Pygmalion

Being rich is not everything, but being happy is.

In George Bernard Shaw¿s Pygmalion, the storyline centers around three main characters: Eliza Doolittle, Professor Henry Higgins, and Colonel Pickering. Eliza Doolittle is a flower girl who gives herself to the tutelage of Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering to learn proper grammar and phonetics. Eliza can be characterized as a very sensitive and emotional person she seeks to be treated like a duchess by men. Her personality clashes with the personality of Professor Higgins in an extreme way. Professor Higgins is an arrogant, work-obsessed expert in phonetics who views Eliza simply as an experiment. He is a bachelor who has never found a place for women in his life due to his obsession with language. Colonel Pickering is a gentleman from India who is also an expert in language. He is more genteel than Higgins and treats Eliza with respect while maintaining a professional interest in her similar to that of Higgins. These three comprise the main action of the novel as Eliza learns speech of the upper class from them. She manages to pass herself off as a Hungarian princess at a formal party. This achievement gives credence to the efforts of Higgins and Pickering. After experiencing life in the upper class, Eliza settles for a lower class life with a suitor who loves her for what she is. After petty disputes, Eliza and Higgins remain friends in the time after. Other memorable characters include Mrs. Higgins who maintains an authoritative figure over her grown son and Mr. Doolittle who rises from a dustman to become a well-respected speaker in the community. I think that this is a good book because it shows that happiness can be achieved without wealth and fame. I highly recommend it due to its emphasis on grammatical and phonetic correctness, a dying art in this time period.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loverly

When I was in second grade, one of my grandmother's friends gave this book to me as a birthday present. I read it that year and have been reading it ever since. I am obsessed. I have 5 versions of the play, an illustrated classic, the movie, and the soundtrack. ( My Fair Lady ) In am in fifth grade and Eliza Doolittle is one of my favorite characters of all time. The story has effected me in more ways that I can count. So loverly. There is one version that I have of the MUSICAL. have no idea how my mother found it, but it is the entire thing with the songs and the lyrics. It is one of my most prized posessions. My favorite songin the musical is... I Could Have Danced All Night. It is so beautiful. The enchanting Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison captured the role of Eliza and Professor Higgins beautifully. Then later, the fabulous Audrey Hepburn took the role of Eliza in the film version of brilliant Bernard's play. It's no wonder why Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn were chosen for the role of Mrs. Doolittle they are so talented and where absolutely perfect for the role.

great

Is there a lot in this play! Great characters, nuances, commentary on the English and their class system... some funny comments and a lot more.

Amazingly brilliant

I loved reading and devouring this book. At first, I saw the chance to read Pygmalion as a dull and monotone way of absorbing information during the two month summer. However, the book was easily read with addictive characters, inspiring feats, and unexcpected romance. I hope that people will look past the fact that they were assigned to read the book and enjoy it as much as I had cherished it. I would definitely recomend to readers with the love of English. Otherwise, they might find it dull.

"Pygmalion is a great classic!!!" - It's message is life-changing!

Bernard Shaw paints the scenic imagery with genius, and breaks down each character to a science,so that you like you are there in the bookm and know, personally , the characters. The play holds a strong moral, but you must read the book to find out.

Not accurate to play script.

This audio version may not be accurate to the play. I use Dover Publications in my class and this audio version was off in several places that I just stopped the audio and read aloud.

Interesting play

I read this book in my 8th grade advanced language class and loved it. It was interesting and detailed. I would recomend it.

Good read

I thought Pygmalion was mostly interesting. At the end, when the writing was no longer in play version, it got boring, but before that, it was fun to read. I recommend it to everyone.

A truly outstanding play

This play has been the greatest play that I have ever read.(and I've read many) I've always been a fan of Julie Andrews and her version of My Fair Lady so I thought I would give this book a try and it was wonderful! I'm thinking about using this play in my schools next year line up!

A good read, whether you see it performed or not.

Here we have Pygmalion, G.B Shaw¿s classical script. This distinctive play can read like a story in the sense that it contains extensive stage directions that let even an idle reader know what the characters are doing and what their emotions are. Each character is brought to life by his separate actions. Because of the actions and the dialogue (an early bit even written phonetically in Cockney slang¿something that I wish would continue, but like Shaw himself said, it would be difficult for some to understand) the characters rise as distinctive and appealing. Liza, though lower class, is portrayed as reasonable and eager to learn. Higgins, her instructor of a higher class on the other hand, comes off as self-centred and somewhat childish. Higgins¿ mother comes off as the scolding type¿she treats him somewhat like a ten-year-old and tells him to do things like stop fidgeting/ Every character, no matter how much airtime he¿s given, has his place. There¿s Freddy, who pays little attention to Liza initially, but is infatuated as she progresses into a proper lady. Even the crowd at the beginning have their place¿some are even given separate identities and different districts of origin (which Higgins can pick out with unsettling ease) Overall, Pygmalion is an excellent piece, whether one wishes to perform it or simply read it as a story. It flows well, and it is appealing.

Very bad book

this book is seriously a very bad play. the worst part of it is that its a play which are awfull to read. this book needs to not be read anymore. if this dumb review system would let me i would give it 0 starts

Fun romp through a time we've forgotten

This is a classic play at its best. Shaw is truly an amazing writer to breath such life into his characters with such gusto, as they seem to jump off the page before your very eyes. The most interesting things about the play are that the ending isn't entirely 'happy', and the play is best when adapted to screen, as when it jumps from scene to scene, time leaps about as well. Wonderful read; recommended to all that posess something of a brain.

BORING

I THOUGHT THIS BOOK WAS A WAIST OF MY SENIOR TIME BECAUSE IT IS NOT INTERESTING AT ALL. I DONT RECAMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY ONE.

Pygmalion.. i was forced to read this awful book

pygmalion in my opinion was extremely boring and, well pointless... the whole plot was just stupid and boring.. i don't reccomned this book to anyone unless u like to be bored

Seriously excellent

Pygmalion completely breaks away from the basic novel/play formulas there really isnt a true happy ending. The ending is simply and truely at Shaw saw it realistic and true to the characters. Shaw did have a sense of humor on that. Henry Higgins is one of the most complex, simple, characters ever created. He has become one of my favorite literary character.Higgins has no regard for class and treats everyone the same with his own charm, though he may come off as mean if you look first glance. And it may also help being nicknamed Higgins, my class read the play while I was sick and suddenly everyone was calling me Higgins. But I highly recommend it being read if the reader is someone who has enough intellect to look past first glance.

what can i say...

i thought this book was boring and slow...dont read this book unless you like slow boring books!!

This was an ok book

I found the beginning of this book boring then I started getting into it like half way through the 2nd act. But i would recommend this book to people who like to read plays and who like to read slow starting books.

A book you can't put down

This book is easy reading material. It's short also. When I started reading this play I thought it was not all that great and I was about to not read it. However once you get past act 1 you get into it to much. You start to think that you are the main character Eliza and that everything is happening to you. I thought that Mr. Higgins was mean, he is nothing like his mother who is so nice to Eliza. After I read the play I went out and rented My Fair Lady, I was able to tell what was in the play and what they added to the musical. Also it helped me understand the play better. I gave this play 5 stars, because it was good and because its easy reading. Also because its fun to read. I love how she talks at the beganing of the play even though it is not proper English. Also I love the words they use such as saucy. You don't hear that word often. I was not to found of the ending though, they stop kind of in a middle of a convertation. Also I don't like that she goes back to.......... ops I don't want to ruin the ending. So this is one book you have to read. I hope you readers out there have as much fun as I did reading this book.

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