Overview

When offstage actions contradict a playwright’s onstage message, literary study gets messy. In his personal relationships, George Bernard Shaw was often ambivalent toward liberated women—surprisingly so, considering his reputation as one of the first champions of women’s rights. His private attitudes sit uncomfortably beside his public philosophies that were so foundational to first-wave feminism. Here, Shaw’s long-recognized influence on feminism is reexamined through the lens of twenty-first-century feminist thought as well as previously unpublished primary sources. New links appear between Shaw’s writings and his gendered notions of physicality, pain, performance, nationalism, authorship, and politics. The book’s archival material includes previously unpublished Shaw correspondence and excerpts from the works of his feminist playwright contemporaries. Shaw and Feminisms explores Shaw’s strong female characters, his real-life involvement with women, and his continuing impact on theater and politics today.

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9780813062389

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Reviews

Will spark lively debate regarding two aspects of Shaw s life and work which will always remain topical: the sterling complexity of his female characters and his struggle to be a feminist both on stage and off. <b><i>Irish University Review</i></b>

Will spark lively debate regarding two aspects of Shaw s life and work which will always remain topical: the sterling complexity of his female characters and his struggle to be a feminist both on stage and off. Irish University Review

A much-welcomed volume that considers the always-complex Shaw and his favorite topic, women--literal and fictional--from multiple perspectives. --SHAW Endeavours to negotiate the tension between current feminist perspectives and history. . . . Provides nuanced readings of dramatic, biographical, and historical topics to confirm that Shaw studies has yet to exhaust this rich area of research. --Modern Drama A timely and valuable book. --Upstage Focus[es] on the ways in which Shaw's dramaturgy, real-life involvement with female contemporaries, and enduring legacy for feminist studies anticipate, challenge, and revise our own vexed notions of gender, writing, and power. --Women's Studies The diverse, frequently strong perspectives on offer . . . will hopefully inspire further engagement with the Fabian feminist. --Theatre Journal Will spark lively debate regarding two aspects of Shaw's life and work which will always remain topical: the sterling complexity of his female characters and his struggle to be a feminist both on stage and off. --Irish University Review Will spark lively debate regarding two aspects of Shaw s life and work which will always remain topical: the sterling complexity of his female characters and his struggle to be a feminist both on stage and off. Irish University Review Endeavours to negotiate the tension between current feminist perspectives and history. . . . Provides nuanced readings of dramatic, biographical, and historical topics to confirm that Shaw studies has yet to exhaust this rich area of research. Modern Drama The diverse, frequently strong perspectives on offer . . . will hopefully inspire further engagement with the Fabian feminist. Theatre Journal A much-welcomed volume that considers the always-complex Shaw and his favorite topic, women literal and fictional from multiple perspectives. SHAW Focus[es] on the ways in which Shaw s dramaturgy, real-life involvement with female contemporaries, and enduring legacy for feminist studies anticipate, challenge, and revise our own vexed notions of gender, writing, and power. Women s Studies A timely and valuable book. Upstage A timely and valuable book. Upstage

Author Information

D. A. Hadfield is lecturer in English at the University of Waterloo, Canada. She is the author of Re: Producing Women's Dramatic History: The Politics of Playing in Toronto. Jean Reynolds is professor emerita of English at Polk State College, USA. She has written five books, including Pygmalion's Wordplay: The Postmodern Shaw.

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