The Rivals

The Rivals is the first major comedy by Richard Sheridan, a radical Irish actor and politician in George III's England. Not quite as complex and astute as his later She Stoops to Conquer, the Rivals remains a warm, unforgettable, and very, very funny play. Here we meet the chatty Mrs. Malaprop, who proudly tells us "if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs"
her niece Lydia, lost in the world of lurid half-bound romantic novels
Sir Anthony Absolute, often wrong but never in doubt
Sir Lucious O'Trigger, of BlunderBuss Hall
and the rest. The dialogue and plot devices are well-crafted and funny
the social commentary is perceptive and satisfyingly naughty
but what stays with you is the humanity of each of the characters. These are not the charicatures of Restoration comedy, but personalities the reader will remember
ridiculous like all humans, but engendering empathy as well as laughter.