Etherege, Sir George

Etherege, Sir George ĕthˈərĭj [key], 1636–1692, English dramatist. His witty, licentious comedies—The Comical Revenge; or, Love in a Tub (1664) and She Wou'd If She Cou'd (1668)—set the tone of the Restoration comedy of manners that Congreve was to continue. His last play, The Man of Mode (1676), is famous for its creation of the great fop, Sir Fopling Flutter. His years spent as English minister to Ratisbon (1685–89) are recorded in his Letterbook (ed. by Sybil Rosenfeld, 1928).

See his works (2 vol., ed. by H. F. B. Brett-Smith, 1927; repr. 1971); study by A. Huseboe (1987).

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