Pygmalion (Penguin Classics) - Softcover
Synopsis
Exclusive to Penguin Classics: the definitive text of Shaw’s brilliantly witty exposure of the British class system—part of the official Bernard Shaw Library
A Penguin Classic
Shaw wrote the part of Eliza Doolittle—“an east-end dona with an apron and three orange and red ostrich feathers”—for Mrs. Patrick Campbell, with whom he had a passionate but unconsummated affair. From the outset the play was a sensational success, although Shaw, irritated by its popularity at the expense of his artistic intentions, dismissed it as a potboiler. The Pygmalion of legend falls in love with his perfect female statue and persuades Venus to bring her to life so that he can marry her. But Shaw radically reworks Ovid’s tale to give it a feminist slant: while Higgins teaches Eliza to speak and act like a duchess, she also asserts her independence, adamantly refusing to be his creation.
This Penguin Classics edition is the definitive text produced under the editorial supervision of Dan H. Laurence, with an illuminating introduction by Nicholas Grene, discussing the language and politics of the play. Included in this volume is Shaw’s preface, as well as his “sequel” written for the first publication in 1916, to rebut public demand for a more conventionally romantic ending.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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From the Back Cover
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 with 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.
From the Inside Flap
One of Shaw's most enduring works, Pygmalion is an insightful comedy of class relations and perceptions, as played out between a Cockney flower girl and the irascible speech professor who has taken her on as a pet project. Described by critics as "a play of great vitality and charm," Pygmalion inspired the award-winning stage and film productions of Lerner and Loewe's musical, My Fair Lady.
An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Roslyn Alexander, Shannon Cochran, Denise du Maurier, Rebecca MacLean, David New, Kenneth J. Northcott, Nicholas Pennell, Nicholas Rudall, Ben Whitehouse and Laura Whyte.
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- PublisherPenguin Classics
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0141439505
- ISBN 13 9780141439501
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages176
- EditorLaurence Dan H.
- Rating
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Pygmalion (Penguin Classics)
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Penguin Classics 30/01/2003, 2003
ISBN 10: 0141439505
ISBN 13: 9780141439501
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Pygmalion (Penguin Classics)
Published by
Penguin Classics 30/01/2003, 2003
ISBN 10: 0141439505
ISBN 13: 9780141439501
Used
Softcover
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Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780141439501
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Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts (Penguin Classics)
Published by
Penguin Books Ltd, United Kingdom, London, 2003
ISBN 10: 0141439505
ISBN 13: 9780141439501
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Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 'Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf . . . you incarnate insult to the English language: I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba' Pygmalion both delighted and scandalized its first audiences in 1914. A brilliantly witty reworking of the classical tale of the sculptor who falls in love with his perfect female statue, it is also a barbed attack on the British class system and a statement of Shaw's feminist views. In Shaw's hands, the phoneticist Henry Higgins is the Pygmalion figure who believes he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, into a duchess at ease in polite society. The one thing he overlooks is that his 'creation' has a mind of her own. With an Introduction by NICHOLAS GRENE. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001159498
Quantity: 15 available
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Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts (Penguin Classics)
Published by
Penguin Books Ltd, United Kingdom, London, 2003
ISBN 10: 0141439505
ISBN 13: 9780141439501
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. 'Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf . . . you incarnate insult to the English language: I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba' Pygmalion both delighted and scandalized its first audiences in 1914. A brilliantly witty reworking of the classical tale of the sculptor who falls in love with his perfect female statue, it is also a barbed attack on the British class system and a statement of Shaw's feminist views. In Shaw's hands, the phoneticist Henry Higgins is the Pygmalion figure who believes he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, into a duchess at ease in polite society. The one thing he overlooks is that his 'creation' has a mind of her own. With an Introduction by NICHOLAS GRENE. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001232853
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Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts
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ISBN 10: 0141439505
ISBN 13: 9780141439501
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Pictorial Wraps. Condition: Fine. Reprint. A Romance in Five Acts. Definitive text under the editorial supervision of Dan H. Laurence. Introduction by Nicholas Grene. Reissued with a new chronology. Penguin Classics. A LIKE NEW very nice clean tight solid softcover copy. 122pp. SB-27. Seller Inventory # 008820
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Pygmalion: A Romance in five Acts (Penguin Classics)
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Pygmalion - George Bernard Shaw
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Pygmalion: A Romance in five Acts (Penguin Classics)
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Pygmalion: A Romance in five Acts (Penguin Classics)
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