Pygmalion » (ANN)

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was one of the most prolific writers of the modern theater. He won the 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Dan H. Laurence edited many of Shaw's works and is the series editor for the works of Shaw in Penguin Classics.

Nicholas Grene is professor of English literature at Trinity College in Dublin.

A success on the stage, a popular film and a musical hit (My Fair Lady), this brilliantly written play, with its irresistible theme of the emerging butterfly, is one of the most acclaimed comedies in the English language.

Bernard Shaw: A Chronology

Introduction

The Author

The Genesis and Composition of Pygmalion

Opening Night, 11 April 1914

The Ending(s) of Pygmalion

Which Pygmalion?

Sources and Influences

An 'Intensely and Deliberately Didactic' Play

Shaw's Nora

Pygmalion-Higgins

The 'Undeserving Poor' - and Rich

The Stage History of Pygmalion

Note on the Text

A Note on Places and Money in Pygmalion

Further Reading

Pygmalion 1

Preface 2

The Persons of the Play 7

The Scenes of the Play 7

Note for Technicians 8

The Text 9

Sequel 129

Appendix I Discarded Scenes 141

Appendix II The Censor's Report on Pygmalion 144

Appendix III The Endings of Pygmalion 146