Satire in The School for Scandal Leah Taylor College

Comparing The School for Scandal and Lord Chesterfield’s letters to his son has provided an interesting venture into the society from over two hundred years ago, representing society and their expectations. Brinsley recognizes the issues in the society and uses satire to exhibit the members of society and their faults. Ridiculing the characters using the satirical modes, Brinsley uses his play as an education and using satire providing a comedic viewpoint to the play. The play has a genre specific title as a comedy of manners with contradictions of character expectations and the actual reality. Lord Chesterfield has contributed to an intriguing comparison, Chesterfield’s letters were a set of guidelines that allowed a look inside the expectations of those who held positions in society and how they themselves justified their controversial behavior. The contrast between Chesterfield and Brinsley as authors gives viewpoints from a variant of judgments: Brinsley as a satirist with an intent to entertain and humor and Chesterfield providing a list of strict and efficient guidelines to those whom he believed needed to know. There is an evident difference in the two: with the play an instrument to provide wistful reflection on the...