Week 15 George_Bernard_ShawWord

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　George Bernard Shaw

　　(1856 ~ 1950)

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Benard Shaw in China

　　1933年2月17日，萧伯纳(左二)与宋庆龄(左三)、鲁迅(右一)

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　The author The greatest critical realistic playwright since William Shakespeare. Born in Dublin, Ireland, In 1876, Shaw went to London, became interested in socialism, joined the Fabian Society in 1884. In 1892, started career as a dramatist. In the 30s,visited Soviet Union and China In 1925, accepted the Nobel Prize. Wrote 51 plays all his life.2016/3/30 3

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　In 1893 Engels wrote about the Fabians: “The Fabians

　　are an ambitious group here in London who have understanding enough to realize the inevitability of social revolution, but who could not possibly entrust this gigantic task to the rough proletariat [ pr l te ri t]无产 阶级alone and are therefore kind enough to set themselves at the head. Fear of the revolution is their fundamental principle. ”

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　One day ,Shaw took part in a grand party, in which he met the then Prime Minister Churchill. Churchill was very fat at that time whereas Shaw was very thin. Churchill said to Shaw very sharply,” When people see you ,they will know how poor the country is”. And then Shaw answered very quickly, “ When people see you, they will know the reason why our country is so poor.”

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Major worksWidowers' Houses (1892)Major Barbara (1905)

　　《鳏夫的房产》

　　《巴巴拉少校》Pygmalion (1912)

　　Mrs. Warren‘s Profession

　　《华伦夫人的职业》

　　《卖花女》《伤心之家》 Saint Joan (1923)

　　Caesar and Cleopatra (1898) Heartbreak House (1917)

　　《凯撒与克丽奥佩拉 》Man and Superman (1903)

　　《人与超人》2016/3/30

　　《圣女贞德》The Apple Cart (1929) 《苹果车》6

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　1892—1893,his first cycle of plays: “Plays Unpleasant”

　　At the beginning of Shaw s dramatic career, he learned much from the plays on social problems by Ibsen易卜生, the great Norwegian playwright. (containing three plays): Widowers’ Houses, The Philanderer and Mrs. Warren’s Profession

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　1894—1897, the second cycle, called “Plays Pleasant”: Candida– satirizes the liberal talkers and preachers of “Christian socialism.” Arms and Man, condemns militarism and wars. The Men of Destiny, set in Italy during the early career of Napoleon. You Never Can Tell (1897), a farcical look at modern ideas of love.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　1897—1899. The third cycle, “Three Plays for Puritans”:

　　Caesar and Cleopatra, formally based on historical facts, assails bourgeois morality. The Devil’s Disciple, derides 嘲弄the much lauded 赞美的Puritan piety. Captain Brassbound’s Conversion, explores the relationship between the law, justice, revenge and forgiveness.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Later Works Major Barbara (1905) , a play exposing British imperialism. Pygmalion (1912), a poignant satire on high life. Here refined bourgeois aristocrats are mocked while a simple flower-girl is

　　lovingly portrayed by the author. Heartbreak House (1917), reveal bourgeois reality and its destines . House embodies bourgeois England. The author shows that bourgeois civilization is fast approaching its end.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Saint Joan (1924), a historical play devoted to the great daughter of the French people, Joan of Arc, and her struggle for the liberty of her country. The Apple Cart (1930), deals with the theme of rivalry between the U.S.A. and England in the political arena and criticizes bourgeois parliamentarism. Too True to Be Good (1932), dwells on the decay of the bourgeois system. In the same play he depicts the birth and growth of new progressive forces in the world.

　　Widowers’ Houses While traveling in Germany, Harry Trench, a young English doctor, makes the acquaintance of an English businessman Mr. Sartorius and his daughter Blanche. Trench and Blanche fall in love, and are engaged to each other on returning to England. But from Sartorius s clerk Lickcheese, Trench learns that Sartorius is the owner of squalid 肮脏的tenement-houses廉 价公寓 in the poorest quarter of London. His fortune has been ground out of the tears of starving tenants and their children. Disgusted with this, Trench wants to break his engagement to Blanche. But Sartorius reveals to Trench the source of his own income. It turns out that Sartorius s houses are built on land belonging to Trench s aunt and that the young man lives on the interest of the mortgage. Thus Trench proves to be no better than Sartorius and Lickcheese. This puts an end to Trench s revolt and he marries Blanche.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Major Barbara

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Plot This story evolves chiefly round Barbara, a “major” in the Salvation Army (a reformist Christian organization), her father Andrew Undershaft, a “cannon king ”, and her fiance Cusins, a professor. Barbara wishes to save the souls as well as the bodies of the poor people, and Cusins her fiance shares her wish to improve the conditions of the workers. So there arises the conflict between Undershaft the death-monger and his daughter plus her fiance.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　But Undershaft wins the battle by buying over the organization of the Salvation Army with his money. Finally, Cusins, as Barbara s fiance, inherits Undershaft s property, and Barbara goes to work in her father s ammunition factory, believing that in order to fight successfully against capitalism one must have “power” and they may get the needed “power” by securing inheritance to Undershaft s huge property.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Comment It touches upon the fundamental issues of capitalism. This is, of course , sheer Fabianism. But, the chief merit of the play lies in the fact that what Undershaft does and says reveals the true face of monopoly capitalism. In the character of Undershaft are exposed the essential characteristics of monopoly capitalists with bitter satire. This is Shaw s chief contribution in this play.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　But beyond this satire there is nothing. In

　　spite of the satire on capitalism, Shaw suggests no way out and seems to get confused about what to do next. As a conclusion, he suggests a certain kind of compromise.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　In these works Shaw laid bare the gross injustice and utter inhumanity of the bourgeois society. His exposure of the capitalist society is very significant and it places Shaw among the most important representatives of critical realism in modern English literature. He opposes to Oscar Wilde s “Art for art’s sake”, advocating literary works should reflect the social reality.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Pygmalion (1913) Henry Higgins, a language professor who makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can successfully pass off a flower girl as a refined society lady by teaching her how to speak with an upper class accent and training her in etiquette. In the process, Higgins and Eliza grow close. The successful musical My Fair Lady was based on this Bernard Shaw classic.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　The play by Shaw has the same theme as the Greek story.

　　the myth

　　the play

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　PlotTwo old gentlemen meet in the rain one night at Covent Garden. Professor Higgins is a scientist of phonetics, and Colonel Pickering is a linguist of Indian dialects. The first bets the other that he can, with his knowledge of phonetics, convince high London society that, in a matter of months, he will be able to transform the cockney伦敦 东区佬 speaking Covent Garden flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a woman as poised and well-spoken as duchess.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　The next morning, the girl appears at his laboratory on Wimpole Street to ask for speech lessons, offering to pay a shilling, so that she may speak properly enough to work in a flower shop. Higgins makes merciless fun of her, but is seduced by the idea of working his magic on her. Pickering goads激励 him on by agreeing to cover the costs of the experiment if Higgins can pass Eliza off as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Changing Eliza

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Things that need to changed

　　How to make the changes

　　1. Buy new ones 1. Eliza’s clothes 2. Eliza’s hygiene 2. Give her baths 3. Learn how to walk 3. Eliza’s behaviour and behave in upper class social activities

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Things that need to changed

　　How to make the changes

　　4. Her language:★ grammar ★ pronunciation ★ use of appropriatelanguage

　　4. Have lessons to help her with all three problems: ★ learn the rules ★ practise repeating words till correct ★ learn socially safe topics to discuss

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　The challenge is taken, and Higgins starts by having his housekeeper bathe Eliza and give her new clothes. Then Eliza s father Alfred Doolittle comes to demand the return of his daughter, though his real intention is to hit Higgins up for some money. The professor, amused by Doolittle s unusual rhetoric, gives him five pounds. On his way out, the dustman fails to recognize the now clean, pretty flower girl as his daughter.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　For a number of months, Higgins trains Eliza to speak properly. Two trials for Eliza f

　　ollow. The first occurs at Higgins' mother's home, where Eliza is introduced to the Eynsford Hills, a trio of mother, daughter, and son. The son Freddy is very attracted to her, and further taken with what he thinks is her affected small talk when she slips into cockney. Mrs. Higgins worries that the experiment will lead to problems once it is ended, but Higgins and Pickering are too absorbed in their game to take heed(pay attention).

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　A second trial, which takes place some months later at an ambassador s party, is a resounding success. The wager 打赌 is definitely won, but Higgins and Pickering are now bored with the project, which causes Eliza to be hurt…

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　impatient, rude, confident, superior, self-importantkind, polite, generous, enthusiastic, eager, confident

　　anxious, eager, emotional, ambitious, unsure

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Comment Of all of Shaw's plays, Pygmalion is without the doubt the most beloved and popularly received, if not the most significant in literary terms. Several film versions have been made of the play, and it has even been adapted into a musical. In fact, writing the screenplay for the film version of 1938 helped Shaw to become the first and only man ever to win the much coveted Double: the Nobel Prize for literature and an Academy Award.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Pygmalion Effect The Pygmalion [piɡ meilj n] Effect is that people tend to behave as you expect they will. If you expect a person to take responsibility, they probably will. If you expect them not to even try, they probably won’t.

　　英语专业英国文学导论

　　Some famous quotations

　　I was born intelligent - education ruined me. Practice makes perfect..... But nobody’s perfect...... so why practice? Every man should marry. After all, happiness is not the only thing in life. Your future depends on your dreams. So go to sleep. ----------Bernard Shaw