SOURCE: Fitzgerald, Percy. “Foote's Comedies” and “Foote's Comedies—continued.” In Samuel Foote: A Biography, pp. 264-85; 286-300. London, Chatto & Windus, 1910.

In the following essays, Fitzgerald conducts a close examination of the characters in Foote's major works and discusses Foote's ironic tone.

Foote's Comedies

Foote was a diligent dramatist, and wrote about a score of pieces, not all of equal merit; but, with the exception of three or four, all may be considered good, while at least two—The Minor and The Cozeners—stand out from the productions of the time. They might be called great plays, from their subjects and treatment, from the living characters introduced, the abuses that were mercilessly gibbeted or lashed, and the wholesome reform that followed. Here Foote might place his claim to the title of “English Aristophanes” on fair foundation; and his work seems akin to that of Charles Dickens when reforming social...