A Preview of Thursday’s presentation
February 20, 2007
Hey everyone.
Hope you enjoyed your snowday. I stayed home and watched Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp for American Film. I think he was better as every other character I’ve seen him play (although he was truly wretched as Willy Wonka, wasn’t he?)
I just wanted to let you know a little of what we’ll be discussing regarding The Way of the World, which is that in the play, Lady Wishfort’s behaviour acts as a microcosm for larger themes in the play as a whole—namely, those of tension and conflict surrounding social appearances, and the ways in which societal pressures generate a disparity between the public and private life. In allowing the audience to view her preparations for meeting her potential husband, and to view the more general contrast between her private life and outward behaviour, she embodies the ways in which Restoration stage blurs the formerly rigid divide between the public and the personal spheres. This tension is staged in a way that develops plot and contributes to Congreve’s broader motifs.
You’ll see where we take it!
kw
I liked your presentation, Lady Wishfort is definitely a good character to look at in terms of the play’s main themes.
And I liked Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! I think Tim Burton wanted to do something wacky with the character, and Johnny certainly gave it that… uhh… strangeness he was looking for.