A biographically based study of George Bernard Shaw and his milieu, this book offers a non-laudatory reading of Shaw's economic practices and theories, augments feminist and postcolonial critiques that preoccupy the study of literary history in the 1990s, and provides a long overdue revisionist reading of Shaw for an undergraduate readership. It traces the theatrical and political influences on Shaw from his earliest days in London; tracks his interest in socialism as an activist and author of tracts, novels, and plays emphasizing certain polemical traits; and follows his career as a major literary figure into the mid-20th century. The overarching themes of theatre and politics are narrated in relation to attempts by Shaw and his contemporaries to identify an audience and aesthetic for socialist theatre. The bibliographic essay that concludes the book is particularly helpful for student readers, who can benefit from a manageably-sized orientation to the mountain of Shavian scholarship.

A biographically based study of George Bernard Shaw and his milieu, this book offers a non-laudatory reading of Shaw's economic practices and theories, augments feminist and postcolonial critiques that preoccupy the study of literary history in the 1990s, and provides a long overdue revisionist reading of Shaw for an undergraduate readership. It traces the theatrical and political influences on Shaw from his earliest days in London; tracks his interest in socialism as an activist and author of tracts, novels, and plays emphasizing certain polemical traits; and follows his career as a major literary figure into the mid-20th century. The overarching themes of theatre and politics are narrated in relation to attempts by Shaw and his contemporaries to identify an audience and aesthetic for socialist theatre. The bibliographic essay that concludes the book is particularly helpful for student readers, who can benefit from a manageably-sized orientation to the mountain of Shavian scholarship.

George Bernard Shaw demanded truth and despised convention. He punctured hollow pretensions and smug prudishness—coating his criticism with ingenious and irreverent wit. In Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Arms and the Man, Candida, and Man and Superman, the great playwright satirizes society, military heroism, marriage, and the pursuit of man by woman. From a social, literary, and theatrical standpoint, these four plays are among the foremost dramas of the age—as intellectually stimulating as they are thoroughly enjoyable. “My way of joking is to tell the truth: It is the funniest joke in the world.”—G. B. Shaw With an Introduction by Eric Bentley and an Afterword by Norman Lloyd

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.

"Common Sense About the War" is a collection of essays by George Bernard Shaw, the renowned Irish playwright, critic, and social reformer. Written during World War I, these essays offer Shaw's unique perspective on the conflict and its broader implications for society. In "Common Sense About the War," Shaw challenges prevailing attitudes towards war and nationalism, advocating for a more rational and humanitarian approach to international relations. He critiques the jingoism and propaganda that often accompany wartime rhetoric, urging readers to question the motives behind the conflict and to consider the human cost of war. Through his incisive analysis and biting wit, Shaw exposes the contradictions and hypocrisies of war propaganda, highlighting the role of vested interests and political manipulation in shaping public opinion. He calls for greater transparency and accountability in government decision-making, arguing that the true interests of the people are often sacrificed in the pursuit of power and profit.

George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26th, 1856 in Synge Street, Dublin. His career began modestly initially working for some years in an Estate office but a thirst for reading and knowledge moved his career to writing several novels, none of which were published for several years. He wrote as a critic for several years, mainly on the theatre where his campaigning helped moved Victorian theatre towards a more realistic form. Shaw also took up his fervent socialist views at this point, a cause he would be indelibly linked with throughout his long and productive life. An initial foray into writing a play in 1885 only came to fruition in 1892 and with it his path as one of the leading playwrights of the 20th century was set. Shaw was also a fervent Fabian and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Saint Joan in 1923 gained Shaw yet another international success. This led in 1925 to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his contributions to literature. The citation praised his work as ..". marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty." In 1938 he added an Academy Award for his work on Pygmalion. Shaw remains the only person ever to win a Nobel Prize and an Oscar. He refused all other awards, even a knighthood. George Bernard Shaw died on November 2nd, 1950 at the age of 94, of renal failure precipitated by injuries incurred by a fall whilst pruning a tree.

Mr. Whitefield has recently died, and his will indicates that his daughter Ann should be left in the care of two men, Roebuck Ramsden and Jack Tanner. Ramsden, a venerable old man, distrusts John Tanner, an eloquent youth with revolutionary ideas, saying "He is prodigiously fluent of speech, restless, excitable (mark the snorting nostril and the restless blue eye, just the thirty-secondth of an inch too wide open), possibly a little mad". In spite of what Ramsden says, Ann accepts Tanner as her guardian, though Tanner doesn't want the position at all. She also challenges Tanner's revolutionary beliefs with her own ideas. Despite Tanner's professed dedication to anarchy, he is unable to disarm Ann's charm, and she ultimately persuades him to marry her, choosing him over her more persistent suitor, a young man named Octavius Robinson.