Eighteenth-Century Characters offers a concise introduction to the eighteenth century, using characters as its starting point. Elaine M. McGirr presents contextualized readings of stock characters from canonical and popular literature, such as: - The rake and the fop - The country gentleman - The good woman - The coquette and the prude - The country maid and the town lady - The Catholic, the Protestant and the British Other. Each chapter explores how a character's significance and role changes over the century, illustrating and explaining radical shifts in taste, ideology and style. Also featuring illustrations, a Chronology and a helpful Bibliography and Further Reading section, this essential guide will provide students with the necessary background to understand the period's literature and to embark on further study.

ELAINE M. McGIRR is Lecturer in English and Drama at Royal Holloway University of London, UK.

Eighteenth-Century Characters offers a concise introduction to the eighteenth century, using characters as its starting point. Elaine M. McGirr presents contextualized readings of stock characters from canonical and popular literature, such as:
- The rake and the fop
- The country gentleman
- The good woman
- The coquette and the prude
- The country maid and the town lady
- The Catholic, the Protestant and the British Other.

Each chapter explores how a character's significance and role changes over the century, illustrating and explaining radical shifts in taste, ideology and style. Also featuring illustrations, a Chronology and a helpful Bibliography and Further Reading section, this essential guide will provide students with the necessary background to understand the period's literature and to embark on further study.

List of Illustrations
Chronology
Introduction
PART I: MEN: THE MAKINGS OF AN ENGLISHMAN
The Rake
The Fop
The Country Gentleman
The Cit
PART II: WOMEN: 'MOST WOMEN HAVE NO CHARACTERS AT ALL'
The Heroine; or Dwindle into a Wife
The Coquette and the Prude
The Country Maid and the Town Lady
Learned Ladies and Female Wits
PART III: OTHERS
The Catholic Other: Monsieurs and Macaronis
The Protestant Other: Low and High Dutch
The British Other: The Scot
Endnotes
Primary Works Cited
Bibliography and Further Reading
Index.