George Bernard Shaw In Context

When George Bernard Shaw died in 1950, the world lost one of its most well-known authors, a revolutionary who was as renowned for his personality as he was for his humour, humanity, and rebellious thinking. He remains a compelling figure who deserves attention not only for how influential he was in his time, but for how relevant he is to ours. This collection sets Shaw's life and achievements in context, with forty-two scholarly essays devoted to subjects that interested him and defined his work. Contributors explore a wide range of themes, moving from factors that were formative in Shaw's life, to the artistic work that made him most famous and the institutions with which he worked, to the political and social issues that consumed much of his attention, and, finally, to his influence and reception. Presenting fresh material and arguments, this collection will point to new directions of research for future scholars.

This volume covers all aspects of Shaw's drama, focusing both on the political and theatrical context, while the illustrations showcase productions from the Shaw Festival in Canada.

When Shaw died in 1950, the world lost one of its most well-known authors, a revolutionary who was as renowned for his personality as he was for his humour, humanity, and rebellious thinking. He remains a compelling figure who deserves attention not only for how influential he was in his time, but for how relevant he is to ours. This collection sets Shaw's life and achievements in context, with 42 scholarly essays devoted to subjects that interested him and defined his work. Contributors explore a wide range of themes, moving from factors that were formative in Shaw's life, to the artistic work that made him most famous and the institutions with which he worked, to the political and social issues that consumed much of his attention, and, finally, to his influence and reception. Presenting fresh material and arguments, this collection will point to new directions of research for future scholars.

A.M. Gibbs provides an authoritative and comprehensive account of the life, career and associations of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), one of the most eminent and influential literary figures of the modern age. Drawing on a wide range of published and unpublished material, this work illuminates the complex fabric of Shaw's extraordinary career as playwright, novelist, critic, orator, political activist, social commentator, avant-garde thinker and controversialist. Images of Shaw's daily private life, and of his tangled love affairs, flirtations and friendships, are intertwined with the records of his prodigiously productive career as public figure and creative writer, in a fully documented study which is both a scholarly resource and a lively biographical portrait. An introductory chapter explores theoretical issues in biography raised by the chronology form; and a chapter on Shaw's ancestry and family supplies new evidence about his Irish background. A Who's Who section contains thumbnail sketches of over two hundred contemporaries of Shaw who had significant associations with him.

When an interviewer asked Bernard Shaw whether, "speaking personally", he would prefer to see the English and Americans "become drama and variety fans as of old, rather than movie fans", Shaw replied, "Speaking personally, I should prefer to see them become Shaw fans". With his customary wit and quite often with remarkable prescience, Shaw began a dialogue on cinema that ran almost from the infancy of the industry in 1908 until his death in 1950. Bernard F. Dukore presents the first collection of Bernard Shaw's writings and oral statements about cinema. Of the more than one hundred comments Dukore has selected, fifty-nine -- more than half -- are new to today's readers. Twelve are previously unpublished, one is published in full for the first time, and forty-six appear in a collected edition of Shaw's writings for the first time since their publication in newspapers and magazines. Very early in the life of cinema, Shaw perceived that as an invention, movies would be more momentous than the printing press because they appealed to the illiterate as well as the literate, to the manual laborer at the end of an exhausting day as well as to the person with more leisure. He predicted that cinema would form people's minds and shape their conduct. He recognized that cinema's "colossal proportions make mediocrity compulsory" by leveling art and life down to the blandest morality and to the lowest common denominator of potential audiences throughout the world. By 1908, Shaw was familiar with experiments synchronizing movies and sound. When talkies arrived, he discerned that they would precipitate major changes in acting, writing, and economics. He also saw how they would affect live theatre:"The theatre may survive as a place where people are taught to act", he said in 1930, "but apart from that there will be nothing but 'talkies' soon". At that time, few people in the theatrical profession were making such prophecies, at least not in public.

"Mrs. Warren's Profession" by George Bernard Shaw is a provocative exploration of morality, class, and the role of women in society. The play revolves around the relationship between Mrs. Kitty Warren, a shrewd and successful madam, and her daughter Vivie, a young woman determined to make her own way in the world. As Vivie uncovers the truth about her mother's profession, she is forced to confront her own values and beliefs, leading to a clash of ideals between mother and daughter. Shaw's incisive wit and social commentary shine through in this thought-provoking drama, challenging audiences to reconsider their preconceptions about morality and the choices individuals make in pursuit of success and independence. "Mrs. Warren's Profession" remains a compelling and relevant work that continues to spark conversation and debate.

"Man and Superman" is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. It was written in response to a call for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme and became one of the greatest works in his heritage.