Three Hours After Marriage

This is a forgotten gem of early 18th century theatre. Augustan wits John Gay, Alexander Pope and Doctor John Arbuthnot were at least as concerned with lampooning numerous figures in fashionable London society as with writing a well-crafted romp in their collaborative play, all but unseen since its original 1717 produc-tion. The plot is outrageous: several times Fossill discovers billets doux to his new bride Susannah, several times she executes last-minute stratagems to persuade him of her chastity, and several times her rival suitors Plotwell and Underplot arrive with the intention of cuckolding Fossill before he can consummate the marriage. Plotwell is also patron to Fossill's aspiring playwright niece Phoebe, whose latest work is exposed to general laughter as Gay, Pope and Arbuthnot indulge in the period's obligatory activity of sneering at poetasters. Check out our other books at www.dogstailbooks.co.uk