3 h 30 minAudiobook5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In fashionable London, a good name can hide a rotten heart—and a careless rumour can ruin a life.
Lady Sneerwell turns gossip into a weapon, while Snake plants her stories in the newspapers. In Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s five-act comedy The School for Scandal, polished conversation carries ugly intentions. Around their drawing room, reputations become a game, and other people’s private lives supply the entertainment.
Joseph Surface enjoys society’s praise, while his generous brother Charles has a spendthrift’s name. Maria loves Charles, but faces pressure to favour Joseph. As their wealthy uncle Sir Oliver returns to judge his nephews, Lady Teazle embraces fashionable life, and her older husband Sir Peter struggles to see those around him clearly.
What you’ll discover
- Gossip with sharp teeth Enter Lady Sneerwell’s drawing room, where slander is both a pastime and a weapon.
- Two faces of respectability Look beyond the Surface brothers’ reputations to question what fine speeches really prove.
- Marriage meets fashionable London Follow Lady Teazle as new freedom and fashionable habits draw her into the gossip circle.
- An uncle seeking truth Watch Sir Oliver return in disguise to discover who his nephews really are.
- Wit with a warm heart Enjoy quick, polished dialogue in a comedy that sets generosity against the performance of virtue.
Who will love it
For readers who love sharp dialogue, plots of mistaken character and comedy about manners, and for students meeting eighteenth century theatre.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A London that runs on gossip
- Two brothers, two reputations
- A young wife and an older husband
- An uncle returns in disguise
- What the play says about talk and truth
- How Sheridan builds the comedy
Who’s who
- Lady SneerwellA wealthy widow who spreads slander as a hobby and a weapon, and who hopes to win Charles Surface for herself.
- Joseph SurfaceThe respected elder nephew, full of fine speeches about virtue, who wants Maria's fortune and works to keep his good name.
- Charles SurfaceThe younger nephew, called a reckless spendthrift by society, generous and open, who loves Maria and has little left to his name.
- Sir Peter TeazleA rich older gentleman, guardian of Maria, who is quick to grumble and slow to see his friends clearly.
- Lady TeazleHis young wife from the country, who enjoys London fashion and her new freedom, and who is drawn into the gossip circle.
- MariaSir Peter's ward and an heiress, kind and sensible, who loves Charles and is pressed to favour Joseph instead.
- Sir Oliver SurfaceThe brothers' rich uncle, returning from India, who wants to learn the truth about his nephews before he decides his heir.
- Mrs CandourA talkative member of the circle who defends everyone aloud while spreading every rumour she hears.
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- Audiobook
- 3 h 30 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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La escuela del escándalo
by Richard Brinsley Sheridan · 1780
In Lady Sneerwell's house, gossip turns private lives into weapons and puts reputations at risk.
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In short
Imagine a city where a whispered rumour can ruin a family by supper. That is the London of The School for Scandal, a five act comedy by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, first staged at Drury Lane in 1777.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A London that runs on gossip
The play opens in the house of Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy widow who treats slander as a craft. Her helper, Miss Verjuice, arranges for stories to appear in the newspapers. She does not gossip only for fun. Gossip is her tool for carrying out her plans.
Her circle fills the house. Mrs Candour defends everyone aloud while passing on every rumour. Sir Benjamin Backbite fancies himself a wit, and his uncle Crabtree adds an extra detail to every story. A tale grows a little each time it moves from one mouth to the next.
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What is The School for Scandal about?
It is a comedy about a London circle of gossips and about two brothers whose public reputations are the opposite of their real characters. A returning uncle tests them, while a quarrelling married couple is drawn into the rumours.
When was The School for Scandal written and first performed?
Richard Brinsley Sheridan wrote it for the Drury Lane Theatre, where it was first staged in 1777. It is a work of fiction, though it mocks the real habits of fashionable London society.
What does the title The School for Scandal mean?
The title treats gossip as something learned. Lady Sneerwell's circle acts like a school where members practise slander, trade stories and teach newcomers how to use wit to damage other people's names.
The author
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
1751–1816 · Irish playwright and politician
Richard Brinsley Sheridan was born in Dublin in 1751 and died in London in 1816. He lived in Ireland and England. He wrote plays, including The Rivals (1775), The School for Scandal (1777), and The Critic (1779). He also served as a member of the British Parliament from 1780 to 1812.
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