George Bernard Shaw

Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.0
Word count
298K words
Chapters
30

Tags

English Originals Literary Figures Literary GiantsIntellectual EnlightenmentSocial CritiqueWestern ThoughtIntellectual CommentarySatirical StyleSocial Observation

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.George Bernard Shaw by G. K. ChestertonAuthor: Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 13, 2006

Editor's review

Chesterton's critical biography of Shaw is a scrutiny, tinged with debate, between two major figures of English letters. Not content with a recital of facts, Chesterton uses an essayist's wit to analyze Shaw's intellectual temperament, dramatic ideas, and place in his era, often in paradoxical aperçus. Readers see a critic in dialogue with a playwright and gain indirect feel for the climate of intellectual controversy in early twentieth-century Britain. The book suits readers interested in Shaw's drama, English literary criticism, or Chesterton's style; but it is a critical work, not a modern scholarly biography, lacking a detailed chronology and documentary apparatus, so those seeking a systematic account of Shaw's life should read it alongside other biographies. The original is a public-domain English text; note its historical context and older idiom.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. First learn the gist of a few of Shaw's major plays; the criticism will then have more purchase.
  2. Treat Chesterton's judgments as one perspective, marking agreement and doubt as you read.
  3. After each chapter, summarize Chesterton's core argument in your own words so his wit does not carry you off course.
  4. Read alongside a selection of Shaw's plays, setting works and criticism in mutual reference.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30

FAQ

Is this a biography of Shaw? It has the character of a critical biography, but its focus is Chesterton's commentary on Shaw's thought and dramatic views rather than a detailed life record. For a full chronology, supplement it with other sources.
Can I read it without having read Shaw's plays? Yes, but understanding will suffer. At least learn the themes and argumentative style of a few major Shaw plays first; Chesterton's commentary will then be easier to follow.
What is Chesterton's attitude toward Shaw? Debate and appreciation coexist: Chesterton often voices disagreement in paradoxical form while acknowledging Shaw's stature. Watch for this critical stance of dialogue and rebuttal.

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About the author

Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Author

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) was an English writer known for his essays, fiction and poetry. The collection here holds 44 of his works across several genres: Orthodoxy defends Christian belief through witty argument, while The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare uses absurd plots to explore order and freedom; The Napoleon of Notting Hill and the Father Brown detective stories display his narrative gifts. There are also essay collections such as What I Saw in America and Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens, as well as poems including The Ballad of the White Horse. His style favors paradox, humour and vivid imagery, often drawing reflections on modern society from everyday subjects, and he has influenced later detective fiction and Christian apologetics. Public sources are limited, so biographical details are not pursued here.