Pygmalion By George Bernard Shaw (PowerPoint by Julia Powell)

Edwardian/ Georgian Period 1901-1936 Named as such due to the rule of King Edward VII (1901-1910) and King George V (1910-1936). King Edward VII was titled Edward the Peacemaker due to his short, yet positive and peaceful reign as King. During King George V’s rule, he declared war against Germany. (WWI) The Treaty of Versailles ended the war in 1919.

In 1936, George VI is crowned King. In 1939, Great Britain once again declares war on Germany due to Hitler’s invasion of Poland. (WWII) In 1941, many parts of London were destroyed by air raids, killing over 60,000 people. England’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, worked with Roosevelt to end the war.

Life of the Time Women’s Rights: the right to vote in 1928, Equal Pay Act of 1970, and Margaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister. Technology: radio, television, automobile, airplane, bread slicer, and Kool-aid.

Literature of the Time… War poems Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and Major Barbara William b. Yeats’ The Winding Stair

George Bernard Shaw “I must warn my readers that my attacks are directed against themselves, not against my stage figures.” -Shaw

George Bernard Shaw Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1856. He grew up poor and lacked any professional training due to his dislike of it. In his 20’s he moved to London and became a music and theater critic and a member of the Fabian Society (a group dedicated to the advancement of Socialism.) As a theater critic, he argued that a theater of ideas should replace the sentimental theater of the time. Shaw used his plays to expose the hypocrisy and complacency of British society.

George Bernard Shaw Shaw wanted to force his viewers to face the reality of unpleasant events. He promoted the “unpleasant” plays by publishing a long preface in which he could argue his views. Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1925. He continued to write until he was 94.

Role Conflicts Significance Main Characters of Pygmailion Relationships Conflicts Significance Eliza Doolittle Protagonist, poor flower girl who wishes to be rich and happy Daughter of Alfred, experiment subject to Higgins and Pickering, possibly means more to Higgins Cannot change her inner characteristics to suit the newly changed outer appearance. Argues with Higgins on this subject Is able to stay true to herself and to not conform to please society. Mr. Higgins Antagonist, Professor of phonetics and tries to teach Eliza the proper ways of society. Friend to Higgins, wishes to be friends with Eliza He tries to change Eliza's personality but she wont let him. He also has a hard time understanding women. His actions show that no one can change another's character Col. Pickering Another researcher of phonetics Friend to Higgins, and a friend to Eliza Trying to get Eliza and Higgins to understand each other He did not change his morals to suit Higgins' needs Mrs. Pearce Motherly figure, and Housekeeper Protector of Eliza, and keeps Higgins in line Has trouble in trying to reason with Higgins Is a role model to Eliza Freddy Hill Ideal image of a man at the time (to Eliza) has feelings for Eliza over time, they marry Argues with the people of his society on his choice of Eliza. Gives hope to Eliza

Words to know Phonetics Dialect Cockney Dramatist Fin de siecle Social satire Aestheticism Fabian society Shavian Naturalism Fabian Society

Possible open ended questions The last times that Pygmalion was used as an option for the free response question was in 2003, 2005, and 2008. 2003: Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures. Such collisions can call a character’s sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character’s response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole. -Liza would be the perfect choice. She is brought into a completely foreign environment and persuaded to change her personal characteristics.

2005: In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary. - Liza changes her outward appearance and countenance but on the inside her feelings are hers to keep; this enforces the theme of how one’s feelings cannot be changed by outward façade. 2008: In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

For further study… http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/mis1.html http://www.lonestar.edu/library/kin_Pygmalion.htm http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/shaw /Pygmalion.html http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53904 8/George-Bernard-Shaw http://www.scribd.com/doc/24327949/20th- Century-British-Literature