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Sir George Etherege
(1636-1691/2)

Active: 1664-1691 in England, Britain, Europe

(George Etherege)

By Dawn Lewcock (Cambridge University )

Indexing Data:

  • Active In: England, Britain, Europe
  • Born In: France, Continental Europe
  • Activity: Playwright

Life, Works and Times

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Sir George Etherege (1636-1691/2) was a dilettante writer of the second half of the seventeenth century best known now for his three plays, The Comical Revenge, or, Love in a Tub staged in 1664, She Would if She Could in 1668, and The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter in 1676. He also published light verse which suited contemporary taste, although it is little known today. Some of this was set to music by, amongst others, Henry Purcell (1658-1695). A series of verse letters to Lord Buckhurst (Charles Sackville 1638-1706) are known and many of the letters Etherege wrote from Ratisbon, where he was appointed Resident by James II in 1685, have been published and throw light on certain diplomatic concerns of the

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First published 18 September 2007

Citation: Lewcock, Dawn. "Sir George Etherege". The Literary Encyclopedia. 18 September 2007.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1451, accessed 9 February 2010.]