Berkeley, David S. "The Penitent Rake in Restoration Comedy."  Modern Philology, Vol. 49, No. 4 (May, 1952): 223-33.

   Berkeley's article is interesting because of it's failure to incorporate Horner into a complete overview of the restoration debauchee.  In it, Berkeley discusses how the rake became a familiar stock character on the Restoration stage,  gained popularity in the late 1600's, then becomes domesticated; "the great majority of the rakes repent in the fifth act."  He then goes on to describe various trend in rakes over the Restoration period, almost all of which Horner defies completely.  This article serves more to show the uniqueness of Horner as a "stock rake character."

     Collier, Jeremy.  A Short View of the Immorality and Profanenes of the English Stage.  London: 1730.

    Collier calls the stage's licentiousness as the corruptor of society and the worst plague of the age.

    Freud, Sigmund.  “ ‘Civilized’ Secular Morality and Modern Nervousness,” in   Sexuality and the Psychology of Love, ed. Philip Rieff, The Collected Papers of Sigmund Freud (New York: Collier Books, 1963)

    Freud discusses the psychology of modern society that can be used to understand Britain's initial infatuation with the rake as well as the trend to view him as a villain.

            Gt .XM London.  “Charles II.”  Official Website of the British Monarchy.  2005.  Royal House Web Team.   <HTTP://www.roayal.gov.uk/output/page92.asp>

    Britain's royal website.  Useful to help understand the progression of monarchs through the era.

    Highfill, Philip H., Kalman A. Burnim, and Edward A. Langhans.  A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers& Other    Stage Personnel in London.  Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1993.

    An incredibly helpful listing of nearly every person associated with the Restoration stage.  Discusses their full resume, and gives contemporary feedback on their lifespan and stagepresence.

    Kaufman, Anthony.  "Wycherley's The Country Wife and the Don Juan Character." Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Winter, 1975-1976): 216-231.

    Kaufman's article strives to do two things: define Horner as a character dependant on and reflective of the Don Juan myth and try to understand Horner's (and all of Restoration sexual comedy) undeniable attraction and popularity.  He likens Horner to Don Juan in his overt sexual hostility and sadism directed toward his female victims, his Machiavellian desire to deceive, and his dual nature (a divine fertilizer and a devil).  Kaufman is very cynical in his initial deconstruction of Horner, calling him alone, friendless, and emotionally stable.  He presents some extremes in his character that I will reign in with textual support.  In the second portion of his argument, Kaufman concludes that sex jokes are the heart of Restoration Comedy, and that its popularity stems from its ability to create an extended fantasy that separates its audience from normal worldly sense.  I really like his two sided argument here, and time permitting, will explore his conclusion.

    Margolis, Howard and Arthur Shapiro.  “Countering Negative Images of Disability in Classical Literature.”  The English Journal, Vol. 76, No. 3. (Mar., 1987), pp. 18- 22.

    Explains the negative connotation associated with Ryan's physical deformity.

    Morris, David B. "Language and Honor in "The Country Wife." South Atlantic Bulletin, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1972): 3-10.

    Morris opens his piece with the exclamation "The Country Wife is a play about honor, which he defines as the reflection of a man's own actions, shining bright in the face of all around him, and thence rebounding upon himself.  He explains that Wycherley's audience would have accepted honor and virtue to be inseparable entities, yet shows how the play thoroughly separates honor from virtuous action.  Ironically, Horner does not fit into this simple assumption, as the rake "rejects honor because he rejects virtue."  Morris gives a spectacular account of the character of Horner, commenting on his agreeance with the Hobbesian notion that real honor is power.  He then goes on to discuss the China Scene, its symbols, and their implications.  Morris concludes with the idea that language and its manipulation become the central metaphor for dishonor.

    Traugott, John.  "The Rake's Progress from Court to Comedy: A Study in Comic Form."  Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 6,
No. 3, Restoration and Eighteenth Century (Summer, 1966): 381-407.

    In his verbose and at times overly self-possessed study of the rake as a character in history, Traugott judges the rake to be unique in the characters of history.  "Cruel but graceful, cynical but witty, poxed but beautiful."  He shows the rake to be fundamentally a paradoxical creature, whose trouble "is that he is too attractive; to bring him to heel."  Although his work seems at time more a tour-de-force than an essay and the convoluted syntax makes for a difficult read, his style is lending to some very good quotes, such as, "A queen mated is the signal to begin the game anew."  One liners such as these will prove the most helpful aspect of this haughty monologue.

   Weber, Harold.  The Restoration Rake-Hero: Transformations in Sexual Understanding in the Seventeenth-Century England.  Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press,1986.

   Weber's analysis of the Restoration Rake traces the progression of the Rake as a stock character on the British stage.  He begins with the assumption that the rake-hero's most distinctive and most important characteristic is his sexuality.  He states that while most developed rakes cannot be reduced to mere sexual machines, their characters possess little identity outside the pursuit of sex.  Because Freud defies the decisive step of civilization the "replacement of the power of the individual by the power of the community," Weber identifies the rake as a reflection of "the inherent tensions that divide an individual from society" (5), or a defier of society.  Furthermore, according to Freud, the rake falls into the category of criminal, outlaw, (when circumstances permit) hero.  Weber then traces the vilification of the rake into "a symbol of social disorder and evil."  Finally the author claims that the rake's contempt of marriage indicates a distain for society's constraints and an attempt to relocate British sexuality away from the divine and into the secular world.  Though the writings are very helpful to understand the concept of the Rake, my primarily concentration is on Weber’s analysis of Horner and Wycherley.

    Wycherley, William.  The Country Wife.  London, 1675.
   Wycherley's original work.  Used to compare with later works in which scenes have been edited or cut.

    Wycherley, William.  The Country Wife.  London, 1786.

   A fully revised version of The Country Wife.  Only two acts long, and completely omitting the character of Horner.  Interesting to see what aspects of the original work have been altered or removed.

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