The School for Scandal: Analysis of Setting
"The School for Scandal" is a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan that explores themes of gossip and social reputation within the context of 18th-century English society. The setting plays a crucial role in reflecting the characters’ motivations and the social dynamics at play. Key locations include Lady Sneerwell's dressing room, which serves as a private space for intimate conversations, drawing parallels to the male-dominated library setting that facilitates more personal interactions among men. The drawing room is another significant place, designed for public gatherings where social interactions and scandalous discussions unfold, highlighting the performative aspects of socializing in that era. The library, specifically Joseph Surface's, is notable for its intimate meeting between him and Lady Teazle, deviating from traditional gender roles by placing them in a typically male space. Overall, the settings in "The School for Scandal" not only contribute to the plot but also emphasize the societal norms and expectations of the time, showcasing how location influences personal relationships and public personas. Understanding these spaces enhances the appreciation of the play's critique of social hypocrisy and the nature of scandal.
The School for Scandal: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1780
First produced: 1777
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Comedy of manners
Time of work: Eighteenth century
Places Discussed
Lady Sneerwell’s dressing room
Lady Sneerwell’s dressing room. Despite the fact that the stage direction indicates that the first scene of the play takes place at Lady Sneerwell’s dressing table, the room in which the scene takes place is a large room used by fashionable ladies for waiting on their most confidential guests. Thus Lady Sneerwell uses her dressing room to converse with Snake in much the same way the men of the house would use the library.
Drawing room
Drawing room. Other scenes in Lady Sneerwell’s house are set in the typical drawing room of a fashionable house. For example, in act 2, scene 2, Sheridan presents the famous school for scandal in attendance in the drawing room. Drawing rooms were used purely for public purposes. It was here that a hostess would receive guests or where guests would gather before and after dinner. Usually they were among the larger rooms of the house and certainly the room in Lady Sneerwell’s house is big enough to handle her rather large group of scandalmongers.
Library
Library. Joseph Surface’s library, in which the play’s most famous scene is set. Like women’s dressing rooms, libraries were places where men met their friends for personal visits. Usually, however, it was where they met their male friends, so the scene in which Joseph meets intimately with Lady Teazle has a special significance in its being set in the library.
Bibliography
Auburn, Mark. Sheridan’s Comedies: Their Contexts and Achievements. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1977. Perhaps the best of the very few full-length studies of Sheridan and his work. First-rate discussion of The School for Scandal.
Danziger, Marlies K. Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan. New York: Frederick Unger, 1978. A good place to begin study of Sheridan and his work. Contains an excellent discussion of The School for Scandal and a useful bibliography.
Loftis, John. Sheridan and the Drama of Georgian England. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1976. Carefully researched and rewarding study by a leading scholar in the field. Places Sheridan’s work firmly in the context of late eighteenth century theater and dispels many of the myths surrounding The School for Scandal. Highly recommended.
Schiller, Andrew. “The School for Scandal: The Restoration Unrestored.” Publications of the Modern Language Association 71 (September, 1956): 694-704. In this classic article, Schiller attacks the idea that The School for Scandal recaptures the spirit and substance of Restoration comedy. Schiller considers The School for Scandal “a kind of bourgeois morality play.”
Worth, Katharine. Sheridan and Goldsmith. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992. Worth is at her best in this slender but worthwhile book when discussing the plays of Sheridan and Goldsmith in the context of eighteenth century theatrical traditions and practices. Very good chapter on The School for Scandal.