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George Bernard Shaw

Pygmalion

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 in 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…
119 printed pages
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Impressions

  • missninashared an impression4 years ago

    Satires and I do not generally get on well. I do not believe that it is because I have a hard time making fun of the follies of humans, I am capable enough of doing so in other works (like in Austen's novels, for example). However, I am perhaps too hopeful. I hope and trust that in the end, the main characters, at the very least, experience some amount of growth. Perhaps that is not what happens in real life, and yet I cannot make myself truly believe so. The ending felt, to me, too much of a joke. There were conversations close to the end that made me expect a much more satisfactory one. One in which, Professor Higgins becomes more mature and like a gentleman, and Eliza realizes her own strength and capabilities grows beyond her station and becomes a dignified lady, perhaps fulfilling her initial wishes to become more independent and do better for herself. But perhaps stubborn men are too pigheaded to change, and perhaps I expected too much of an uneducated flowergirl, and too much of human nature, in general. Of whether the characters truly were faithful and consistent throughout the play, perhaps I am not a reliable judge.

  • sgarmshared an impression9 years ago

    Интересно, но не актуально.
    Читается не легко

  • Bardolatorshared an impression2 years ago
    👍Worth reading

Quotes

  • Bardolatorhas quoted2 years ago
    If you can't appreciate what you've got, you'd better get what you can appreciate
  • Random Opinionhas quoted3 years ago
    When you go to women," says Nietzsche, "take your whip with you."

    WTH!!

  • b6221027333has quoted15 hours ago
    If you can't appreciate what you've got, you'd better get what you can appreciate.
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