Bernard Shaw and the French

Abstract

An analysis of the curiously ambiguous relationship between George Bernard Shaw and all things French. While Shaw often proclaimed his distaste and disdain for the French culture, Michel W. Pharand unveils evidence of the playwright's debts to and affinities with many aspects of it. He discusses the reception Shaw and his plays received from French writers, critics, theatre people and the public -and portrays a remarkable history of misunderstandings (wilful and otherwise), of nationalistic prejudices, of clashes of temperament and incompatible sensibilities. Pharand uses many documents, including correspondence, articles and reviews, to reveal how Shaw's translators often distorted his plays; how, as a result, French critics misunderstood them; and how Shaw himself contributed significantly to the formation and promotion of his controversial reputation in France. Pharand also examines more recently published material by Shaw to shed new light on his knowledge of and views on the culture and literature of France. The book encompasses a wide range of sociohistorical and cross-cultural perspectives.