Major Barbara
"There are two things necessary to salvation ... money and gunpowder"





Major Barbara, Bernard Shaw's story of the conversion contest between the arms manufacturer Andrew Undershaft and his daughter, the Salvation Army Major, is a provocative dramatization of the relationship between money, power, and moral purpose. A landmark in the history of British theatre when first produced at the Royal Court in 1905, it remains strikingly relevant today, when recent history has repeatedly highlighted the power of the arms industry in shaping government policy, and globalization has accentuated the political and ethical issues of social welfare and international capital raised by the play.

This edition includes Shaw's definitive text and provides the most comprehensive scholarly treatment of the play to date. A lengthy Introduction traces the history of the text from manuscript drafts to the famous 1941 wartime film version starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison and on to modern stagings. It reveals Major Barbara as one of Shaw's most exciting and challenging plays for actors, directors, and readers.

1116746812
Major Barbara
"There are two things necessary to salvation ... money and gunpowder"





Major Barbara, Bernard Shaw's story of the conversion contest between the arms manufacturer Andrew Undershaft and his daughter, the Salvation Army Major, is a provocative dramatization of the relationship between money, power, and moral purpose. A landmark in the history of British theatre when first produced at the Royal Court in 1905, it remains strikingly relevant today, when recent history has repeatedly highlighted the power of the arms industry in shaping government policy, and globalization has accentuated the political and ethical issues of social welfare and international capital raised by the play.

This edition includes Shaw's definitive text and provides the most comprehensive scholarly treatment of the play to date. A lengthy Introduction traces the history of the text from manuscript drafts to the famous 1941 wartime film version starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison and on to modern stagings. It reveals Major Barbara as one of Shaw's most exciting and challenging plays for actors, directors, and readers.

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Major Barbara

Major Barbara

Major Barbara

Major Barbara

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Overview

"There are two things necessary to salvation ... money and gunpowder"





Major Barbara, Bernard Shaw's story of the conversion contest between the arms manufacturer Andrew Undershaft and his daughter, the Salvation Army Major, is a provocative dramatization of the relationship between money, power, and moral purpose. A landmark in the history of British theatre when first produced at the Royal Court in 1905, it remains strikingly relevant today, when recent history has repeatedly highlighted the power of the arms industry in shaping government policy, and globalization has accentuated the political and ethical issues of social welfare and international capital raised by the play.

This edition includes Shaw's definitive text and provides the most comprehensive scholarly treatment of the play to date. A lengthy Introduction traces the history of the text from manuscript drafts to the famous 1941 wartime film version starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison and on to modern stagings. It reveals Major Barbara as one of Shaw's most exciting and challenging plays for actors, directors, and readers.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780713679953
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 07/31/2008
Series: New Mermaids
Pages: 208
Product dimensions: 5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

The Editor, Nicholas Grene, is Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. His books include Bernard Shaw: a Critical View, Shaw, Lady Gregory and the Abbey Theatre (co-edited with Dan H. Laurence), and The Politics of Irish Drama.

Table of Contents

Introductionvii
Preface to Major Barbara
First Aid to Critics9
The Gospel of St Andrew Undershaft15
The Salvation Army24
Barbara's Return to the Colors27
Weaknesses of the Salvation Army30
Christianity and Anarchism39
Sane Conclusions43
Major Barbara51
Principal Works of Bernard Shaw155
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