DOCSLIB.ORG

Creative Evolution and Shaw's Dramatic Art with Special

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Creative Evolution and Shaw's Dramatic Art with Special Samlaren Tidskrift för svensk litteraturvetenskaplig forskning Årgång 92 1971 Svenska Litteratursällskapet Detta verk har digitaliserats. Bilderna av den tryckta texten har tolkats maskinellt (OCR-tolkats) för att skapa en sökbar text som ligger osynlig bakom bilden. Den maskinellt tolkade texten kan innehålla fel. REDAKTIONSKOMMITTÉ Göteborg: Lennart Breitholtz Lund: Staffan Björck, Carl Fehrman Stockholm: E. N. Tigerstedt, Örjan Lindberger Umeå: Magnus von Platen Uppsala: Gunnar Branded, Thure Stenström Redaktör: Docent Ulf Wittrock, Litteraturvetenskapliga institutionen, Villavägen 7, 752 36 Uppsala Printed in Sweden by Almqvist & Wiksells Boktryckeri AB, Uppsala 1972 210 Recensioner av doktorsavhandlingar sin uppfattning på vissa punkter. Vad gäller them as discussion dramas where nothing hap­ stilanalysens möjligheter prövas dessa på Di- pens” (p. 12). Since Shaw did actually to some wandiktningen på annat håll i denna årsskrift. extent experiment in Man and Superman and Till sist kvarstår efter studiet av Bengt Back to Methuselah—the two plays singled out Landgrens avhandling känslan av respekt för en for special treatment in the thesis—an analysis allvarligt syftande och högt kompetent forskare of the dramatic structure of these plays would som visserligen inte förnyat sin vetenskaps ar­ have given added interest to the thesis. Can betsmetoder men väl tillvaratagit det bästa i Act III of Man and Superman really be re­ en gammal litteraturhistorisk tradition och till- moved with impunity? What dramatic purpose, lämpat det på nytt och väsentligt stoff. Han har if any, have the prefaces? And since there are därigenom lagt en fast grund till all vidare ve­ “discrepancies between Shaw’s theory and his tenskaplig utforskning av Gunnar Ekelöfs för­ practice as a dramatist” (p. 12), what can be fattarskap samtidigt som han berikat denna said in this respect about the two plays? These forskning med en rad definitiva och betydelse­ are some of the questions one would have liked fulla resultat. to have an answer to. Staffan Bergsten Mrs Lindblad discusses two other important aspects of Shaw’s drama, “the objective presenta­ tion of both points of view” (p. 13), that is Shaw’s refusal to take sides with his characters, Ishrat Lindblad: Creative Evolution and Shaw’s which has undoubtedly given rise to widely Dramatic Art with Special Reference to MAN different interpretations of them, and “the con­ AND SUPERMAN and BACK TO METHUS­ flict of ideals” which arises when an uncon­ ELAH. Uppsala University 1971. ventional protagonist rebels against accepted Ishrat Lindblad’s doctoral dissertation Creative ideals cherished not only by other characters Evolution and Shaw’s Dramatic Art is the sec­ in the play but also by the audience. Ideas ond thesis to be written on a literary theme about socialism, religion or evolution are in the English Department of Uppsala Univers­ brought in “to make a direct onslaught on ity for the new-style doctorate. The dissertation Victorian ideals, particularly those of family was publicly examined on April 23 rd, 1971. life and sexual morality” (p. 15). Is this perhaps The present writer acted as faculty opponent. why the Violet-Hector Malone subplot is so con­ As may be inferred from its title, the subject ventionally drawn in Man and Superman? of the thesis is Shaw’s evolutionary theory and Ishrat Lindblad shares the opinion of other its importance for his practice as a playwright. critics (e.g. Eric Bentley, Martin Meisel, David The book is divided into two parts, Part One: Mayer) that the technique of Shaw’s plays owes “Shavian Background” (pp. 1-36) and Part much to traditional forms such as “melodrama, Two: “Creative Evolution” (pp. 37-119). The pantomime, and comedy of manners” (p. 18). first chapter gives some glimpses of the child­ In fact, in stressing these aspects of Shavian hood influences on Shaw, and touches on his drama the author sometimes—quite uninten­ early admiration for Ibsen and his equally early tionally I am sure—gives the reader the im­ interest in socialism—his first play§ are mainly pression that Shaw took more than he gave. concerned with social evils such as prostitution Greater stress on the struggle he put up against and exploitation of the poor. An attempt is the decadence of the late nineteenth-century also made to draw a line of division between theatre in London would have eliminated this the rather arrogant public image of G. B. S., a effect. legendary fiction created by himself, and the Chapter III presents a balanced summary of real George Bernard Shaw, a shy, reserved critical opinions on Shaw. Strangely enough, person. there is so far no “final analysis of the nature The second chapter discusses Shaw’s contri­ of his achievement as a playwright” (p. 23). butions to dramatic theory. If John Gassner, one Ishrat Lindblad sets out to prove that Shaw’s of Shaw’s critics, is right, it was Shaw himself belief in creative evolution—a theory not fully who contributed the concept “drama of ideas” to explored by any of his former critics—gives dramatic theory (p. 11). Shaw also pointed out his plays an underlying unity. (Since Brecht that in A Doll’s House1 discussion is “one of was one of the very first to point out—in a the innovations of the drama of ideas” (p. 11). brief article in 1926—that a theory of evolu- Shaw himself made use of discussion in a some­ what similar way for example in Getting Mar­ ried, yet “it is hardly fair to the complexity of 1 The correct title in English, not The Shaw’s plays”, Mrs Lindblad states, “to describe Doll’s House as given by I. Lindblad. Recensioner av doktorsavhandlingar 211 tion is central for Shaw, the author could per­ win in the thesis.) Like Lamarck Shaw at­ haps as a matter of general interest have given tributes the origin of evolutionary change to a reference to the English translation of the longing within organisms to adapt to their Brecht’s article published in Modern Drama,2 environment. It might be added that the prob­ (Sept. 1959), 184-186.) lem of death is not really dealt with except In Chapter IV the intricacies of Shaw’s superficially in Shaw’s philosophy: in Back to evolutionary theory are tackled. The various Methuselah the people living for a couple of strands of nineteenth-century thought that went centuries hide their long life by pretending to into the making of Shaw’s philosophy are dis­ have been drowned, and the Ancients meet entangled. with their lethal accident, whereas ordinary The embryo of Shaw’s philosophic creed is people die of discouragement. to be found in his atheism. His article “The The question of heredity and the possibility Perfect Wagnerite” (1895) contains one of his of breeding a super-race are of central signifi­ earliest definitions of an impulse in nature upon cance: in Shavian drama there are often mar­ which creative evolution depends. Shaw called riages, Mrs Lindblad claims, between a person this impulse the “Life Force” (other terms of unusual intellectual ability and one of re­ used by him are “the force of life” and “evo­ markable strength. It is sometimes suggested lutionary appetite” ). In Shaw’s philosophy, that such marriages, which are brought about Thought is the original as well as the final by the Life Force, aim at preserving the best form of life. The first evolutionary step was in mankind and that they should produce a taken when thought entered matter. The Life Superman. Shaw sometimes advocated the idea Force is active, always experimenting with new of a Superman, sometimes denied it, but in any forms, bringing about change and evolution. case he did not have in mind ”a privileged Since the Life Force is aiming at philosophers’ despotic superman as the saviour of society” brains, the importance of the intellect as the (p. 54). C. H. Mills, one of Shaw’s numerous means of obtaining knowledge is stressed in critics, has advanced a theory that Shaw’s super­ Shaw’s philosophy. Changes brought about by man is a synthesis of ideas taken from Ibsen, the Life Force are unpredictable: mankind may Wagner, Carlyle and Nietzsche. Ishrat Lind­ even prove to be a mistake. The will to achieve blad subscribes to this theory but at the same something can, however, bring about its own time she thinks that Shaw did not commit him­ purpose, for example longevity, as in Back to self to a definite picture of the superman. Methuselah, which was intended by Shaw to (One would have liked to hear more about be “the Bible of Creative Evolution”. Shaw the super-gorillas of Far-Fetched Fables. Those rejected Charles Darwin’s hypothesis that the atavistic monsters could hardly be taken as any­ species had developed by means of natural thing but a scathing satire by the 9 3-year-old selection and the survival of the fittest be­ Shaw on the whole idea of a super-race.) cause this explanation eliminated purpose and Shaw’s theory of creative evolution also ex­ design from the evolutionary process. Yet if tended to society and morality. Social and there are purpose and design, there ought to moral evolution takes place parallel to the evo­ be no mistakes, but Shaw has an explanation lution of the species. Since evolution means of this also—evil is explained as the result of change, society must evolve. Changes are unintentional mistakes made by the Life Force, brought about by exceptional human beings. which proceeds by the method of trial and The interaction between the individual and his error. In the vitalist philosophers such as Jean environment is a recurring pattern in Shavian Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829), Samuel Butler drama.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Edwardian Comedy and Progressive Politics
    Back to the Future: Edwardian Comedy and Progressive Politics by Rachel McArthur A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English University of Toronto © Copyright by Rachel McArthur 2018 Back to the Future: Edwardian Comedy and Progressive Politics Rachel McArthur Doctor of Philosophy Department of English University of Toronto 2018 Abstract The Edwardian period is often figured as a garden party broken up by the First World War. Looking back on the early twentieth century from the perspective of the twenty first, a different, strikingly contemporary picture emerges: amidst social and technological change, world capitals were haunted by the threat of instability and economic inequality, while the political left faced urgent questions about its continued relevance. Contrary to the image of the period as complacent on the brink of disaster, my dissertation asserts that the Edwardians were deeply invested in building a better future through both political reform and literary comedy. Both comedy and progressive reform look toward the future; in both cases, the Edwardians negotiated between convention and innovation to attempt to create a more equitable future. The dissertation ultimately illustrates the crucial role of the period in literary history and how its lessons may inform our own, which it much resembles. In order to do so, my readings of specifically Edwardian texts are situated in relation to larger historical narratives of both comedy as a genre and political reform. The first chapter reads George Meredith’s “Essay on Comedy” (1877) and The Egoist (1879) alongside Gladstonian Liberal reforms. Like those interventions, the “Essay” looks toward beneficial changes within existing traditions, while The Egoist puts them into practice.
    [Show full text]
  • A Chronology of Works by and About Bernard Shaw
    A Chronology of Works By and About Bernard Shaw CONTENTS A. Shaw’s Novels, Plays and Commentary 2 B. Shaw’s Reviews and Criticism 5 C. Shaw’s Collected Writings and Letters 5 D. Biographies and Biographical Studies 8 E. Books and Essay Collections 9 F. Reference Books 15 G. Scholarly Editions of Shaw’s Plays 15 H. Bibliographies 16 I. Miscellanea 17 2 A. Shaw’s Novels, Plays and Commentary First date: year(s) written Second date: year of first performance Third date(s): year(s) of publication [in brackets] 1878 My Dear Dorothea: A Practical System of Moral Education for Females Embodied in a Letter to a Young Person of that Sex (ed. S. Winsten) [1906; 1956] 1878 Passion Play (fragment) [1971] 1879 Immaturity (novel) [1930] 1880 The Irrational Knot (novel) [ser. 1885-7; 1905] 1881 Love Among the Artists (novel) [ser. 1887-8; 1900] 1882 Cashel Byron’s Profession (novel) [ser. 1885-6; 1886; rev 1889, 1901] 1883 An Unsocial Socialist (novel) [ser. 1884; 1887] 1884 Un Petit Drame (playlet) [1959] 1884/92 Widowers’ Houses 1893 [1893; rev. 1898] 1887-88 An Unfinished Novel (novel fragment) [1958] 1889 Fabian Essays in Socialism (ed. Shaw) [1889; rev. 1908, 1931, 1948] 1890 Ibsen Lecture before the Fabian Society [1970] 1891 The Quintessence of Ibsenism (criticism) [1891; rev. 1913] 1893 The Philanderer 1905 [1898] 1893 Mrs Warren’s Profession 1902 [1898; rev. 1930] 1893-94 Arms and The Man 1894 [1898; rev. 1930] 1894 Candida 1897 [1898; rev. 1930] 1895 The Man of Destiny 1897 [1898; rev. 1930] 1895 The Sanity of Art (art criticism) [1895; rev.
    [Show full text]
  • Misalliance the Articles in This Study Guide Are Not Meant to Mirror Or Interpret Any Productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
    Insights A Study Guide to the Utah Shakespeare Festival Misalliance The articles in this study guide are not meant to mirror or interpret any productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. They are meant, instead, to be an educational jumping-off point to understanding and enjoying the plays (in any production at any theatre) a bit more thoroughly. Therefore the stories of the plays and the interpretative articles (and even characters, at times) may differ dramatically from what is ultimately produced on the Festival’s stages. Insights is published by the Utah Shakespeare Festival, 351 West Center Street; Cedar City, UT 84720. Bruce C. Lee, communications director and editor; Phil Hermansen, art director. Copyright © 2011, Utah Shakespeare Festival. Please feel free to download and print Insights, as long as you do not remove any identifying mark of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. For more information about Festival education programs: Utah Shakespeare Festival 351 West Center Street Cedar City, Utah 84720 435-586-7880 www.bard.org. Cover photo: William Leach (left) and Jody Barrett in Misalliance, 1991. Contents Information on the Play Synopsis 4 CharactersMisalliance 5 About the Playwrights 6 Scholarly Articles on the Play Misalliance and Shaw: Extraordinary 8 A “Discussion” Play 9 The Entertaining Gospel 12 Utah Shakespeare Festival 3 351 West Center Street • Cedar City, Utah 84720 • 435-586-7880 Synopsis: Misalliance In the garden pavilion of his father’s house, Johnny Tarleton is lounging comfortably, when his sister Hypatia’s fiance, Bentley Summerhays, arrives with an offensive air of superiority. Threatened with a beating, Bentley throws himself on the floor and screams, bringing Mrs.
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF} the First Quarto of Hamlet 1St Edition Ebook
    THE FIRST QUARTO OF HAMLET 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK William Shakespeare | 9780521653909 | | | | | The First Quarto of Hamlet 1st edition PDF Book The Murder of Gonzago is played before the assembled court, but is interrrupted when Claudius suddenly rises and leaves. This is the only modernised critical edition of the quarto in print. Scarce thus. The First Quarto of Hamlet. A handful of sources contributed significantly to the creation of Hamlet. King Richard II. Condition: Very Good. The first critic of the , first Spanish translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. British Library copies of Hamlet contains detailed bibliographic descriptions of all the quarto copies of the play. Great Neck, N. Perhaps most crucially, Amleth lacks Hamlet's melancholy disposition and long self-reflexive soliloquies, and he survives after becoming king" British Library. Nevertheless, there is some evidence that Shakespeare did at least consult Saxo. There is an entire scene between Horatio and Gertrude in which Horatio tells her that Hamlet has escaped from the ship after discovering Claudius' plan to kill him. Protected under mylar cover. Published by Printed for P[hilip] C[hetwinde], London Theatrical adaption. Some scenes take place at a different point in the story — for example Hamlet's " To be, or not to be " soliloquy occurs in Act Two, immediately after Polonius proposes to set up an "accidental" meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. According to the title page, the play was printed 'as it is now acted at His Highness the Duke of York's Theatre. Namespaces Article Talk. Occasional neat underlinings and scholarly notes, some minor marginal wormholes.
    [Show full text]
  • MISALLIANCE : Know-The-Show Guide
    The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey MISALLIANCE: Know-the-Show Guide Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw Know-the-Show Audience Guide researched and written by the Education Department of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Artwork: Scott McKowen The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey MISALLIANCE: Know-the-Show Guide In This Guide – MISALLIANCE: From the Director ............................................................................................. 2 – About George Bernard Shaw ..................................................................................................... 3 – MISALLIANCE: A Short Synopsis ............................................................................................... 4 – What is a Shavian Play? ............................................................................................................ 5 – Who’s Who in MISALLIANCE? .................................................................................................. 6 – Shaw on — .............................................................................................................................. 7 – Commentary and Criticism ....................................................................................................... 8 – In This Production .................................................................................................................... 9 – Explore Online ...................................................................................................................... 10 – Shaw: Selected
    [Show full text]
  • The Hell Scene and Theatricality in Man and Superman
    ２３３ The Amphitheatre and Ann’s Theatre: The Hell Scene and Theatricality in Man and Superman Yumiko Isobe Synopsis: Although George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman (1903) is one of his most important dramatic works, it has seldom been staged. This is because, in terms of content and direction, there are technical issues that make it difficult to stage. In particular, Act Three features a dream in Hell, where four dead characters hold a lengthy philosophical symposium, has been considered independent of the main plot of John Tanner and Ann Whitefield. Tanner’s dream emphatically asserts its theatricality by the scenery, the amphitheatre in the Spanish desert where Tanner dozes off. The scene’s geography, which has not received adequate attention, indicates the significance of the dream as a theatre for the protagonist’s destiny with Ann. At the same time, it suggests that the whole plot stands out as a play by Ann, to which Tanner is a “subject.” The comedy thus succeeds in expressing the playwright’s philosophy of the Superman through the play-within-a- play and metatheatre. Introduction Hell in the third act of Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy (1903) by George Bernard Shaw turns into a philosophical symposium, as the subtitle of the play suggests, and this intermediate part is responsible for the difficulties associated with the staging of the play. The scene, called “the Hell scene” or “Don Juan in Hell,” has been cut out of performances of the whole play, and even performed separately; however, the interlude by itself has attracted considerable attention, not only from stage managers and actors, but also from critics, provoking a range of multi-layered examinations.
    [Show full text]
  • Bernard Shaw: Profiling His Own ‘New Women’ in ‘Plays
    © April 2021| IJIRT | Volume 7 Issue 11 | ISSN: 2349-6002 Bernard Shaw: Profiling his own ‘New Women’ in ‘Plays Pleasant’ and ‘Plays Unpleasant’ Shakuntala Mukherjee Department of English Literature, AMITY University Kolkata, Hooghly, India Abstract - Shaw was successful to shake men’s beliefs to lecture on Ibsen. Shaw was already familiar with the the foundation in all branches of life- be it science, Norwegian dramatist, having seen the London philosophy, economics, theology, drama, music, art, performance of ‘A Doll’s House’. The lecture became novel, politics, criticism, health, education, and what not. ‘The Quintessence of Ibsenism’. Shaw’s brilliant and George Bernard Shaw, who was regarded as a writer promising answers formed the contents of the without a moral purpose at the beginning of his career in literary circles, is today looked upon as a profound Saturday Review. It turned ‘Shaw’s attention to the thinker who saw the truth and revealed it through art. drama as a means of expression on the ideas crowding The brilliance of his dramatic technique and philosophy his mind’. His plays were the truth of life. Shaw’s aim is aptly illuminated by his unconventional art and as a dramatist was to understand everything around dramatic technique. him and through his plays he tried to convey what he Shaw through his drama brought things like realism and understood. He made efforts to enable the public to idealism, individualism and socialism, together. The understand his vision. Regarding this aspect of Shaw; ‘New Woman’ introduced by Shaw; was treated with Purdom writes: contempt or fear as it discussed on the age-old ‘He wrote plays to delight his audiences and to change assumptions on how a man or woman should be.
    [Show full text]
  • Joan of Arc in History and in Shaw Department of Enclish
    Joan of Arc in history and in Shaw Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Covey, Jewyl Monica, 1925- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 30/09/2021 14:04:43 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/551296 JOAN OF ARC IN HISTORY AND IN SHAW by Jewyl Covey A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ENCLISH In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of . ^ MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1957 3 flu to -too S'? 3fi 5 od &Ovd n s i 1 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from ttiis thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quota­ tion from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in their judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar­ ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author.
    [Show full text]
  • Pygmalion Study Guide April 16
    STUDY GUIDE 2004 CONTAINS ONTARIO CURRICULUM SUPPORT MATERIAL PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw Education Partner PRESENTS Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw This study guide for Pygmalion contains background informa- tion for the play, suggested themes and topics for discussion, and curriculum-based lessons that are designed by educators and theatre professionals. TABLE OF CONTENTS The lessons and themes for discussion are organized in mod- ules that can be used independently or interdependently ac- cording to your class’s level and time availability. The Players ..............................................................................3 The general information is on white paper and the lessons are on green. Running Time .........................................................................3 The Author..............................................................................4 THIS GUIDE WAS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY DENIS The Characters ........................................................................5 JOHNSTON, DEBRA MCLAUCHLAN, AND JOHN SWEENEY. The Story .............................................................................6-7 ADDITIONAL MATERIALS WERE PROVIDED BY BARBARA WORTHY, JACKIE MAXWELL, AND SUE LEPAGE West End Gossip Sheet.........................................................8 Director’s Notes .....................................................................9 Classroom Application Before Attending the Play .............................................10-17 Pygmalion After Attending the Play................................................18-24
    [Show full text]
  • 2395-1885 ISSN -2395-1877 Research Paper Impact Factor
    IJMDRR Research Paper E- ISSN –2395-1885 Impact Factor - 2.262 Peer Reviewed Journal ISSN -2395-1877 THE UNCONVENTIONAL WOMEN IN THE PLAYS OF GEORGE BERNARD SHAW S.Jeyalakshmi Assistant Professor of English, PG Department of English (UA),Kongunadu Arts & Science College, Coimbatore . George Bernard Shaw was a committed socialist, a successful, controversial dramatist, an inspired theatre director of his own work and an influential commentator on contemporary music, drama and fine art. In all his endeavors he demonstrated an indefatigable zeal to reform existing social conditions, sterile theatrical conventions and outworn artistic orthodoxies. Shaw’s opinions on art and artists are scattered throughout his works, in his critical and journalistic writing, in letters and notebooks, as well as in his plays and the prefaces to them. He wrote essays of very high quality which are still read and praised. More than half a century after they were first printed. Shaw had moved to London because he felt that London was the literary centre of the English language. He occupied a central position from the opening of the modern period to his last play in 1950. Shaw dominates the theatre from 1890 right through to the Second World War. In play after play, in preface after preface, he has presented his analysis of the evils and errors of the time and has indicated his own solutions. He has constantly infused into his ideas. The stage-platform has given him the opportunity of shattering numerous false idols and also of awakening minds to thoughts beyond the superficial conventions. Feminist ideas spread among the educated female middle classes and the women's suffrage movements gained momentum of the Victorian Era.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Social Reformation in the Plays of George Barnard Shaw Dr
    Volume II, Issue IX, January 2015 - ISSN 2321-7065 Social Criticism: An Analysis of Social Reformation in The Plays of George Barnard Shaw Dr. Neena Sharma Assistant Professor Applied Science and Humanities Raj Kumar Institute of Technology Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh India Abstract Shaw’s fundamental aim in his plays is the bettering of the lot of humanity by subjecting accepted conventions and institutions to the cold, searching light of his penetrating intellect. All his plays are about some important aspect of contemporary social life or some important social evil or social institution which he considers an evil, and which is scrutinized with courage and determination. Shaw writes plays in order to propagate his view, in order to convert and convince, he uses all the tools of argument and weapons to assertion which can produce conviction. Shaw looked upon the drama merely as an instrument, he did not attempt to make the play self sufficing. He is not concerned with telling a story or the creation of character. His play is an account of many mental reactions to a given problem. This discussion is summed up in a lengthy Preface which he has attached to each play and which is necessary for the proper understanding of that play. This paper focuses on the aspect of social reformation in the plays George Bernand Shaw. KEYWORDS:Criticism, drama of ideas, propagate, philosophy, conflict of speech. http://www.ijellh.com 222 Volume II, Issue IX, January 2015 - ISSN 2321-7065 INTRODUCTION Shaw was a social activist in his day. He was a proud Socialist and a founding member of one of England's major Socialist groups, the Fabians, who are credited with helping to form the Labor Party, which is one of the UK's two major parties today.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparison of Nietzsche's and Shaw's 'Vision of a Better Mankind'
    Research on Humanities and Social Sciences www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper)2224-5766 ISSN (Online)2225-0484 (Online) Vol.6, No.7, 2016 Confluence of Minds: A Comparison of Nietzsche’s and Shaw’s ‘Vision of a Better Mankind’ GS. Aravind* Research Associate School of Social Science and Languages, VIT University, Vellore -632014, Tamil Nadu, India Dr Laxmi Dhar Dwivedi Associate Professor Department of English , School of Social Science and languages,VIT University,Vellore -632014, Tamil Nadu India Abstract Fredrick Nietzsche and George Bernard Shaw were not contemporaries. Though it is so, there are certain subtle connections between the philosophies put forward by them. Both of them were atheists and revolted against the moral conventions of their day. Their ideas were viewed as extreme in their times, as a result of which both the thinkers were deemed eccentric by the majority. In Nietzsche’s case, his slip into a state of lunacy during the final years would have further strengthened the public opinion about him.In this paper, I would attempt to make a brief comparison of the philosophies of these great writers. In order to streamline from the wide gamut of ideas they have in their credit , the concepts of ‘Ubermench’ (also called Overman) and ‘Will to Power’ put forward by Nietzsche will be compared with that of Shaw’s ideas of ‘Life Force’ and ‘Superman’. It is possible to make a connection between these two concepts and also their worldview in general so that one could find that Shaw’s ideas are an extension of Nietzsche’s but in a different way.
    [Show full text]