The Collected Plays (Illustrated) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Anti-romantic comedies, political dramas, and social satire—from Widowers' Houses to Pygmalion—with Chesterton's essayBy George Bernard Shaw
Length129h 49m
About this audiobook
The Collected Plays (Illustrated) gathers George Bernard Shaw's dramatic achievement in a form that foregrounds both his verbal brilliance and theatrical imagination. From the anti-romantic satire of Arms and the Man to the social provocations of Mrs Warren's Profession, Major Barbara, Pygmalion, and Saint Joan, these plays combine sparkling dialogue, paradox, moral argument, and comic disruption. Situated between Victorian realism and modern drama, Shaw's work transforms the stage into a forum for intellectual conflict, where manners, class, religion, gender, and politics are relentlessly interrogated. Shaw, born in Dublin in 1856 and later central to London's literary and political life, was a critic, socialist, Fabian reformer, and Nobel laureate whose drama grew from fierce engagement with public questions. His experience as a music and theatre critic sharpened his sense of performance, while his political commitments gave his comedies their argumentative force. He wrote not merely to entertain, but to unsettle complacency and expose the structures beneath respectable society. This illustrated collection is ideal for readers seeking the breadth of Shaw's dramatic world: witty, humane, combative, and intellectually alive. It will reward students of literature, theatre lovers, and anyone drawn to plays that make laughter serve serious thought.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★★ 4.6 (39)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon
GenreLiterary Classics
Length129 hrs 49 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 31, 2017
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26ACT I
2Introduction
27ACT II
3Author Biography
28ACT III
4Historical Context
29ACT IV
5Synopsis (Selection)
30The Man Of Destiny (1897)
Show all chaptersShow less
6George Bernard Shaw by G. K. Chesterton
31Arms And The Man: An Anti-Romantic Comedy in Three Acts (1894)
7Introduction to the First Edition
32INTRODUCTION
8The Problem of a Preface
33ACT I
9The Irishman
34ACT II
10The Puritan
35ACT III
11The Progressive
36Candida (1898)
12The Critic
37ACT I
13The Dramatist
38ACT II
14The Philosopher
39ACT III
15Widowers’ Houses (1892)
40You Never Can Tell (1897)
16ACT I
41ACT I
17ACT II
42ACT II
18ACT III
43ACT III
19The Philanderer (1898)
44ACT IV
20ACT I
45The Devil’s Disciple (1897)
21ACT II
46ACT I
22ACT III
47ACT II
23ACT IV
48ACT III
24Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1898)
49NOTES TO THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE
25THE AUTHOR’S APOLOGY
50Captain Brassbound’s Conversion (1900)
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