Candida

Shaw's feminist leanings come to light in this humorous tale of two men fighting over a woman who outranks them in intelligence. I thought the choice of characters used to engage the topic via a love triangle was perfect: a brilliant woman, a clergyman settled into his routine, and a dashing poet promising romance and excitement. I really enjoyed the story and wondered which man Candida would ultimately choose. As usual, Shaw turns everything on its head. Candida's husband is a prominent and imposing man in public but in reality can't function without his wife. Candida herself is kind and clever and gently rules the roost. The idealistic poet is the catalyst who causes all to confront themselves, their needs, desires, and reality. It's a wonderful story with an explosive ending. George Bernard Shaw created numerous masterpieces over the span of his writing career. He has the distinction of being the only person to ever be awarded both an Oscar and the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was a very humble and conscientious man, a political activist and a vegetarian. His conscientiousness shows in his work by his inability to write meaningless fluff at a time when fluff dominated the stage. His trademark is his classic use of ample humor in dramas with serious subject matter. It takes a special kind of genius to be able to pull that off as flawlessly as he did. This book is excellent. It's as thought provoking as it is entertaining. There are times when you can't help laughing out loud. You'll be better for reading it. His works just have that effect - they both enrich and uplift you.

In this wonderful play, Shaw addresses the topic of what women really want in a man through the character of Candida, who is a brilliant woman responsible for her husband's success. When a handsome, young poet sets out to steal her away from her husband, whom the poet sees as too boring and complacent, Candida is forced to choose between the two men. This is a fascinating character study that analyzes love, loyalty, and attraction in the context of a smart woman's desires. Shaw's choice of an extremely intelligent woman as the prize the two men are fighting over takes the premise and the stakes up to a much higher level and also increases my respect for the men involved. They are not battling over a dimwitted but lovely bimbo. They are vying for a very capable woman who is able to assess and address the situation intelligently. Shaw is my favorite of the Victorian playwrights. His works were revolutionary in many ways. Use of humor was rare and exceptional for playwrights during that era, but Shaw was not afraid to make audiences laugh. He also tackled serious moral, political, and social issues in his plays at a time when sappy dramas were all the rage. He was truly bold and innovative and greatly contributed to dramatic art. He had an amazing gift, the ability to make people think while simultaneously making them laugh.

This was hilarious. I loved the way the illusion and the reality were exact opposites. Shaw is the master of the art of turning things upside down and making them humorous while also bringing up serious issues and causing us to really think about them. Here we have a love triangle that raises the question of what good women really want and need. This story was smart and funny. I loved it and wanted more when it was over. I'll have to buy another one of his books. I just love his style.

Peter Gahan's introduction to G.B. Shaw's play Candida in the new Penguin Classics edition shows an old favorite play in a very new light. Not only does Gahan read between the lines of the plot, he also draws the reader's attention to on-stage props, names, and even off-stage happenings, which might otherwise easily go unnoticed. He makes some truly amazing connections with a multitude of other works of art, such as Yeats' poetry, pre-Raphelite paintings, and Wagnerian opera. This new edition of Candida is worth buying for its introduction alone.