Pygmalion

A lot of my reading at the moment seems to revolve around the relationship between art and artist, creator and creation.Reading other reviews on "Pygmalion", I realise how strange my approach to it was, and how disappointed I was at first because my expectations were not met. I chose it as part of a reading challenge I set myself a couple of years ago - to read all Nobel Laureates in literature. The title appealed to me, and I was thrilled to explore a modernist's take on the ancient myth of Pygmalion. Believe it or not, I had never realised that "My Fair Lady", which I love, is based on this play, and I waited for GREEK characters to show up, as I had been immersing myself in Enlightenment art concerned with the artistic questions raised in the Pygmalion story.Falconet's sculpture of the misogynistic sculptor falling in love with his own creation, kneeling in front of the carefully chiselled woman, praying to Aphrodite to make her come alive, - that was what I was waiting for!I kept wondering about the charming cockney and 19th century scientific approach to social class distinctions. I enjoyed the reading experience, but could not make sense of it at all. Don't judge a book by its title, I was inclined to say, until it dawned on me all of a sudden that:a) Shaw's "Pygmalion" was linked to the musical "My Fair Lady", andb) Higgins had more than a trace of Pygmalion, in fact was his modern alter ego.Just like the ancient artist, he did not quite expect the outcome of his experiment, and Eliza Doolittle, like so many other literary creatures, does a beautiful job of emancipating herself from her creator. Art is quite amazing that way: as soon as it enters the world, it has a life of its own, and the artist is forced to watch its development together with other spectators.I like that idea, as it symbolises the relationship between older and younger generations as well: we are nurtured and shaped by our parents' choices, but when we grow up, the freedom and responsibility is ours.In a way, Frankenstein and Moreau's monsters in The Island of Doctor Moreau demonstrate the same emancipation process, and I don't think it is a coincidence that artists and writers of the 19th century were obsessed with that theme, as the world went through major political, social, economic and scientific changes.Shaw showed wonderful creativity when transforming the ancient myth into modern life while keeping the essential questions alive. And his creation lives its own, independent life as well!Must-read for anyone interested in the eternal human questions, as well as 19th/20th century social history.Along with O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra", this is my favourite merging of myth and modern drama!

Simply a masterpiece! It strongly depicts how the deepest emotions affect human relations and how the most complex of connections arise among souls.

Good

Proper delivery.

This play is an outstanding account which puts light on the various facades of hypocrisies and problems in the Victorian England. Initially it appears to be an account voicing the importance of the science of pronunciation- phonetics; Shaw stretches the plot and makes it pass thorough a diverse spectrum of events which makes it stand out. For me the juncture of correlation lies in the speech and character of Alfred Doolittle, which develops and voices Shaw's idea of the Middle class morality. Besides that several other problematic issues - position of women, importance of language etc. have been masterfully manifested by Shaw. Overall, an amazing read.

I'm persuing English Hons and the book is in my course. I liked the book but it's incomplete. This particular book- “Pygmalion” by GB Shaw from Maple Classics is deficient. The acts are complete till the very end but few of the pages in every act are missing.Our whole class of 50 students have brought this book and there are 3 sections. It's like getting half a knowledge.The seller should write it with the book that it's deficient.

A professor is a master in accents: "The science of speech. That's my profession; also my hobby. Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby! You can spot an Irishman or a Yorkshireman by his brogue. I can place any man within six miles. I can place him within two miles in London. Sometimes within two streets."He takes up a challenge with his friend that he can turn an unrefined flower seller they come across into "a duchess".This is a play and is written as such. The idea of a suave gentleman taking a street girl/boy under their wing and giving them a taste of the high life isn't a new idea to us anymore, what with all the movies, most famously the 1990 romantic comedy "Pretty Woman". So it wasn't as interesting to me as it would have been if the concept was new to us. But this is a classic, and it's George Bernard Shaw, cannot give it less than 5 stars.It is a thin volume (82 pages). If you are a reader and need a classic for the weekend, pick it up.Oh the the print quality is fine by the way.

This is a gem of play. The play revolves around two main characters MR. HIGGINS AND MISS DOOLITLLE , and supported by the characters of colonel, Mrs pearce and Mrs. Higgins. The story is about the challenge that Mr.higgins takes on to teach phonetic to Miss Doolittle , but how the course ends and the expectations of both the main characters are different from each other. The play is a brilliant take on convoluted human emotions, the expectation, desire , marriage and human ego.