“A worthy successor to Fabian Feminist. Shaw’s influence on the self-image and public standing of women has been immense, both in his time and in our own, yet Shaw has also been widely and sometimes appallingly misunderstood. This book should help clarify the complexities of the issue and provoke continued reflection and debate.”–Julie A. Sparks, San Jose State University “This collection suggests that Shaw’s views of women are still relevant and provocative and that the dialogue with Shaw is far from over.”–Sally Peters, author of Bernard Shaw: The Ascent of the Superman When offstage actions contradict a playwright’s onstage message, literary study gets messy. In his personal relationships, George Bernard Shaw was often ambivalent toward liberated women–surprisingly so, considering his reputation as one of the first champions of women’s rights. His private attitudes sit uncomfortably beside his public philosophies that were so foundational to first-wave feminism. Here, Shaw’s long-recognized influence on feminism is reexamined through the lens of twenty-first-century feminist thought as well as previously unpublished primary sources. New links appear between Shaw’s writings and his gendered notions of physicality, pain, performance, nationalism, authorship, and politics. The book’s archival material includes previously unpublished Shaw correspondence and excerpts from the works of his feminist playwright contemporaries. Shaw and Feminisms explores Shaw’s strong female characters, his real-life involvement with women, and his continuing impact on theater and politics today. D. A. Hadfield is lecturer in English at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of Re: Producing Women’s Dramatic History: The Politics of Playing in Toronto. Jean Reynolds is professor emerita of English at Polk State College. She has written five books, including Pygmalion’s Wordplay: The Postmodern Shaw.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A much-welcomed volume that considers the always-complex Shaw and his favorite topic, women–literal and fictional–from multiple perspectives.”–SHAW
“A timely and valuable book.”–
Upstage
“Endeavours to negotiate the tension between current feminist perspectives and history. . . . Provides nuanced readings of dramatic, biographical, and historical topics to confirm that Shaw studies has yet to exhaust this rich area of research.”–
Modern Drama
“Focus[es] on the ways in which Shaw’s dramaturgy, real-life involvement with female contemporaries, and enduring legacy for feminist studies anticipate, challenge, and revise our own vexed notions of gender, writing, and power.”–Women’s Studies
“The diverse, frequently strong perspectives on offer . . . will hopefully inspire further engagement with the Fabian feminist.”–Theatre Journal
“Will spark lively debate regarding two aspects of Shaw’s life and work which will always remain topical: the sterling complexity of his female characters and his struggle to be a feminist both on stage and off.”–Irish University Review
From the Back Cover
“A worthy successor to Fabian Feminist. Shaw’s influence on the self-image and public standing of women has been immense, both in his time and in our own, yet Shaw has also been widely and sometimes appallingly misunderstood. This book should help clarify the complexities of the issue and provoke continued reflection and debate.”–Julie A. Sparks, San Jose State University “This collection suggests that Shaw’s views of women are still relevant and provocative and that the dialogue with Shaw is far from over.”–Sally Peters, author of Bernard Shaw: The Ascent of the Superman When offstage actions contradict a playwright’s onstage message, literary study gets messy. In his personal life, George Bernard Shaw was often ambivalent toward liberated women–surprisingly so, considering his reputation as one of the first champions of women’s rights. His private attitudes sit uncomfortably beside his public philosophies that were so foundational to first-wave feminism.In this volume, Shaw’s long-recognized influence on feminism is reexamined through the lens of twenty-first-century feminist thought, providing new links between Shaw’s writings and his gendered notions of physicality, pain, performance, nationalism, authorship, and politics. Through the exploration of Shaw’s works, a significant amount of previously unpublished Shaw correspondence, and excerpts from the works of his feminist playwright contemporaries, Shaw and Feminisms ultimately compares Shaw’s strong female characters with his real-life involvement with women, while investigating his continuing impact on theater and politics. D. A. Hadfield is lecturer in English at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of Re: Producing Women’s Dramatic History: The Politics of Playing in Toronto. Jean Reynolds is professor emerita of English at Polk State College. She has written five books, including Pygmalion’s Wordplay: The Postmodern Shaw. A volume in the Florida Bernard Shaw Series, edited by R. F. Dietrich
About the Author
D. A. Hadfield is lecturer in English at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of Re: Producing Women’s Dramatic History: The Politics of Playing in Toronto.
Jean Reynolds is professor emerita of English at Polk State College. She has written five books, including Pygmalion’s Wordplay: The Postmodern Shaw.
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