"The Philanderer" is a comedy of manners that satirizes the social conventions and mores of Victorian society, particularly the way in which men were allowed to behave with impunity while women were held to much stricter standards. The play tells the story of Leonard Charteris, a charming and witty man who is known for his affairs with multiple...More
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays. With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876, where he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political...More
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays. With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876, where he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist Fabian Society and became its most prominent pamphleteer. Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, Arms and the Man in 1894. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas.
Book Summary
"The Philanderer" is a comedy of manners that satirizes the social conventions and mores of Victorian society, particularly the way in which men were allowed to behave with impunity while women were held to much stricter standards. The play tells the story of Leonard Charteris, a charming and witty man who is known for his affairs with multiple women. Despite his many dalliances, Leonard considers himself to be a "philosopher" who is above the petty moral concerns of society. He is involved with both Grace, a young woman who is deeply in love with him, and Julia, an older woman who is more experienced and worldly. As the play unfolds, Leonard's behavior becomes increasingly outrageous and he begins to alienate the women in his life.
George Bernard shaw
