J.Edu. Sci , Vol. (15) No.(2) 2008 1 Social Marginalization in Susanna Centlivre's The Busybody Hasan Mohammed Saleh Dept. of English/College of Education/University of Mosul Accepted Received 06/11/2007 26/08/2007 ﺍﻟﻤﻠﺨﺹ ﺍﻹ ﺍﻟﻜﺎﺘﺒﺔ ﻤﺴﺭﺤﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻻﺠﺘﻤﺎﻋﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﻬﻤﻴﺵ ﻓﻜﺭﺓ ﺩﺭﺍﺴﺔ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺙ ﻫﺫﺍ ﻴﻬﺩﻑ ﻨﻜﻠﻴﺯﻴﺔ ﺴﻨﺘﻠﻔﻴﺭ ﺴﻭﺯﺍﻨﺎ" ﺍﻟﻔﻀﻭﻟﻲ" . ﺘﻁﻐﻰ ﻓﻜﺭﺓ ﻭﻫﻲ ﻤﺴﺭﺤﻴﺎﺘﻬﺎ، ﻓﻲ ﹰ ﻜﺒﻴﺭﺍ ﹰ ﺤﻴﺯﺍ ﺍﻟﻔﻜﺭﺓ ﻫﺫﻩ ﻭﺘﺸﻐل ﺍﻟﻨﺴﻭﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻜﺘﺎﺒﺎﺕ ﻤﻌﻅﻡ ﻋﻠﻰ. ﻭﺍﻟـﺯﻭﺍﺝ ﺍﻟﺤـﺏ ﻤﻭﻀـﻭﻉ ﺇﻁﺎﺭ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻔﻜﺭﺓ ﻫﺫﻩ ﺍﻟﻜﺎﺘﺒﺔ ﺘﻨﺎﻗﺵ ﺍﻟـ ﺩﺭﺍﻤﺎ ﻓﻲ ﹰ ﺘﻜﺭﺍﺭﺍ ﺍﻟﻤﻭﻀﻭﻋﺎﺕ ﺃﻜﺜﺭ ﺒﺎﻋﺘﺒﺎﺭﻩ“Restoration” ﺍﻻﻋﺘﻘﺎﺩ ﻜل ﺍﻟﻜﺎﺘﺒﺔ ﻭﺘﻌﺘﻘﺩ ﺒﻬﺎ ﻴﻔﻜﺭﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﻟﻠﻁﺭﻴﻘﺔ ﻭﺘﻘﺩﻴﺭﻫﻥ ﺍﻟﻨﺴﺎﺀ ﺍﺤﺘﺭﺍﻡ ﻤﻥ ﻻﺒﺩ ﺃﻨﻪ. ﻜـل ﺒﻌﻴﺩﺍﺕ ﻴﻜﻥ ﺃﻥ ﻻﺒﺩ ﻭﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺘﻬﻤﻴﺸ ﻤﺤﺎﻭﻟﺔ ﻋﻥ ﺍﻟﺒﻌﺩ ﻬﻥ ﹰ ﺍﺠﺘﻤﺎﻋﻴﺎ. Abstract This paper aims at studying the idea of social marginalization in Susanna Centlivre's The Busybody. Such an idea takes a large space in her plays, an idea that is widely held to take a lot of feminist writings. The playwright explains this subject in terms of love and marriage, which is one of the most frequent themes in the Restoration drama. She strongly believes that women must be highly respected and valued, because they have their own way of thinking. Hence, they have to be far from being marginalized by their society. The perennial aim of feminism is to change women's position, for the advocates of feminism indicate that women are set aside or neglected, an exclusion must be encountered by all possible means. For this reason, literature functions as a means of assuaging the sense of feminine oppression, and of facing this exclusion. In actual fact, social marginalization does not take place in a vacuum; rather there are certain factors that lead to have woman marginalized. It is a phenomenon traceable back to the ancient times, since it is universally shared that men have the upper hand over women. Sociologically speaking, marginalization is an attempt at belittling or excluding some one from society. It shows that those who lack desirable features or move away from what is collective are socially excluded and described as 'undesirables'. 1 The marginal person is seen as “one who does not belong…, dwells at the margin of two cultures and two societies and possesses a marginal mentality…”. 2 Conceived in this