The purpose of this book is to examine the many heterosexual configurations in the plays and to demonstrate by the accumulation of evidence that the actions of Shaw's chief characters are typically the result of their sexual concerns, often coupled with issues of principle. This book is a must for all Shaw specialists and will be of great interest to teachers and students of English and Continental drama and literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The book presents a detailed study as well as a critical analysis of George Bernard Shaw and the women characters in his plays. These female characters are from Man and Superman, Major Barbara, Candida, Arms and the Man, Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren s Profession, Saint Joan, Misalliance, The Philanderer. The Study of Shavian Plays forms an integral part of the curriculum of various universities. Hence an attempt has been made to familiarize scholars and researchers of Shaw with some rare and valuable critical material.

SHAW 25 offers eighteen articles, thirteen initially presented at the International Shaw Society conference, 17-21 March 2004, Sarasota, Florida. Additional conference and Shaw Festival Symposia information is provided in the Introduction. Stanley Weintraub's conference keynote, "Shaw for the Here and Now," considers modernizing Shaw's plays, validating Shaw's creative force for today and into the future. Dan H. Laurence's delightful "Shaw's Children" shows a warm, caring, playful Shaw--a giver of self. Howard Ira Einsohn's article on gifting brings together Shaw, Ricoeur, and Derrida to explore the ethics of giving "superabundantly" but not foolishly. Jay Tunney reflects on the ways in which his father, boxer Gene Tunney, fits the personal and professional shoes of Shaw's Cashel Byron, with life imitating art. In "Machiavelli, the Shark, and the Tinpot Tragedienne," Bernard F. Dukore delivers a rereading of Major Barbara that highlights characters and traits, revealing an ensnarling web of beliefs, values, actions, and consequences. Sidney P. Albert's essay explores connections between Major Barbara and Plato's Republic. Using a current theoretical lens, Vicki R. Kennell sees Pygmalion as a narrative literary bridge that predicates postmodern critiques. L.W. Conolly's research on Phillipa Summers reveals a model for Vivie Warren and provides insights into women's lives and education at the turn of the century. In "Who's Modern Now? Shaw, Joyce, and Ibsen's When We Dead Awaken," Kathleen Ochshorn looks at the interrelationships of the three dramatists. Miriam Chirico rewrites critical opinion of You Never Can Tell, arguing that the play is a serious social critique, particularly of marriage. Citing two well-documented instances of Shaw-bashing, John A. Bertolini explores Shaw's responses and reveals Shaw's fair-mindedness. Hannes Schweiger's detailed research substantiates Shaw's influential connection to Viennese culture and politics. Valerie Barnes Lipscomb analyzes Shaw's use of age differences to subvert romantic expectations, thereby drawing greater attention to serious sociocultural issues. Part II continues the legacy of Shaw scholarship with Charles A. Carpenter's must-read bibliographic piece, which reads like a mystery and gives a wealth of research information on Shaw. Focusing on the importance and difficulties of cycle plays, Julie Sparks looks at Man and Superman, Heartbreak House, Back to Methuselah, and current offerings such as Kushner's Angels in America. Kay Li, tracing the influence of Shaw on Chinese drama, argues that modern Chinese drama emerged from the failure of Mrs. Warren's Profession. Frank Duba's article analyzes the evolving role of the Preface in Shaw's works, focusing especially on Man and Superman. Coming full circle, the volume returns to Stanley Weintraub's presentation of Shaw and the fascinating story of Lady Colin Campbell--a story that asks us to consider what it means to be endowed with beauty, fame, and ambition, and what it means to finally lose them. Finally, Michael W. Pharand's addendum to SHAW 24 gives supplementary bibliography on Shavian matters related to love, sex, marriage, and women. SHAW 25 also includes reviews as well as John R. Pfieffer's "Continuing Checklist of Shaviana."

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950) was an Irish playwright, essayist, novelist and short story writer and wrote more than 60 plays. He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize in Literature (1925) and an Academy Award (1938). Table of Contents George Bernard Shaw by G. K. Chesterton Plays: Widowers' Houses (1892) The Philanderer (1898) Mrs. Warren's Profession (1898) The Man Of Destiny (1897) Arms And The Man: An Anti-Romantic Comedy in Three Acts (1894) Candida (1898) You Never Can Tell (1897) Three Plays for Puritans: The Devil's Disciple (1897) Captain Brassbound's Conversion (1900) Caesar and Cleopatra: A History (1901) The Gadfly Or The Son of the Cardinal (1898) The Admirable Bashville Or Constancy Unrewarded (1901) Man And Superman: A Comedy and A Philosophy (1903) John Bull's Other Island (1904) How He Lied To Her Husband (1904) Major Barbara (1905) Passion, Poison, And Petrifaction (1905) The Doctor's Dilemma: A Tragedy (1906) The Interlude At The Playhouse (1907) Getting Married (1908) The Shewing-Up Of Blanco Posnet (1909) Press Cuttings (1909) Misalliance (1910) The Dark Lady Of The Sonnets (1910) Fanny's First Play (1911) Androcles And The Lion (1912) Overruled: A Demonstration (1912) Pygmalion (1913) Great Catherine (Whom Glory Still Adores) (1913) The Music Cure (1913) Beauty's Duty (Unfinished) (1913) O'Flaherty, V. C. (1915) Macbeth Skit (unfinished) (1916) Glastonbury Skit (unfinished) (1916) The Inca Of Perusalem: An Almost Historical Comedietta (1916) Augustus Does His Bit (1916) Skit For The Tiptaft Revue (1917) Annajanska, The Bolshevik Empress (1917) Heartbreak House (1919) Back To Methuselah: A Metabiological Pentateuch (1921) In the Beginning The Gospel of the Brothers Barnabas The Thing Happens Tragedy of an Elderly Gentleman...

The second of Shaw’s “unpleasant” plays, written in 1893, published in 1898, but not performed until 1905, The Philanderer is subtitled “A Topical Comedy.” The eclectic range of topical subjects addressed in the play includes the influence of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen on British middle-class social mores (the second act of The Philanderer is set in the fictional Ibsen Club), medical follies, the rise of the “New Woman,” and, in particular, the destructive impact of Victorian marriage and divorce laws. Just as Shaw’s other “unpleasant” plays, Widowers’ Houses and Mrs Warren’s Profession, call, respectively, for reform of laws that allow corrupt property owners to exploit the poor and for radical change to economic structures that drive women into prostitution, so The Philanderer makes the case for more liberal legislation to allow easier divorce—particularly for women—when marriages become irretrievably broken. Shaw’s attack on divorce laws becomes even clearer and stronger in the final act that he wrote for the play but discarded in favour of the version he published. The discarded version is published for the first time in this Broadview edition of the play.