Other editions of book Pygmalion-Treasury of Illustrated Classics Storybook Collection

Enduring Literature Illuminated by Practical Scholarship An idealistic professor transforms an unsophisticated Cockney girl into a refined young lady in this classic drama set in turn-of-the-century London. This Enriched Classic Edition includes: • A concise introduction that gives readers important background information • A chronology of the author's life and work • A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context • An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations • Detailed explanatory notes • Critical analysis including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work • Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction • A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential. Series edited by Cynthia Brantley Johnson

One of George Bernard Shaw's best-known plays, Pygmalion was a rousing success on the London and New York stages, an entertaining motion picture and a great hit with its musical version, My Fair Lady. An updated and considerably revised version of the ancient Greek legend of Pygmalion and Galatea, the 20th-century story pokes fun at the antiquated British class system. In Shaw's clever adaptation, Professor Henry Higgins, a linguistic expert, takes on a bet that he can transform an awkward cockney flower seller into a refined young lady simply by polishing her manners and changing the way she speaks. In the process of convincing society that his creation is a mysterious royal figure, the Professor also falls in love with his elegant handiwork.The irresistible theme of the emerging butterfly, together with Shaw's brilliant dialogue and splendid skills as a playwright, have made Pygmalion one of the most popular comedies in the English language. A staple of college drama courses, it is still widely performed.

The ancient Greeks tell the legend of the sculptor Pygmalion, who created a statue of a woman of such surpassing beauty that he fell in love with his own creation. Then, Aphrodite, taking pity on this man whose love could not reach beyond the barrier of stone, brought the statue to life and gave her to Pygmalion as his bride. Centuries later, George Bernard Shaw captured the magic of this legend in his celebrated romantic play, Pygmalion. Pygmalion became Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, his statue an untutored flower girl from the streets of London, and the barrier between them the difference in their stations in life.In My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner takes the legend one step further—the barrier is swept away and Higgins and Eliza are reunited as the curtain falls on one of the loveliest musical plays of our time—winning seven Tonys® for its original Broadway production, and seven Oscars® for its film adaptation.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader appreciate Shaw's wit and cynicism. In this delightful romance about the man too self-centered to fall in love and the woman too unsure of herself to want more out of life than the little she already has, George Bernard Shaw shakes the dust off the Cinderella story and tells it as only he can. Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower girl who wants to work in a flower shop, and Henry Higgins, the phoneticist who turns her into a princess, are no mythological knight and maiden. Instead, even today, they resound with sharp humor and cutting dialogue. Originally published in 1914, Pygmalion invites readers and audience members to examine the roots of social prejudice and the true value of a human being, while also involving them in the improbable lives of Shaw's one-dimensional, yet endearing characters. From the PublisherPygmalion was originally a play written for the stage by George Bernard Shaw in 1913. It was a typical five-act play: Act I taking place in the street outside of Covent Garden Theater; Act II taking place in the library of Henry Higgins s home on Wimpole Street. Act III takes place in the drawing room of Higgins s mother at her at-home. Act IV returns to Higgins s home, and Act V returns to Mrs. Higgins s drawing room. There are, in all, three sets: the London street, Higgins s library, and Mrs. Higgins s drawing room. The 1913 stage play is the version reproduced in the Prestwick House Literary Touchstone. It is interesting to note that, after theater audiences and critics complained about the ambiguous ending of the 1913 stage play and the apparent lack of a happy ending, Shaw wrote an epilogue, which is included in the Touchstone edition. In this epilogue, Shaw narrates the events of the years following the close of the play. Eliza marries Freddy. He drops the Eynsford from his name and with financial assistance from Colonel Pickering opens a green-grocer shop. Eliza, also with Pickering s help, opens a florist shop next door to Freddy. The couple remains close friends with the Colonel and Higgins, neither of whom ever marry. In 1938, Shaw adapted his stage play for the screen. This film version of Pygmalion starred Leslie Howard as Higgins and Wendy Hiller as Eliza. There are several notable differences between the 1913 stage play and the 1938 screenplay. While the stage play has a decidedly Victorian flavor, the screen play is definitely twentieth-century. Whereas in the stage play, Higgins and Pickering intend to take Eliza to an ambassador s garden party, in the screenplay, they take her to an embassy ball. The movie also presents the scene of Eliza s triumph at the ball, which the play does not. To do so in the play would have required an additional set change, costume changes, and a host of stage extras, all of which Shaw and his producer apparently deemed unnecessary. Probably the most significant difference between the 1913 stage play and the 1938 screen play, however, is the ending. Shaw s epilogue must not have satisfied the public, as, at the end of the 1938 movie, Eliza returns to Higgins. It is the 1938 screenplay that served as the basis for the 1956 stage musical and the 1964 movie musical, My Fair Lady. Again, however, there were significant changes. The visit to Mrs. Higgins s home in Act III becomes a visit to the Ascot Racecourse. The role of Eliza s father and his marriage in Act V are greatly expanded. How Eliza spends the night after the embassy ball is expanded, and so on.

Read the play that became the film My Fair Lady “I sold flowers. I didn't sell myself. Now you've made a lady of me I'm not fit to sell anything else.” ― George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion In George Bernard Shaw's classic drama, Pygmalion, Professor Henry Higgins transforms a low-class flower-seller into a lady, all through changing the way she speaks. This funny, romantic and thought-provoking play is a classic work that should be read by all fans of Eliza Doolittle.Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes Get your next Xist Classic title for Kindle here: http://amzn.to/1A7cKKl Find all our our books for Kindle here: http://amzn.to/1PooxLl Sign up for the Xist Publishing Newsletter here. Find more great titles on our website.

"Pygmalion" is considered to be one of George Bernard Shaw's greatest works. It is the story of how the arrogant phonetics professor Henry Higgins teaches the lowly flower girl Eliza Doolittle to lose her cockney accent and speak like a lady. "Pygmalion" is a witty comedic play that examines the artificiality of social class distinctions and shows that it takes more than just talking like a lady to become one.