Plays Pleasant
Plays Pleasant by George Bernard Shaw, published by Penguin on August 26, 2003, is a reprinted edition featuring a chronology and a new introduction, along with minor revisions. This collection includes Shaw’s notable comedies, such as Arms and the Man, Candida, The Man of Destiny, and You Never Can Tell, showcasing his sharp wit and critique of Victorian attitudes toward heroism, war, and social ideals.
Readers will find a blend of humor and satire in these plays, where Shaw explores themes of valor, infatuation, and family dynamics. The definitive text is prepared under the editorial supervision of Dan H. Laurence and includes Shaw’s Preface from 1898, providing context to the works. With 336 pages, this edition serves as a significant contribution to the study of drama and literary criticism, reflecting Shaw’s unique perspective on European society.
Official synopsis Publisher
Exclusive to Penguin Classics: the definitive text of Shaw’s volume of “pleasant” plays, Arms and the Man, Candida, The Man of Destiny, and You Never Can Tell—part of the official Bernard Shaw Library
A Penguin Classic
One of Bernard Shaw’s most glittering comedies, Arms and the Man is a burlesque of Victorian attitudes to heroism, war and empire. In the contrast between Bluntschli, the mercenary soldier, and the brave leader, Sergius, the true nature of valour is revealed. Shaw mocks deluded idealism in Candida, when a young poet becomes infatuated with the wife of a Socialist preacher. The Man of Destiny is a witty war of words between Napoleon and a “strange lady,” while in the exuberant farce You Never Can Tell a divided family is reunited by chance. Although Shaw intended Plays Pleasant to be gentler comedies than those in their companion volume, Plays Unpleasant, their prophetic satire is sharp and provocative.
This is the definitive text prepared under the editorial supervision of Dan H. Laurence. The volume includes Shaw’s Preface of 1898.
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