G. B. Shaw was the contemporary of Ibsen. On one hand, he belongs to Victorian Age and on the other hand to Modern Age. In fact, it was the age of transition between Victorianism and Modernism.
G. B. Shaw started his career of writing as a novelist but very soon he realized that his genius is more of a dramatist than a novelist. Most of his writing is about the last quarter of the 19th century. It was an age of chaos, tension, idealism, romanticism, mysticism and threats of wars. Shaw was a committed socialist. He could clearly see the fall of Europe and disintegration in all moral values. He was an iconoclast. He believed that now, in this period of disintegration, life needs a great change but he was against an abrupt and violent change brought by revolutionary change. He believed that change must come gradually, slowly and, on top of all, peacefully. He believed that minds must be changed before changing the socio-political structure. So, in 1884, for this purpose, he joined “Fabian Society”. This society believed in bringing change through parliamentary reformed bills not through the violent demonstrations in the streets. Shaw himself was the great law-giver but he believed that the process of justice and change must be slow, otherwise, it will prove sentimental and ultimately destructive.
1880s were the years of great change. Victorianism was dying and Modernism was emerging. This great change has beautifully been presented by Anton Chekhov in his novel “Good-bye Mr. Chips”. We see that women who were restricted in Victorian Age to come out of their houses, here move freely in the society as we see that Katherine is the liberal kind of woman. She is also an expert climber and a cyclist. She freely moves among men, even she was a great hospitable woman. She represents the death of Victorian conservatism. On the other hand Mr. Chips represents Victorian conservation. But he was getting influence by Katherine. Anton was also the member of the Fabian Society and was introducing the gradual change in the society. Same was the attitude of Shaw. He was also breaking all conservative, old standards and wishes to reform the world according to the requirement of the age. Victorians were hypocrite but now the Modern writers are down to earth realist.
Shaw was the didactic writer. He did not think that didacticism is a weakness or faultiness in literature. He firmly believed that literature must serve mankind. It must guide and lead the society. Shaw rejected old classical literary approach of “art for art’s sake”. On the contrary, he wrote with a purpose and his purpose was to reform the society. Shaw was proclaimed the reformer. He propagated his ideas of reformation through his dramas. Therefore, his dramas are called “Drama of Ideas”. He gave much importance to his ideas than actions. He sacrificed his art for his “theory of reformation”. His plays are “theories orientated” plays. That is why his plots are mostly contrived and characters are mere puppets. His dramas are technically faulty but thematically strong. His characters do not live their own life. They only project the ideas of the author. But Shaw overcame his this artistic weakness by his witticism humour and use of irony. He is a great satirist because he is a great reformer. He satirized only to reform the society. Shaw used almost all the dramatic devices to make his ideas more effective e.g. farcical situations, mimicry, clowning, music hall devices, horse play, use of mythology, idiosyncrasies in order to keep people amused throughout the play and to lend his idea of reformation stealthily.
He was an anti-idealistic, anti-romantic, anti-class, and anti-war and anti-soldering writer. He was strictly against the war and wanted to save mankind from approaching destructive world wars. To some extent, he was succeeded in breaking when he says, “Out of nine, ten soldiers are born fool”. In “Arms and The Man” he very successfully made fun of patriotism and heroism. For his play, he exploited the quotation by Virgil, a great Roman poet in his epic “Aenied”. To the background of his drama, he had shown and made fun of the war between Bulgaria and Serbia.
1880s were the years of great change. Victorianism was dying and Modernism was emerging. This great change has beautifully been presented by Anton Chekhov in his novel “Good-bye Mr. Chips”. We see that women who were restricted in Victorian Age to come out of their houses, here move freely in the society as we see that Katherine is the liberal kind of woman. She is also an expert climber and a cyclist. She freely moves among men, even she was a great hospitable woman. She represents the death of Victorian conservatism. On the other hand Mr. Chips represents Victorian conservation. But he was getting influence by Katherine. Anton was also the member of the Fabian Society and was introducing the gradual change in the society. Same was the attitude of Shaw. He was also breaking all conservative, old standards and wishes to reform the world according to the requirement of the age. Victorians were hypocrite but now the Modern writers are down to earth realist.
Shaw was the didactic writer. He did not think that didacticism is a weakness or faultiness in literature. He firmly believed that literature must serve mankind. It must guide and lead the society. Shaw rejected old classical literary approach of “art for art’s sake”. On the contrary, he wrote with a purpose and his purpose was to reform the society. Shaw was proclaimed the reformer. He propagated his ideas of reformation through his dramas. Therefore, his dramas are called “Drama of Ideas”. He gave much importance to his ideas than actions. He sacrificed his art for his “theory of reformation”. His plays are “theories orientated” plays. That is why his plots are mostly contrived and characters are mere puppets. His dramas are technically faulty but thematically strong. His characters do not live their own life. They only project the ideas of the author. But Shaw overcame his this artistic weakness by his witticism humour and use of irony. He is a great satirist because he is a great reformer. He satirized only to reform the society. Shaw used almost all the dramatic devices to make his ideas more effective e.g. farcical situations, mimicry, clowning, music hall devices, horse play, use of mythology, idiosyncrasies in order to keep people amused throughout the play and to lend his idea of reformation stealthily.
He was an anti-idealistic, anti-romantic, anti-class, and anti-war and anti-soldering writer. He was strictly against the war and wanted to save mankind from approaching destructive world wars. To some extent, he was succeeded in breaking when he says, “Out of nine, ten soldiers are born fool”. In “Arms and The Man” he very successfully made fun of patriotism and heroism. For his play, he exploited the quotation by Virgil, a great Roman poet in his epic “Aenied”. To the background of his drama, he had shown and made fun of the war between Bulgaria and Serbia.
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