|
|
|||
|
||||
OverviewThe three plays in this volume are some of George Bernard Shaw's most popular and frequently performed works. They demonstrate the development of Shavian comedy and contain early formulations of his idea of the Superman, an extraordinary individual who catalyzes the evolution of mankind. Arms and the Man (1894) was Shaw's first commercial success and the first public confirmation that he could make playwriting his profession. It is the first of what Shaw called his pleasant plays',comedies that critique idealism in general rather than specific social problems (as his earlier plays did). Specifically, Shaw undermines the romance of wartime courage, reckless heroism, and nationalist pride among British spectators while using the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1886 as an exotic veneer. Shaw wrote The Devil's Disciple (1897) for William Terriss, an actor known for his swashbuckling roles who had requested a play that would 'contain every surefire melodramatic situation' --mistaken identities, terrifying adventures and last-second escapes, and frequent emotional outpourings..Caesar and Cleopatra (1898) is Shaw's revision of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra as well as a fusion of the pragmatism and unconventionality of the heroes of Arms and the Man and The Devil's Disciple into a portrait of jocular, morally serious leadership. Full Product DetailsAuthor: George Bernard Shaw , Lawrence Switzky (Associate Professor of English, University of Toronto Mississauga)Publisher: Oxford University Press Imprint: Oxford University Press Dimensions: Width: 12.90cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 19.70cm Weight: 0.318kg ISBN: 9780198800712ISBN 10: 0198800711 Pages: 464 Publication Date: 16 September 2021 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of ContentsReviewsAuthor InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |