• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Pygmalion

savvyambrose

New Member
I had to read this play as part of my orientation for college - before discussing it with my peers, I thought I'd discuss it with B and R members! What did you think of it?

I thought it was interesting, especially in light of all the modern uses of its story. However, I found it a little...lacking in depth. Unless, of course, I'm missing something.

Although I did find Mr. Higgins relationship with his mother rather intriguing...
 
I recently read Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and I just loved it. I found the play to be quite ahead of its time. Set in Old London, where male chivalry was the norm of society, Shaw did make a bold attempt to portray Eliza Doolittle as a strong woman, who is ready to live an independent life , instead of just clinging onto an insensitive, cold man-Higgins. However, at the climax, Higgins does redeem himself by remarking that he was neglecting Eliza, as she always acted as a doormat, whereas he would like her to be a little stronger and independent.

Though, I did feel that Shaw should have written a little more about the teaching session of Eliza, making the play a little more comical.
 
This book is in our school curriculum and it's a very challenging yet rewarding book to teach. Despite being an "old" book, it provides a great lesson in slang and how that changes over time. You definitely have to pre-teach some of the terms used and my students enjoy doing that, as well as putting down what contemporary slang words mean. It is a true classic in that not only is it well written and provides vivid characters, it also provides a good prompt into discussions about class. I loved the maid and her petulant nature, especially when she calls Higgins out on his coarse manners. This is a silent but powerful part of the book. The genteel Higgins being no better in manners than his student and those of her ilk.
 
Back
Top