Candida

Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 130K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Candida by Bernard ShawAuthor: Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 1, 2003

Editor's review

Candida is a play by Bernard Shaw set in a family drawing room, revolving around the emotional tension among Candida, the wife of a clergyman; her husband, Morell; and a young poet, Marchbanks, bringing Victorian marriage ideals, male vanity, and female self-determination onto the stage. Through witty dialogue and a reversing structure, Shaw loosens the seemingly respectable family order in a few exchanges, and readers can feel his characteristic social critique and comic rhythm. As a public-domain electronic text, it is suitable as an introduction to English drama or as a sample for reading Shaw in depth; it is short, with a concentrated cast and dense dialogue, reading like watching a debate of intellect and emotion. While reading, do not rush to judge who is right or wrong; noting how each character uses language to defend their position will better convey the play's openness.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in English drama and Shaw's works who want to start with a short play
Literary readers concerned with marriage, gender roles, and family power relations
Teachers and students who need English dramatic excerpts for classroom discussion or reading groups
Play readers who enjoy sharp dialogue and debate-style plots

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong external conflict, action scenes, or complex plotlines
Those who only want novelistic narrative and are unaccustomed to play format and stage directions
Readers entirely unfamiliar with the Victorian social context who do not wish to supplement background

Reading tips

Read the whole play first to grasp the relationships and the direction of the conflict, then revisit key dialogue to savor Shaw's debating rhythm.
While reading, mark the verbal strategies of Candida, Morell, and Marchbanks respectively, observing how they use wording to seize the initiative.
You may briefly learn about the background of British theatrical reform in Shaw's time, but do not rely on external materials; let the text speak first.
For a reading group, select the core dialogue of Act II or Act III for role reading, then discuss the open meaning of the ending.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What conflict does this play mainly revolve around?

It mainly revolves around Candida's emotional choice between her husband, Morell, and the young poet Marchbanks, while also raising issues of respect in marriage, male vanity, and female self-judgment. There is no simple good-versus-evil opposition; the tension comes more from the clash of positions and language.

Can I read this directly without having read other works by Shaw?

Yes. This is a short play with a concentrated cast and does not depend on prior works. With basic patience for play format and dialogue-driven progression, you can enter the plot; a little familiarity with Victorian marriage ideals will make understanding smoother.

Do I need to know British theater history before reading this play?

Not as a prerequisite. First read the text and feel the characters' debates and reversals; if, afterward, you become interested in Shaw's social critique, supplementing background on British theatrical reform will be more targeted and will not let reference materials overwhelm the pleasure of reading itself.

What should I pay attention to when reading the electronic edition?

This is a public-domain electronic text; distinguish character names from stage directions and avoid misreading narrative notes as dialogue. First skim the character list, then proceed act by act; when dialogue is dense, slow down and clarify whom each line is addressed to and what it intends.

Comments

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About the author

Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950 Author

Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish playwright and critic. Public information about the details of his life is limited, yet his works have had a profound influence. The collection here contains 53 of his works, covering drama, criticism, and discursive essays. His representative works include Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Man and Superman, Candida, Caesar and Cleopatra, Major Barbara, and Arms and the Man. His plays often use witty, sharp dialogue to explore such issues as social class, gender relations, moral hypocrisy, and idealism, combining comic tension with argumentative force to form a distinctive style of drama of ideas. Shaw was skilled at presenting conflicts of ideas through exchanges between characters, turning the stage into a place of public discussion and exerting an important influence on the development of modern English-language drama.