GeorgeBernardShaw.

AstudyofMajorBarbara&Mrs.Warren'sProfessionOutlineAbriefintroductionofGeorgeBernardShawMajorBarbara(巴巴拉少校)Mrs.Warren'sProfession(华伦夫人的职业)GeorgeBernardShaw(1856-1950)Irishdramatist,literarycritic,asocialistspokesman,andaleadingfigureinthe20thcenturytheater.Shawwasafreethinker,defenderofwomen'srights,andadvocateofequalityofincome.thesecondgreatestEnglishplaywrightbehindonlyShakespearediedattheageof94OneofShaw’sgreatestcontributionsasamoderndramatistisinestablishingdramaasseriousliterature,nolessimportantthanthenovel.生活经历萧伯纳在爱尔兰的都柏林出生。父亲是法院小官吏，后经商破产，酗酒成癖，母亲带他离家出走到伦敦教授音乐。受到母亲的熏陶，萧伯纳从小就爱好音乐和绘画。中学毕业后，15岁便当了抄写员，后又任会计，并在报章写剧评和乐评、从事新闻工作。刻苦自学期间，他会浏览伦敦美术馆及国家画廊，又去大英博物馆图书室读书，在那儿读到马克思的《资本论》。1884年他加入费边社，为该社编小册子及演说，以社会改革为己任。。1925年因作品具有理想主义和人道主义而获诺贝尔文学奖，他是英国现代杰出的现实主义戏剧作家，是世界著名的擅长幽默与讽刺的语言大师，同时他还是积极的社会活动家和费边社会主义的宣传者。他支持妇女的权利，呼吁选举制度的根本变革，倡导收入平等，主张废除私有财产。萧伯纳的一生，是和社会主义运动发生密切关系的一生。他认真研读过《资本论》，公开声言他“是一个普通的无产者”，“一个社会主义者”。他主张艺术应当反映迫切的社会问题，反对“为艺术而艺术”。其思想深受德国哲学家叔本华及尼采的影响，而他又读过马克思的著作，不过他却主张用渐进的方法改变资本主义制度，反对暴力革命。6Shaw’sMajorPlays萧伯纳的主要戏剧(1)playsinroughly4groups:1.“PlaysUnpleasant”不愉快的戏剧:Widowers’Houses(1892)《鳏夫的房产》;ThePhilanderer（1893）《荡子》;Mrs.Warren’sProfession(1894)《华伦夫人的职业》;Hisearlyplaysweremainlyconcernedwithsocialproblemsanddirectedtowardsthecriticismofthecontemporarysocial,economic,moralandreligiousevils.Widowers'House《鳏夫的房产》isagrotesquelyrealisticexposureofslumlandlordism;Mrs.Warren'sProfessionisaplayabouttheeconomicoppressionofwomen.2.“PlaysPleasant”愉快的戏剧:ArmsandtheMan(1894)《武器与人》;Candida(1894)《康蒂达》;TheManofDestiny(1895)《风云人物》;YouNeverCanTell（1896）《难以预料》;8Shaw’sMajorPlays萧伯纳的主要戏剧(2)3.“PlaysforPuritans”为清教徒写的戏剧:TheDevil’sDisciple（1897）《魔鬼的门徒》;CæsarandCleopatra(1898)《凯撒和克莉奥佩屈拉》;CaptainBrassbound’sConversion（1897）《布拉斯庞德上尉的转变》;4.20thCenturymajorplays20世纪主要剧作:MajorBarbara(1905)《芭芭拉少校》;Pygmalion(1912)《辟格梅连》/《卖花女》;ManandSuperman（1913）《人与超人》;HeartbreakHouse(1917)《伤心之家》;TheAppleCart(1922)《苹果车》;SaintJoan(1923)《圣女贞德》;TooTruetobeGood(1932)《真相毕露》，等。Shaw'sliteraryideasShawheldthatartshouldservesocialpurposesbyreflectinghumanlife,revealingsocialcontradictionsandeducatingthecommonpeople.Beingadramacritic,ShawdirectedhisattacksontheNeo-Romantictraditionandthefashionabledrawing-roomdrama.Hiscriticismwaswitty,biting,andoftenbrilliant.Shaw'sliteraryideasShawwasstronglyagainstthecredoofartforart'ssakeheldbythosedecadentaestheticartists.Inhiscriticalessays,hevehementlycondemnedthewellmadebutcheap,hollowplayswhichfilledtheEnglishtheaterofthelate19thcenturytomeetthelowtasteofthemiddleclass.11SomecharacteristicsofShaw’splays1.Shawisacriticalrealistwriter.HisplaysbitterlycriticizeandattackEnglishbourgeoissociety;2.Hisplaysdealwithcontemporarysocialproblems.Heportrayshissituationsfrankly&honestly,intendingtoshockhisaudienceswithanewviewofsociety.3.Heisahumoristandmanagestoproduceamusingandlaughablesituations.戏剧特征萧伯纳的戏剧最突出的特点是紧密结合现实政治斗争，敢于触及资本主义社会最本质的问题，把剥削阶级的丑恶嘴脸暴露在公众面前。在艺术手法上，他善于通过人物对话和思想感情交锋来表现性格冲突和主思想。萧伯纳的戏剧性语言尖锐泼辣，充满机智，妙语警名脱口而出。GeorgeBernardShaw’sepitaph（墓志铭）:“IknewifIstayedaroundlongenough,somethinglikethiswouldhappen.”我早就知道无论我活多久,这种事情迟早是要发生的MajorBarbaraAndrewUndershaft,headofanammunitionfactoryLadyBritomart,hiswifeandseparatedfromhimBarbara,theirelderdaughter,amajorofthesalvationarmyAdolphusCusins,aprofessorofGreek,Barbara’sfiancéSarah,theirseconddaughterCharlesLomax,sonofamillionaire,Sarah’sfiancéStephen,theironlysonMaincharactersPlotThisstoryevolveschieflyroundBarbara,a“major”intheSalvationArmy(areformistChristianorganization),herfatherAndrewUndershaft,a“cannonking”,andherfianceCusins,aprofessor.Barbarawishestosavethesoulsaswellasthebodiesofthepoorpeople,andCusinsherfiancesharesherwishtoimprovetheconditionsoftheworkers.SotherearisestheconflictbetweenUndershaftthedeath-mongerandhisdaughterplusherfiance.ButUndershaftwinsthebattlebybuyingovertheorganizationoftheSalvationArmywithhismoney.Finally,Cusins,asBarbara’sfiance,inheritsUndershaft’sproperty,andBarbaragoestoworkinherfather’sammunitionfactory,believingthatinordertofightsuccessfullyagainstcapitalismonemusthave“power”andtheymaygettheneeded“power”bysecuringinheritancetoUndershaft’shugeproperty.Conflicts:■theconflictbetweenAndrewandhiswife:LadyBritomartwantshimtomaketheirsonStephentheheirtohisproperty,butheadherestotheUndershafttradition;■theconflictbetweenthefatherandtheson:Andrewbelievesthatmoneyisthemostimportantthingtoanation,butStephenthinksthenationalcharacterismoreimportant;theconflictbetweenthefatherandthedaughter:Andrewwantstomakeprofitbysellingweapons,butBarbarawishestosavethesoulsandbodiesoftheworkingclassbydoingcharitablework.CommentIttouchesuponthefundamentalissuesofcapitalism.Thisis,ofcourse,sheerFabianism.But,thechiefmeritoftheplayliesinthefactthatwhatUndershaftdoesandsaysrevealsthetruefaceofmonopolycapitalism.InthecharacterofUndershaftareexposedtheessentialcharacteristicsofmonopolycapitalistswithbittersatire.ThisisShaw’schiefcontributioninthisplay.Butbeyondthissatirethereisnothing.Inspiteofthesatireoncapitalism,Shawsuggestsnowayoutandseemstogetconfusedaboutwhattod