Pygmalion : a romance in five acts

Exclusive to Penguin Classics, this edition presents Shaw’s witty critique of the British class system, part of the official Bernard Shaw Library. Eliza Doolittle, described as “an east-end dona with an apron and three orange and red ostrich feathers,” was written for Mrs. Patrick Campbell, with whom Shaw had a passionate but unfulfilled relationship. The play was an immediate success, though Shaw, frustrated by its popularity overshadowing his artistic goals, dismissed it as a potboiler. He reimagines the Pygmalion myth, where the sculptor falls in love with his statue, but with a feminist twist. While Higgins transforms Eliza into a duchess, she fiercely claims her independence, refusing to be merely his creation. This definitive text, edited by Dan H. Laurence, includes an insightful introduction by Nicholas Grene that explores the play's language and political themes. It also features Shaw’s preface and a sequel he wrote in 1916 to counter public demand for a traditional romantic conclusion. For over seventy years, Penguin has been a leading publisher of classic literature, offering a vast collection of authoritative texts enriched by scholarly introductions and notes, ensuring readers have access to the best works across genres and history.