The Cambridge Companion to George Bernard Shaw

The Cambridge Companion to George Bernard Shaw is an indispensable guide to one of the most influential and important dramatists of the theatre.

Christopher Innes (Edited by)

9780521566339, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 September 1998

376 pages, 31 b/w illus. 3 music examples
22.7 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.6 kg

"...eminently suitable for all academic libraries--undergraduate, graduate, and research." Choice

The Cambridge Companion to George Bernard Shaw is an indispensable guide to one of the most influential and important dramatists of the theatre. The volume offers a broad-ranging study of Shaw with essays by a team of leading scholars. The Companion covers all aspects of Shaw's drama, focusing on both the political and theatrical context, while the extensive illustrations showcase productions from the Shaw Festival in Canada. In addition to situating Shaw's work in its own time, the Companion demonstrates its continuing relevance, and applies some of the newest critical approaches. Topics include Shaw and the publishing trade, Shaw and feminism, and Shaw and the Empire, as well as analyses of the early plays, discussion plays and history plays.

List of illustrations
Notes on contributors
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chronology
Part I. The Social and Cultural Context: 1. Shaw's life: a feminist in spite of himself Sally Peters
2. Imprinting the stage: Shaw and the publishing trade, 1893–1903 Katherine E. Kelly
3. New theatres for old Charles A. Berst
4. New women, new plays and Shaw in the 1890s Kerry Powell
Part II. Shaw the Dramatist: 5. Shaw's early plays Frederick J. Marker
6. Shavian comedy and the shadow of Wilde David J. Gordon
7. Paradox and parable: structure and philosophy in Man and Superman and Major Barbara Fredric Berg
8. 'Nothing but talk, talk, talk - Shaw talk': discussion plays and the making of modern drama Christopher Innes
9. The road to Heartbreak House Ronald Bryden
10. Reinventing the history play: Caesar and Cleopatra, Saint Joan, 'In Good King Charles's Golden Days' Matthew H. Wikander
11. Shaw's interstices of Empire: decolonizing at home and abroad Tracy C. Davis
12. The later Shaw T. F. Evans
Part III. Theatre Work and Influence: 13. Shaw and the court theatre Jan McDonald
14. Shaw's plays as music drama J. L. Wisenthal
15. Shaw and the popular context Robert G. Everding
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG]