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G. B. Shaw (1856-1950) wrote «The Perfect Wagnerite» as a philosophical examination of Richard Wagner's epic four-opera cycle, «Der Ring des Nibelungen» («The Ring of the Nibelung»). A tremendously accomplished dramatist himself, Shaw seemed perfectly poised to turn his critical eye on Wagner's 19th century masterpiece. Wagner completed «The Ring» in 1853, after decades of effort. A work of such ambition takes much unpacking, and so Shaw offers us his critique. In his preface, Shaw writes, «All I pretend to do in this book is to impart the ideas which are most likely to be lacking in the conventional Englishman's equipment… I venture to add my commentary to what has already been written by musicians who are no revolutionists, and revolutionists who are no musicians». And economic revolution is precisely what G. B. Shaw sees in this opera. Wagner wrote «The Ring» as a young political radical, steeped in the anarchist ideology of his day. Shaw views the opera as a critique of capitalism and industrial revolution. His Marxist reading is not surprising—he was a leading Socialist figure of his time, helping to propel the fledgling Fabian Society into public awareness. Shaw does a great deal here to further the «cult of Wagner» that remains strong today. Entertaining as it is compelling, «The Perfect Wagnerite» stands as a principle commentary on one of opera's most daring compositions.

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One of George Bernard Shaw’s most performed and studied plays, “Arms and the Man” is a classic example of Shaw’s comedic wit. First produced in 1894, the play is set during the Serbo-Bulgarian war and tells the story of Raina Petkoff, a young Bulgarian woman, who is engaged to Sergius, a soldier away at war whom she idolizes. While both her father and fiancé are away fighting, Raina, at home with her mother, has a very innocent and romantic idea of war and soldiers. Her views are challenged when she helps Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary fighting for the Serbian army, to hide from the Russian and Bulgarian troops. After the war ends and both her father and fiancé return home, Raina comes to see that Sergius is not the hero that she had fantasized him to be and she loses some of her naivete. Captain Bluntschli returns to visit Raina, she and Sergius decide not to marry, and Raina and Bluntschli fall in love instead. While humorous and witty, “Arms and the Man” remains a timely and biting social commentary on the foolishness of romanticizing war as wonderful fun. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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One of George Bernard Shaw's best-known plays, Pygmalion was a rousing success on the London and New York stages, an entertaining motion picture and a great hit with its musical version, My Fair Lady. An updated and considerably revised version of the ancient Greek legend of Pygmalion and Galatea, the 20th-century story pokes fun at the antiquated British class system. In Shaw's clever adaptation, Professor Henry Higgins, a linguistic expert, takes on a bet that he can transform an awkward cockney flower seller into a refined young lady simply by polishing her manners and changing the way she speaks. In the process of convincing society that his creation is a mysterious royal figure, the Professor also falls in love with his elegant handiwork.The irresistible theme of the emerging butterfly, together with Shaw's brilliant dialogue and splendid skills as a playwright, have made Pygmalion one of the most popular comedies in the English language. A staple of college drama courses, it is still widely performed.

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Fabian socialist and ardent proselytizer, George Bernard Shaw viewed his role as a playwright as far more than that of an entertainer. His audiences heard fully articulated sermons on moral and economic issues, a potentially dry theatrical experience enlivened by Shaw's genius for creating vital characters and scintillating dialogue. Major Barbara offers a sparkling example of its author's unique gift for presenting social theories in an engaging format.The eponymous heroine, an officer in the Salvation Army, is the daughter of Andrew Undershaft, a wealthy armaments manufacturer. When the Army accepts donations from Undershaft and a whiskey distiller, whose money Barbara regards as tainted, she resigns in disgust, but eventually sees the truth of her father's reasoning that social iniquity derives from poverty; it is only through accumulating wealth and power that people can help each other.

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In the opening scene of Arms and the Man, which establishes the play's embattled Balkan setting, young Raina learns of her suitor's heroic exploits in combat. She rhapsodizes that it is «a glorious world for women who can see its glory and men who can act its romance!» Soon, however, such romantic falsifications of love and warfare are brilliantly and at times hilariously unmasked in a comedy that reveals George Bernard Shaw at his best as an acute social observer and witty provocateur. First produced on the London stage in 1894, Arms and the Man continues to be among the most performed of Shaw’s plays around the world. The play is reprinted in its entirety here from an authoritative British edition, and is complete with Shaw's stimulating preface to Volume II of Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant.

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George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is revered as one of the great British dramatists, credited not only with memorable works, but the revival of the then-suffering English theatre. Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, left mostly to his own devices after his mother ran off to London to pursue a musical career. He educated himself for the most part, and eventually worked for a real estate agent. This experience founded in him a concern for social injustices, seeing poverty and general unfairness afoot, and would go on to address this in many of his works. In 1876, Shaw joined his mother in London where he would finally attain literary success. He used the stage to deliver messages to his audiences in the hope of bettering society. Shaw's vision was not just to reconcile issues within his society, but to encourage mankind to strive for a sort of perfection close to divinity. In this edition we have three of Shaw's shorter plays. «How He Lied to Her Husband» is the story of Henry Apjohn how is having an affair with Aurora Bompas, the wife of Teddy. «The Fascinating Foundling» is the story of how a lawyer and his aide unwittingly help two very picky people, when it comes to dating, find each other. Also contained in this volume is «The Glimpse of Reality».

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George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is revered as one of the great British dramatists, credited not only with memorable works, but the revival of the then-suffering English theatre. Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, left mostly to his own devices after his mother ran off to London to pursue a musical career. He educated himself for the most part, and eventually worked for a real estate agent. This experience founded in him a concern for social injustices, seeing poverty and general unfairness afoot, and would go on to address this in many of his works. In 1876, Shaw joined his mother in London where he would finally attain literary success. «The Admirable Bashville» is a short play based on Shaw's fourth novel «Cashel Byron's Profession», which was written in 1882 and later serialized. Though the novel was generally overlooked in England, it became surprisingly successful in the United States some years later. The novel and the play tell the story of Cashel Byron, a world champion prizefighter and his attempts to woo wealthy aristocrat Lydia Carew while hiding his illegal profession from her.

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"Candida" is the story of its title character, a woman who is married to the Reverend Morell. Candida is a woman of many talents and her husband has his wife to thank for much of his success. When a young man by the name of Marchbanks professes his love for Candida, Morell must reexamine his relationship with his wife and ultimately discovers a side to her that he never knew existed. «Candida» is a play written during a time of great empowerment of women and Shaw brilliantly offers up Candida as an example of a strong and intelligent woman.

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First staged in 1906, «The Doctor's Dilemma» is a play that revolves around a community of doctors, most specializing, unbeknownst to them, in different types of expensive, fraudulent treatments. Dr. Ridgeon, who has actually discovered a vaccine for tuberculosis, is conflicted about administering his limited remedy, for the husband of a woman he is in love with can pay, but his kind yet poverty-stricken colleague Dr. Blenkinsop cannot. Shaw's drama highlights the medical predicament of his day, that of treating patients with unnecessary practices to earn a living. A well-written, verbose play characteristic of Shaw, «The Doctor's Dilemma» still resonates with today's audience because of its thoughtful commentary on the continuing problem of providing adequate healthcare to the poor.

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George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is revered as one of the great British dramatists, credited not only with memorable works, but the revival of the then-suffering English theatre. Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, left mostly to his own devices after his mother ran off to London to pursue a musical career. He educated himself for the most part, and eventually worked for a real estate agent. This experience founded in him a concern for social injustices, seeing poverty and general unfairness afoot, and would go on to address this in many of his works. In 1876, Shaw joined his mother in London where he would finally attain literary success. He used the stage to deliver messages to his audiences in the hope of bettering society. Shaw's vision was not just to reconcile issues within his society, but to encourage mankind to strive for a sort of perfection close to divinity. He did not ask questions about the present, but envisioned an alternate reality altogether. Contained in this volume are two of Shaw's lesser known works: «O'Flaherty V. C.» and «Overruled».

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