Question

The epilogue to William Congreve’s The Way of the World, given below, signals some warning(s). What is/are it/they?
“Other there are whose malice we’d prevent,
Such, who watch plays, with scurrilous intent
To mark out who by characters are meant.
These, with false glosses feed their own ill nature,
And turn to libel, what was meant a satire.”

• A. Critics should always be supportive of the author.
• B. Critics should not look for portrait of real people in the play’s characters and remember that the play is a social satire.
• C. Critics should avoid writing malicious reviews, lest they are accused of libel.
• D. Critics should try to identify the real life equivalent for each character.

Hint:

Satire is meant to be a critique of society or human behavior, not a direct attack on specific individuals. Critics should understand the genre and avoid personalizing it into libel.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B, C

Step 1: Understanding the epilogue.
The passage from the epilogue warns critics against taking the satire too literally and maliciously identifying real people in the characters. It also advises avoiding the risk of libel when writing reviews.
Step 2: Analysis of the options.
(A) The epilogue does not suggest that critics should always be supportive of the author; it addresses their behavior in writing about the play’s characters. (B) This is correct because the epilogue explicitly warns critics not to focus on identifying real people in the characters and reminds them that the play is a social satire.
(C) This is also correct because the epilogue cautions against turning a satire into a libel by misinterpreting or maliciously identifying the characters.
(D) The epilogue does not suggest that critics should focus on identifying the real-life counterparts of the characters.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answers are (B) and (C), as these options align with the warnings provided in the epilogue.