About the work
Richard Brinsley Sheridan wrote this five-act comedy of manners for London's Drury Lane Theatre, where he had become a part-owner in 1776; it premiered there on 8 May 1777 and was first printed in 1780.
Plot
The plot follows a circle of gossips led by Lady Sneerwell, who slander the honourable Charles Surface to undermine his engagement to Maria while his hypocritical brother Joseph secretly courts Lady Teazle. When her husband Sir Peter discovers the pair behind a screen, Joseph's deceit collapses. Their uncle Sir Oliver, back from India in disguise, meanwhile tests both nephews and ultimately names the honest Charles his heir.
Cultural significance
Alongside 'The Rivals', the play stands as Sheridan's most successful stage work and remains one of the most frequently performed English comedies of manners from the eighteenth century. In German, Wolfgang Hildesheimer's version as 'Die Lästerschule' has been staged repeatedly since productions from 1914 onward.