Abstract Fictional texts constitute complex communicative acts between an author and an audience, and they regularly depict interactions between characters. Both levels are susceptible to an analysis of politeness. This is particularly true for early eighteenth-century drama, which – in the context of the age of politeness – established new dramatic genres to educate and edify their audiences. Characters were used to demonstrate good or bad behaviour as examples to be followed or avoided. Early eighteenth-century drama was a reaction against what was considered to be the immorality and profanity of Restoration drama of the seventeenth century. Two plays serve as illustrations and a testing ground for an analysis of fictional politeness that considers both communicative levels; the play itself and the interactions within the play. Richard Steele’s sentimental comedy “The Conscious Lovers” (1722) gives an example of good behaviour by being exceedingly polite to the audience in the theatre through characters that are exceedingly polite to each other; and George Lillo’s domestic tragedy “The London Merchant, or the History of George Barnwell” (1731) shows the “private woe” of everyday characters in order to warn the younger generation against wrongdoing and to propagate middle-class virtues and moral values.

中文翻译：

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十八世纪话剧中的礼貌：一种话语方法

摘要虚构文本构成了作者和听众之间的复杂交往行为，并定期描绘人物之间的互动。这两个层次都容易受到礼貌分析的影响。对于18世纪早期的戏剧来说尤其如此，在礼貌的时代，这种戏剧确立了新的戏剧体裁来教育和教育观众。使用字符来表现良好或不良行为，作为要遵循或避免的示例。18世纪初期的戏剧是对被认为是17世纪恢复戏剧的不道德和亵渎的一种反应。有两个剧本是对虚构礼貌进行分析并同时考虑了两个交际水平的例证和试验场。剧本本身以及剧本之间的互动。理查德·斯蒂尔（Richard Steele）感性的喜剧《自觉的情人》（The Conscious Lovers）（1722）通过良好的举止表现出良好的行为举止。乔治·里洛（George Lillo）的家庭悲剧“伦敦商人或乔治·巴恩威尔的历史”（1731）显示了日常角色的“私事”，以警告年轻一代不要做错事，并传播中产阶级的美德和道德价值观。