The Contrast (ePub)

Royall Tyler (1757-1826) was an early American playwright whose work reflects the burgeoning national consciousness of post-Revolutionary America. Born into the elite class of Boston, Tyler pursued his education at Harvard College, graduating in 1776 amidst the turbulent Revolutionary War. Despite his legal training and work as a lawyer and judge, Tyler's enduring legacy is literary, having penned one of the first American comedies, 'The Contrast,' in 1787. With this work, Tyler laid the foundation for American comedic drama, drawing influences from English Restoration comedy while injecting the emerging American sensibility and satirizing European pretensions. 'The Contrast' is best known for introducing the character of 'Brother Jonathan,' a prototype of the American Yankee who juxtaposes the affectations of European culture against the straightforward, homespun values of the New World. Widely regarded as the first play by an American to be professionally produced, 'The Contrast' holds a seminal place in the canon of American literature. Tyler's literary output extends beyond this play, though it remains his most celebrated. His writing, marked by wit and social commentary, embodies an essential record of the zeitgeist of a young nation grappling with its identity and aspirant values.