Malapropism

Somehow in discussing one of the assigned theorists, our class was able to digress all the way to the Richard Sheridan's The Rivals. Having no previous knowledge of the play or the playwright, our teacher was able to draw us in with nothing more than a synopsis. So, here I am, trying to squeeze in a little exploration in my blogs.

Well, let's get to know Mr. Sheridan a little better first. The Rivals, a comedy of manners, was Sheridan's first piece and actually failed distrastously on opening night. It turns out that a poor decision in casting had been the cause of the show's demise. Over time, The Rivals has become practically a standard in English literature. As I continue researching, there seems to be a certain theme of the comedies of manner throughout all of his pieces. Essentially, a comedy of manners functions to satirize the manners and affectations of a social class often through the use of stock characters. The concept of stock characters actually takes me back to my vocabulary presentation. In my research though, I found a much better explanation of stock characters with respect to context in history. The miles gloriosus which literally translates into "the boastful soldier" is a typical stock character of comedy during classical Rome. This character apparently derives from the alazon or "the braggart" of Aristophanes's comedies. Yet another connection forged between the distant realms of theater! Some other examples of stock characters would be the fop and the rake during the Restoration or more generally, an old person attempting to look young. As I trace this all the way back to Sheridan, I also learn that he was a great public speaker for the Whig party.

From the lengthy and complex plot though, I really only find an interest in Mrs. Malaprop, at least for the moment. It is actually from this character that the word malapropism is derived. Malapropism is generally attributed to the public reaction that was in response to Mrs. Malaprop. Within the play, Mrs. Malaprop frequently mispeaks to increase the comic effect. It's interesting how an archetype or theme from theater can in a sense transcend its borders to makes it ways into mainstream thought and action.