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By: Henri Bergson (1859-1941)

Book cover Laughter : an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic

By: Henry Arthur Jones (1851-1929)

Book cover Dolly Reforming Herself A Comedy in Four Acts

By: Henry Fielding

The Old Debauchees by Henry Fielding The Old Debauchees

Young Laroon plans to marry Isabel, but Father Martin manipulates Isabel's father, Jourdain, in order to seduce Isabel. However, other characters, including both of the Laroons, try to manipulate Jourdain for their own ends; they accomplish it through disguising themselves as priests and using his guilt to convince him of what they say. As Father Martin pursues Isabel, she is clever enough to realize what is happening and plans her own trap. After catching him and exposing his lust, Father Martin is set to be punished.

By: Henry James (1843-1916)

The Europeans by Henry James The Europeans

The Europeans: A sketch is a short novel by Henry James, published in 1878. It is essentially a comedy contrasting the behaviour and attitudes of two visitors from Europe with those of their relatives living in the ‘new’ world of New England. The novel first appeared as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly for July-October, 1878. James made numerous minor revisions for the first book publication.

By: Henry Spicer (1811-1891)

Book cover Witch-Wife

Matthew Hopkins, a renowned witch-hunter, has his sights set on the quiet village near Pendell Manor. However Cecile Howard and her friends are determined to put an end to his superstitious nonsense, put an end to his reign of terror, and teach him a lesson he won't soon forget! - Summary by Kelly S. Taylor Cast list: The Witch Wife: A Tale of Malkin Tower by Henry Spicer BC/Editor for this play is Kelly S. Taylor Sir Gerald Mole: Mike Manolakes Marchmont Needham: Cavaet Antony Gabb: Parsa2020 Harry...

By: Herbert George Jenkins (1876-1923)

Book cover The Return of Alfred

The hero of the book is at a loose end, weary and bored of his old life after returning from the Great War. After an argument with his uncle and a railway strike he finds himself lost in the county of Norfolk at ten o’clock one night. When he seeks shelter in a country home, the butler immediately recognizes him as “Mr. Alfred”, the missing son of the house. From that point onwards, our hero, who gives his name as “James Smith”, finds himself in for an exciting time.Not only does he inherit the friends of “Mr...

By: Herbert Jenkins (1876-1923)

Patricia Brent, spinster by Herbert Jenkins Patricia Brent, spinster

A romantic comedy, written in 1918, but with a modern feel to it. Patricia Brent one day overhears two fellow-boarders pitying her because she “never has a nice young man to take her out”. In a thoughtless moment of anger she announces that the following night she will be dining out with her fiance. When she arrives at the restaurant the next day, she finds some of the fellow-boarders there to watch her, so, rendered reckless by the thought of the humiliation of being found out, she goes up to a young man sitting alone at a table, and asks him to help her by “playing up”. Countless complications and adventures ensue…

By: Heywood Broun (1888-1939)

Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun Seeing Things at Night

This Book is a collection of humorous short stories which describe the comedy in everyday things and situations.

By: Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944)

Cobb's Anatomy by Irvin S. Cobb Cobb's Anatomy

Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb was born on June 23, 1876. At seventeen years of age, he began writing for the Paducah Daily News, his hometown paper. At nineteen he became the managing editor; up to that point, our nation’s youngest. He worked as a columnist, a humorist and an author. But ‘horror,’ and ’short stories,’ are not why he is remembered. He is remembered because he was, and still is, funny. And although he is now dead–he died March 11, 1944–this work “Cobb’s Anatomy,” among others, has left an indelible mark upon mankind: a smile.

By: J. M. Barrie (1860-1937)

The Admirable Crichton by J. M. Barrie The Admirable Crichton

From the author of Peter Pan:Lord Loam, a British peer, considers class divisions to be artificial. He promotes his views during tea-parties where servants mingle with his aristocratic guests, to the embarrassment of all. Crichton, his butler, particularly disapproves of this.Loam, his family, a maid, and Crichton are shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. The resourceful Crichton is the only one of the party with any practical knowledge. Eventually, social roles are reversed, and Crichton becomes the governor.

By: James Stephens

Book cover There is a Tavern in the Town

The soul of Irish wit is captured in this unique tale of a barstool philosopher, the concluding story from 'Here Are Ladies' by James Stephens. (Introduction by iremonger)

By: Jane Austen (1775-1817)

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a book about the life of Catherine Morland and her romantic relationships. The novel is divided into two parts; the first part begins with Catherine’s visit to Bath and her relationship with Henry Tilney and the other people she met there, and the second part starts with the arrival of Frederick Tilney and her visit to Northanger Abbey. This book alongside Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility is considered one of the major works of Jane Austen. The novel had undergone many revisions before its publication and it was even originally titled “Catherine...

By: Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)

Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow

Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, published in 1886, is a collection of humorous essays by Jerome K. Jerome. It was the author’s second published book and helped establish him as a leading English humorist. The book consists of 14 independent articles arranged by themes.

Stage Land by Jerome K. Jerome Stage Land

A comic look at the curious habits and customs of the inhabitants of ‘Stage Land’. Dedicated to ‘that highly respectable but unnecessarily retiring individual, of whom we hear so much but see so little, “the earnest student of drama”

Book cover Fanny and the Servant Problem

"It is so sad when relations don't get on together." "Sadder still when they think they've got a right to trample on you, just because you happen to be an orphan and - I don't want to talk about my relations. I want to forget them. I stood them for nearly six months. I don't want to be reminded of them. I want to forget that they ever existed." She is not going to have her wish. Oh, no, not at all. A comedy. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Fanny: Devorah Allen Vernon Wetherell, Lord Bantock...

Book cover Woodbarrow Farm

Some confusion over a farm and an unexpected inheritance, with expectations of someone who is holding such a position. "You have rather a countrified walk, if you will forgive me for saying so — a more neglige style is adopted by the savoir vivre now, sir, and a more insouciant manner of carrying the umbrella. You walk too much in this way, sir." "Lord love us, do I walk like that?" "Just like that, sir. You see yourself, sir, what a very undestingue appearance it presents." - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Piffin: ToddHW Allen Rollitt: Greg Giordano Luke Cranbourne: Beeswaxcandle Mike Stratton: redrun Mr...

By: Jesse Lynch Williams (1871-1929)

Why Marry? by Jesse Lynch Williams Why Marry?

Why Marry? is a comedy, which "tells the truth about marriage". We find a family in the throes of proving the morality of marriage to a New Age Woman. Can the family defend marriage to this self-supporting girl? Will she be convinced that marriage is the ultimate sacredness of a relationship or will she hold to her perception that marriage is the basis of separating two lovers."Why Marry?" won the first Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

By: John Dryden (1631-1700)

Book cover Tempest

John Dryden and William D'Avenant's Restoration adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest preserves the main plot and characters of the original. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, lives on an isolated island with his daughter Miranda, and plans to take revenge on his brother Antonio, who usurped his throne. He is aided by his servant, the airy sprite Ariel, and is hated by his other servant, the monster Caliban. Dryden and D'Avenant added in a number of characters: Dorinda, Prospero's other daughter, Hippolito, a young man who has never seen a woman, Sycorax, Caliban's sister, and more spirits and comic mariners...

By: John Fletcher (1579-1625)

Book cover The Woman's Prize, or The Tamer Tamed

John Fletcher's comedy (probably written and performed around 1611) is a sequel to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, in which, as the title suggests, the tamer will be tamed. Petruchio, the shrew-tamer, has been widowed, and marries a second wife, Maria, a "chaste witty lady." At the instigation of her cousin Bianca, and with the fellowship of her sister Livia, Maria decides to go on strike for equal rights, refusing to behave as a proper 17th century wife. Fletcher's play addresses the issue of men and women's roles within marriage, a controversial issue for his day.

Book cover Sea Voyage

Albert, a handsome French pirate, and his crew get shipwrecked on a barren, rocky island after a severe storm. They encounter another pair of castaways who reveal a quite unusual secret- yet another strange group of people inhabit the island. Albert soon learns that these people are actually an Amazonian-like tribe of women, and proposes an alliance for the benefit of both parties. Love and hijinks ensue in a battle of the sexes.Notable for imitating many elements of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the collaborators also consulted nonfictional traveler's accounts to bring their vision to life...

By: John Galsworthy (1867-1933)

Book cover Windows
Book cover Skin Game

A small play in three acts. A kind of comic tragedy. The plot tells the story of the interaction between two very different families in rural England just after the end of the First World War. Squire Hillcrist lives in the manor house where his family has lived for generations. He has a daughter, Jill, who is in her late teens; and a wife, Amy, as well as servants and retainers. He is "old money", although his finances are at a bit of low ebb. The other family is the "nouveau riche" Hornblowers,...

By: John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922)

The Idiot by John Kendrick Bangs The Idiot

The Idiot is anything but, yet his fellow boarders at Mrs. Smithers-Pedagog’s home for single gentlemen see him as such. His brand of creative thought is dismissed as foolishness yet it continues to get under their skin, because when you’re beneath contempt you can say what you please. – This is the first of John Kendrick Bangs' “Idiot” books and was published by Harper and Brothers in 1895.

Book cover The Bicyclers and Three Other Farces
Genial Idiot by John Kendrick Bangs Genial Idiot

John Kendrick Bangs once again takes us on a journey with the loveable, but somewhat self-opinionated and irritating Mr Idiot.

By: John Leacock (1729-1802)

Book cover The Fall of British Tyranny American Liberty Triumphant

By: John Lydgate (1370?-1451?)

Book cover Disguising at Hertford

By: John Vanbrugh (1664-1726)

Book cover Provoked Wife: A Comedy

This Restoration Comedy follows Lady Brute as she decides whether or not to cuckold her coarse and unloving husband. Not as brash and farcical as Vanbrugh's earlier play "The Relapse," "The Provoked Wife" comments on society and matrimony in a surprisingly modern way. - Summary by WendyKatzHiller Cast of Characters: Constant: Adrian Stephens Heartfree: Gred Giordano Sir John Brute: Alan Mapstone Treble, a Singing-Master : ToddHW Rasor, Valet de Chambre to Sir John Brute: Larry Wilson Justice of the Peace: Wayne Cooke Lord Rake, Companion to Sir John: Algy Pug Col...

By: John Wight (1866-1944)

Mornings at Bow Street by John Wight Mornings at Bow Street

This is a collection of various articles found in Morning Herald columns. Some are found interesting, some may be hilarious! The 84 pieces of this book are actual reports throughout the 1870s newspaper written by the reporter, John Wight and Illustrated by George Cruikshank

By: Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

Book cover Drummer, or, The Haunted House

Lady Truman received word fourteen months ago that her husband, Sir George Truman, has died in battle. Now a very eligible widow with a large estate, she has more suitors than she knows what to do with. As if that wasn't enough, her house is now being haunted at night by the horrible and ghostly sound of a drum, apparently caused by the restless spirit of her husband. When an old man arrives who claims to be able to lay the spirit to rest, she is so desperate for relief that she determines to give him a chance...

By: Josephine Van Tassel Bruorton

Book cover Summer Boarders; or The Great Jewel Mystery

A rich widow or two. An owner of 1000 acres of fine land. An heiress to the 1000 acres. Nefarious visitors of various sorts after the land, jewels, or whatever else they can get. Meddlers and neighbors. Faithful retainers and stalwart protectors. Comedy abounds. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Joshua Wicks, owner of "close onto 1,000 acres": Wayne Cooke Mr. Peter Schultz, sometimes vendor of sausages: Greg Giordano Mr. Barry Bland, an Englishman possessed of a shady reputation and a talkative...

By: Lawrence Echard (1670?-1730)

Book cover Prefaces to Terence's Comedies and Plautus's Comedies (1694)

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