Man and Superman and Three Other Plays (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

by George Bernard Shaw

Book Overview

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RMan and Superman and Three Other Plays&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RGeorge Bernard Shaw&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&RNew introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RAcclaimed as a "second Shakespeare," Irish-born &&LB&&RGeorge Bernard Shaw&&L/B&&R revolutionized the British theater. Although his plays focus on ideas and issues, they are enlivened by fascinating characters, a brilliant command of language, and dazzling wit. &&L/P&&R&&LP&&ROne of Shaw's finest and most devilish comedies, &&LI&&RMan and Superman &&L/I&&Rportrays Don Juan as the quarry instead of the huntsman. John Tanner, upon discovering that his beautiful ward plans to marry him, flees to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where he is captured by a group of rebels. Tanner falls asleep, and dreams the famous "Don Juan in Hell" sequence, which features a sparkling Shavian debate among Don Juan, the Devil, and a talkative statue. With its fairy-tale ending and a cast literally from hell, &&LI&&RMan and Superman&&L/I&&R is a hilarious cocktail of farce, Nietzschean philosophy, and Mozart's &&LI&&RDon Giovanni&&L/I&&R. &&LP&&RAlso included in this volume are &&LI&&RCandida&&L/I&&R, Shaw's first real success on the stage, &&LI&&RMrs. Warren's Profession&&L/I&&R, which poked fun at the Victorian attitude toward prostitution, and &&LI&&RThe Devil's Disciple&&L/I&&R, a play set during the American Revolution.&&L/P&&R&&LP&&R&&LB&&RJohn A. Bertolini&&L/B&&R is Ellis Professor of the Liberal Arts at Middlebury College, where he teaches dramatic literature, Shakespeare, and film. He has written &&LI&&RThe Playwrighting Self of Bernard Shaw&&L/I&&R and articles on Hitchcock and on British and American dramatists. Bertolini also wrote the introduction and notes to the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of Shaw's &&LI&&RPygmalion and Three Other Plays&&L/I&&R.&&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593080670
• ISBN13: 9781593080679
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Shaw Drama

GB Shaw is a world class Irish dramatist. If you have not read these plays, add them to your life experience. Each provides reward in immeasurable ways.

That Fabian Socialist Gentleman

Shaw is the Irish playwright who wrote for the British stage. It was a challenge to get used to his ornate style of prose and his large vocabulary. Shaw seems to be rather impressed with his cleverness, which I suppose is forgivable. There are some essays in the book about the plays and the difficult life of being a playwright and critic. Shaw states that it's hard to write something that will sell tickets and yet have a serious message too. He always wanted to get a point across in his plays. One of his quibbles with Shakesphere is that his plays did not have a serious profound message about life or the world, although he praises his language mastery and characterization. Shaw believed in "awful" things as a Fabian Socialist. He thought that people should be paid a decent living wage for their labor. Expect to read about greedy, miserly, uncompassionate businessmen in his plays. He also liked to target hypocrisy in people, like most playwrights. Most of his characters are prim and proper in action and speech, even when advocating free love and anarchy. Shaw also liked to make fun of his own left wing political compatriots. Shaw seems to have a lighthearted personality intermixed with seriousness. He could also be elitist at times. My favorite epigram of his was: "The conversion of a savage to Christianity is the conversion of Christianity to savagery." My favorite play in the book was Mrs. Warren's Profession which deals with a woman who decides to become a high class prostitute and procuress because it beats working in a factory or restaurant for long hours and low wages. Although she pays for her daughter's college education, her daughter coldly rejects her after finding out about her profession. Shaw has a lot of other standard types of characters you encounter in literature and theatre such as the poetic, effeminate young man who falls for the older married woman. Shaw also creates a rebel who is actually shown in a better light than a pastor. His women characters can be either strong or silly. In Man and Superman, he seems to suggest that the man who is romantic and worships women never marries, but the man who is cynical about them ends up getting the girl. Is he right? I didn't really think so. I thought women liked men who worshipped them. Two parting questions come to mind regarding Shaw. What would Shaw think of the anarchists and socialists of today? What would he think about Man and Superman inpiring the diehard racist and anti-Semite William Pierce?