Drawing room

In British society, a drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from withdrawing room. In a large sixteenth, seventeenth or early eighteenth century English house, a withdrawing room was a room to which the owner of the house, his wife, or a distinguished guest who was occupying one of the main apartments in the house could "withdraw" for more privacy. It was often off the great chamber (or the great chamber's descendent the saloon) and usually led to a bedroom.

Related Topics:
Room - Great chamber

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The term drawing room is now slightly old fashioned and is not used as widely as it once was.

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The drawing room, being a room in the house to entertain visitors, gave its name to drawing room comedy, a genre of theatrical productions and motion pictures. Drawing room comedy typically features witty remarks and verbal banter among wealthy, genteel, upper class characters. Drawing room comedy is a sub-genre of the "comedy of manners." Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and several of the plays of Noel Coward are considered typical works of the genre.

Related Topics:
Genre - Theatrical - Motion picture - Wit - Upper class - Comedy of manners - Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest - Noel Coward

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