George Bernard Shaw: His Plays
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| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subject | George Bernard Shaw |
| Genre | Literary criticism |
| Publisher | John W. Luce & Co |
Publication date | 1905 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type |
George Bernard Shaw: His Plays (1905) is H. L. Mencken's interpretation of George Bernard Shaw's plays. Mencken had been introduced to the works of Shaw by a friend and began work on the book by 1904. The work was published the following year and was reviewed by multiple news outlets, some of which were heavily critical of Shaw, who at the time was a controversial figure in the United States.
Mencken's work is the first book to be written of George Bernard Shaw in the United States and has been credited by some as helping to popularize Shaw with American audiences.
Synopsis
[edit]Mencken's book contained a preface, an introduction, sections about Shaw's plays and novels, a biographical and statistical section, and a section covering Shaw's thoughts on Shakespeare.The following plays, novels, and other works covered include:
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Development and publication history
[edit]Mencken was first introduced to the works of George Bernard Shaw by his friend Will Page and by 1904, had begun work on George Bernard Shaw: His Plays. He had initially intended to publish the book through Brentano, which had published Shaw's work in the United States, but chose to go through John W. Luce after Brentano declined.[1]
George Bernard Shaw: His Plays was first published in the United States in 1905 through John W. Luce & Co.[2] This was Mencken's first book; he would follow it three years later with The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche.[3]
Reception and legacy
[edit]Upon its release George Bernard Shaw: His Plays received multiple reviews. Marion Elizabeth Rodgers has written that many of the reviews were critical and denounced Shaw, while Fred Hobson has stated that the reviews were generally favorable towards Mencken and that the New York Post "claimed that Mencken was too easily taken in by Shaw".[4][1] At the time of its initial publication Shaw was seen as a controversial figure in the United States. George Bernard Shaw: His Plays marked the first time a book was written about Shaw in the United States and is frequently credited as helping to popularize Shaw with American audiences.[5][6] Of the book, Mencken has in turn stated that it was responsible for his choice to move from fiction to non-fiction writing.[4] Mencken initially thought that Shaw disapproved of the book; Shaw did enjoy the book, however per Hobson Mencken only discovered this after his interest in Shaw had waned.[1]
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism negatively reviewed the book, criticizing it as being little more than a summary of the plays with little outside analysis.[7] The Courier-Journal praised its style of writing, saying it was comparable to Shaw's own.[8] The San Francisco Call and Post criticized the introduction, saying the way it was written "does not give you much assurance that he has a seriously good judgment".[9] Terry Teachout also criticized the book, stating that it was "wholly well-meaning and hopelessly dull".[6] Hobson has noted that while writing the book Mencken showed evidence that his reading of Shaw was heavily influenced by Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, and Herbert Spencer; Hobson also wrote that Mencken's work contained some errors, such as claiming that Shaw was a Darwinist.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hobson, Fred (10 October 2012). Mencken: A Life. Random House Publishing Group. pp. lviii–IX. ISBN 978-0-307-82336-6.
- ^ Mencken, Henry L (1905). George Bernard Shaw: His Plays. John W. Luce & Co.
- ^ Lieber, David (14 September 1980). "America honors its favorite curmudgeon". News-Press (Newspapers.com).
- ^ a b Rodgers, Marion Elizabeth (2007). Mencken: The American Iconoclast. Oxford University Press. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-19-533129-5.
- ^ "Friends of the Goucher Library to Present Mencken Collection". The Evening Sun (Newspapers.com). 25 October 1971.
- ^ a b Schmuhl, Robert (22 December 2002). "An engrossing biography of No. 1 naysayer H.L. Mencken". Chicago Tribune (Newspapers.com).
- ^ "Review of 'George Bernard Shaw: His Plays,'". Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. 13. 30 November 1983.
- ^ "Article clipped from The Courier-Journal". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. 13 January 1906. p. 5. Retrieved 17 November 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Article clipped from The San Francisco Call and Post". The San Francisco Call and Post. 21 January 1906. p. 27. Retrieved 17 November 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Further reading
[edit]- Teachout, Terry (4 November 2003). The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-050529-5.
External links
[edit]- Mencken, Henry Louis (1905). George Bernard Shaw: His Plays. Boston and London: John W. Luce & Co. (hosted by Google Book Search)
- George Bernard Shaw: His Plays at Project Gutenberg
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