense of goodness, allowing people to purely enjoy
the witty and humorous parts. However, he recognizes that blending artificial
and sentimental comedy, as seen in Sheridan's "The School for
Scandal," can be problematic.
In
conclusion, Lamb is saddened by the disappearance of artificial comedy and the
loss of talented actors like John Palmer, who could portray characters like
Joseph Surface with a delightful mix of charm and villainy. He suggests that in
today's serious and morally judgmental age, such characters would need to be
completely villainous, without any redeeming qualities, to satisfy the
audience's expectations. Blending artificial and sentimental elements in modern
plays would require a different approach to make them acceptable to
contemporary sensibilities.
Analysis
Charles Lamb's essay, "On The Artificial Comedy Of The Last Century," talks about comedy in the early 19th century. He says that the kind of comedy that was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries is no longer performed. Playwrights like Congreve and Farquhar, who wrote funny and satirical comedies, are not appreciated anymore.
Lamb
thinks that the reason for the decline of this kind of comedy is that people in
his time have become more strict about morals. They don't tolerate anything
that goes against their moral standards. The characters in these plays, who
used to be seen as witty and charming, are now judged using the same standards
as real people. People have lost the ability to see these characters as
fictional and instead judge them like they would judge real-life actions.
Lamb
believes that as artificial comedy declined, sentimental comedy became more
popular. Sentimental comedy focuses on morals and relationships, reflecting
real-life concerns. Lamb thinks that this kind of comedy is not as imaginative
and fun as artificial comedy because it reinforces society's norms and moral
judgments instead of providing an escape from them.
Lamb
really likes artificial comedy and the characters created by writers like
Congreve and Wycherley. He appreciates that these characters are amoral and
vain without appealing to his own sense of morals. They exist in a world where
traditional moral codes don't matter, and their actions don't have real-life
consequences. Lamb enjoys the imaginative and escapist nature of these plays,
which is different from the moral lessons of sentimental comedy.
In the end, Lamb talks about how the audience's tastes have changed and how it has affected the theater. He is sad that actors like John Palmer, who brought complexity to characters like Joseph Surface in "The School for Scandal," are not appreciated anymore. Lamb thinks that today's audiences want characters who are clearly good or bad, without any ambiguity. This takes away the interesting and complex aspects of these characters.
Overall,
Lamb's essay discusses the decline of artificial comedy, the rise of
sentimental comedy, and the changes in moral standards that have influenced the
theater. He prefers the imaginative and morally ambiguous world of artificial
comedy over the moralizing nature of sentimental comedy, and he looks back
nostalgically on the past.
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