Herbert George Wells

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 506.

George Bernard Shaw

· Active in London at the beginning of 20^th century

· Naturist dramas (poor housing conditions, prostitution, real social problems in natural landscape)

· His favourite strategy: ironic reversal (thing may look much different than they seem to) e.g. prostitute appears to be the most honest character in the novel

· “Pygmalion” – protagonist is a teacher of English

· “Man and Superman” – ironic illustration of ideas of Nietzsche

o Main protagonist – just an attractive man (Jack Tenet), he's brave energetic

o The rest is more & more unpleasant

o Twist: the real superman – the woman who seduces him

· His works were published and then staged

· Long speeches of the characters

· Didaskalia – offered in the text run for pages (thing you couldn't stage or you could stage them but some things wouldn't be obvious for the audience)

· Teacher of science, author of textbooks

· “scientific romances” – books set in the future, technology, vehicles, machines, romances as the stories of adventure, travel, interesting things happening

· He tried to smuggle some ideas

· He comes from poor family

· Sense of inferiority (poczucie niższości)

· He didn't take his books seriously, he was not proud of them

· 2^nd stage: social comedies (criticizing certain things)

o “The story of Mr. Polly” - Mr. Polly – small man trying to adjust to society, it's difficult if you are different

· Novels of ideas:

o “New Machiavelli” – about the idea of power)

o “Marriage – if it should exist, etc

· He got more & more serious, accomplished, however, his audience preferred scientific romances, they were more popular, those books really survived

WYKŁAD 15