Pygmalion Heartbreak House And Saint Joan

Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, and Saint Joan are widely considered to be three of the most important in the canon of modern British theatre.Pygmalion (1912) was a world-wide smash hit from the time of its premiere in Vienna 1913 and it has remained popular to this day. Shaw was awarded an Academy Award in 1938 for his screenplay of the film adaptation. It was, of course, later made into the much-loved musical My Fair Lady.Heartbreak House (1917), which was finally performed in 1920 and published in 1921, bares the hallmarks of European modernism and a formal break from Shaw's previous work. A meditation on the war and the resultant decline in European aristocratic culture, it was perhaps staged too soon after theconflict; indeed, it did not have the success of his earlier works, which was likely due to his experimental aesthetics combined with a war-weary audience that sought lighter fare. However, while this contemporary reception was muted, it is now recognised as a modernist masterpiece.Saint Joan (1923) marked Shaw's resurrection and apotheosis. The first major work written of Joan of Arc after her canonization (1920), the play interrogates the origins of European nationalism in the post-war era. Like Pygmalion, it was an immediate world-wide hit and secured Shaw the Nobel Prizefor Literature in 1925. Drawing upon the transcripts of Joan's trial, Shaw blended his trademark wit to produce a hybrid genre of comedy and history play. Despite the historical setting, Saint Joan is highly accessible and continues to delight audiences.

Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, and Saint Joan are widely considered to be three of the most important in the canon of modern British theatre. Pygmalion (1912) was a world-wide smash hit from the time of its première in Vienna 1913 and it has remained popular to this day. Shaw was awarded an Academy Award in 1938 for his screenplay of the film adaptation. It was, of course, later made into the much-loved musical My Fair Lady. Heartbreak House (1917), which was finally performed in 1920 and published in 1921, bares the hallmarks of European modernism and a formal break from Shaw's previous work. A meditation on the war and the resultant decline in European aristocratic culture, it was perhaps staged too soon after the conflict; indeed, it did not have the success of his earlier works, which was likely due to his experimental aesthetics combined with a war-weary audience that sought lighter fare. However, while this contemporary reception was muted, it is now recognised as a modernist masterpiece. Saint Joan (1923) marked Shaw's resurrection and apotheosis. The first major work written of Joan of Arc after her canonization (1920), the play interrogates the origins of European nationalism in the post-war era. Like Pygmalion, it was an immediate world-wide hit and secured Shaw the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Drawing upon the transcripts of Joan's trial, Shaw blended his trademark wit to produce a hybrid genre of comedy and history play. Despite the historical setting, Saint Joan is highly accessible and continues to delight audiences.

Presents the texts of four plays with contemporary and modern critical essays and notes on the playwright

Written in 1919, George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House is equal parts tragedy and comedy. Centering on a dinner party, held as Europe teeters on the brink of the First World War; Shaw's play is as much about the inexorable drift of the British gentry toward catastrophe as it is about the love triangle that seems to take centre stage.

In Heartbreak House, a visit to an eccentric gentleman's home reveals surprises in gender and identity, while in Misalliance, an underwear tycoon and his daughter find adventure after a plane crash. Reissue.

This CliffsNotes guide includes everything you’ve come to expect from the trusted experts at CliffsNotes, including analysis of the most widely read literary works.

This volume contains Bernard Shaw's 1924 play, "Saint Joan". It is a 'chronicle play' in six scenes, and an epilogue that revolves around Joan of Arc. It elucidates her immense personality, problems, and potential. As well as the play itself, Shaw also furnishes a number of chapters on Joan of Arc that offer interesting insights into her life and character. This interesting and thought-provoking play will appeal to fans and collectors of Shaw's seminal work, and would make for a great addition to any collection. The chapters of this book include: "Joan the Original and Presumptuous", "Joan and Socrates", "Contrast with Napoleon", "Was Joan Innocent or Guilty", "Joan's Good Looks", "Joan's Social Position", "Joan's Voices and Visions", "The Evolutionary Appetite", etcetera. Many vintage texts such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this book now, in an affordable, high-quality, modern edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned biography of the author.