Socialist Ideas on Wealth: an Exploration of Three Plays By George Bernard Shaw

Linda Mix

Date of Graduation

Fall 1979

Degree

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

Committee Chair

Richard Turner

Abstract

This proposes an approach to understanding George Bernard Shaw's socialist views concerning wealth through an examination of Mrs. Warren's Profession, Major Barbara, and Too True To Be Good. Through an examination of Shaw's speeches and debates and an extensive study of his plays written during a sixty year period, a clear link between Shaw's socialist views and his dramatic craft is established. Shaw's socialist philosophy, nurtured during his early years as a Fabian lecturer, is an integral part of his career as a dramatist. To prove this contention the study explores ten major areas of Shavian belief concerning wealth and the moral implications that the acquisition of wealth has for humanity. Mrs. Warren's Profession (1893), Major Barbara (1905), and Too True to Be Good (1931) represent a wide range of dramatic skills while stressing his ideas about wealth; thus, these plays demonstrate that Shaw was a socially and morally concerned dramatist.

Subject Categories

English Language and Literature

Copyright

© Linda Mix

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Dissertation/Thesis

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