SOURCE: “The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret,” in The Celebrated Mrs. Centlivre, Duke University Press, 1952, pp. 171-90.

In the following excerpt, Wilson surveys the possible sources of one of Centlivre's most artistically successful plays, The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret, and outlines the performance history of the comedy, which highlights the development of her reputation as a legitimate author.

The Wonder is an excellent light comedy. After [actor David] Garrick had contributed his interpretation of the character of Don Felix, it was often regarded as Mrs. Centlivre's masterpiece. The action is laid in Lisbon. Don Felix, in hiding after wounding Don Antonio in a duel because he would not marry Antonio's sister, secretly visits Donna Violante, with whom he is deeply in love. Violante is allowed a degree of freedom by her father, Don Pedro, because she seemingly accepts his arrangement for her to enter a...