We have stand-up comedy, comedy movies and many forms of comedy today. All of it originated from literature and comedy of manners in once such genres. Comedy of Manners was a sophisticated genre of the restoration age. They had archetypal characters including clever servants, wealthy rivals etc. Restoration comedy of manners had witty give and takes, verbal fencing usually commenting on the questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society.
Lust, greed, materialistic nature of people, gossip and rumours, hypocritical nature and false pretensions of the people were common subjects of the comedy of manners. Areas such as marriage, love, adultery, and fortune hunting were also portrayed in these plays.

Some examples include The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), by Oscar Wilde, which satirises the sexual hypocrisies of Victorian morality. The way of the world by William Congreve and the Country wife by William Wycherley.