Pygmalion Act 1 is all about class and how the classes treat one another. Each class is represented by the person or group that seems to congregate under the church in order to get out of the thundering storm. It took me a second to get used to this book. I am not use to reading play books and at several points I was close to asking my fiancé to act out three characters and I act out the rest, a choice that would have made me have to change my voice for each character. She declined.
So when reading the book, alone, there is a very definite lean towards feminism. I don't argue that it is invalid or anything, but I feel that the author should have allowed the feministic motif to come in sideways instead of blatantly through the dialogue of the gentleman and the note-taker. As said, everything is based on how the different classes treat one another, and further down, everything is based on how the classes treat themselves.
The betterment of Eliza sets the pretense of the control of the female lead and the notion that those of higher refinement and class have the morale right to sanction them to what is right or wrong. I believe in act 1 & 2, the positive roles are attached to the women and the negative roles are attached to the men. Although the gentleman, Colonial Pickers, does positive actions, there is something unseemly about him that will probably arise out of the last act.
From a male perspective, feminist writings can be very aggravating because they usually depict most men, if not all men, as immoral and base to women. Because of the unfair treatment of men, it usually takes me a few moments before I can let my guard down enough to read it. To some extent, it feels like propaganda, but since the book was written in the early 1900’s, it is understandably so.
I think it is mean as satire and comedic but I could be wrong. The characters are over the top which makes for an entertaining way to tell a story.
ReplyDeleteI, too, think that is is meant to be taken as satire. On the other hand, if that isn't a typo then I will disagree with you, I don't think it is that mean.
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ReplyDeleteIn another blog I read the response was that "The play Pygmalion can appear to be set in a completely unfamiliar society to modern-day Americans, but in fact the rules of society that appear in Pygmalion can be found in present-day America. The struggles that Eliza Doolittle faces as a poor flower girl in early twentieth century London are seen here among lower class America. In Pygmalion, speech is a determining factor in what social class a person is placed in. In America, it is not obvious that our speech pattern affects our lives, but it plays a key role in determining our type of job, social circle, and treatment in society, similarly to England"
ReplyDeleteIn another blog I read the response was that "The play Pygmalion can appear to be set in a completely unfamiliar society to modern-day Americans, but in fact the rules of society that appear in Pygmalion can be found in present-day America. The struggles that Eliza Doolittle faces as a poor flower girl in early twentieth century London are seen here among lower class America. In Pygmalion, speech is a determining factor in what social class a person is placed in. In America, it is not obvious that our speech pattern affects our lives, but it plays a key role in determining our type of job, social circle, and treatment in society, similarly to England"
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