FIRST- Feminism is an evolving philosophy, and it sapplicatin in literature is a relatively new area of

study. The basis of the movement, both in literature and society , is that the western wold is
fundamentally patriarchal.

In the 1960s, the Feminist Movement began to form a new approach to literary criticism. Of
course, Women had already been writing and publishing forcentries , but the 1960s saw the rise of a
Feminist literary theory. Until then the works of Female writers were examined by the same standards
as those by male writers. Women were though to be less littelligent than men, at least in part because
they generally received less formed education, and many wonen accepted that judgment . it was not
until the Feminist movement was well under way that women began examining old texts, reevaluating
the portrayal of women in literature, and writing new works to fit the developing concept of the
“modern woman”

Bernard shaw was a Feminist doing before the term became Familiar. In his playa and
prefaces, he exposes the ineguities suffered by woman: his women chactrs do not conform dothe
victorion nations of Faminity. He was the first to present the new women on the British stage. Shaw’s
original ausiences would not have had our luxury of more than a centery of Feminist thought to
challenge the essentialist assumptions that advacated “ natural” Female inferiority . Shaw was a born in
to the ara of high Victorianism, a period maked by a profound paradox for woman , queen Victoria
considered her personal crowing achievement to be her absolutr authil submissiveness to her husband.
After the same time a their monarch modeled perfect feminine submission to masculine authority in her
marriage, Victorian women were also simultaneously being relegated to the home by increasing
unbanization and the entrenchment of a social and economic middle class.

George Brnard shaw was born in Dublin, the son of a civilservant . His education was
irregular, due to his dislike at any organized training . after working in an estake agent’s office for a while
he moved to London as a youngman, were be established himself as a leading music and theafre critic
in the eighties and nineties and became a prominent member of the Fabian Society, for which he
composed many pamphlets. He began his literary career as a novelist ,as a feverat advacate of the the
new theatre of Ibsen, he dicided to write plays in order to illustrate his criticism of the English stage. His
earlist dramas were called appropriately plays pleasand and un pleasant (1898) . Among these
‘windower’s Houses’ and ‘ Mrs. Warren’s profession’ savagely attack Social hypocrisy’ while in play such
as ‘Arms and man’ ‘The man of pestiny’ the criticism is less fierce. His Iheen dialectic interest and verbal
wit ofthen tuon the stage in to a forunl of ideas, and now here more oponly than in the famous
discourses on the force.

In the plays ofhis later period discussion some times drouns the drama , in ‘ Back to Methuselah’
(1921) all though in the same period he worked on his masterpiece ‘ Saint Joan’ (1923), in which he
rewrites the well – known Story of the Frenck maiden and extends if from the middle Ages to the
present.
 Other important plays by shaws are ‘Caesar and cleopatra’. A historical play filled with allusions to
modern times, and ‘ Androcles and the Lion’ In 1912, in ‘ Major Barbara’ (1905), one of shaw,s most
successful plays, the audience’s attention is held by the power of the witty argumentation that man can
achieve aesthetic Salvation only through political activities, not as an indiviadval. ‘ The doctor’s Dilemma
(1906), Facetiously classified as a tragedy by shaw, is really a comedy the humour of which is directed at
the medical profession. ‘ Candida’ (1898), with social affitudes towards sex relations as objects of his
satire, prored same of shaw’s greatest successes on the stage. It is a combination of the dramatic, the
comic, and the social corrective that gives shaw’s comedies their special flavor. Shaw’s complete works
appeared in thirty-six volumes between 1930 an 2 1950, the year of his death.

Through out the last decade of that century, perhaps no one wrote more for
and about women than George Bernard shaw , whose advanced views on the “ women question” eared
him significant notice as an ardent champion of early Feminism . casting himself as ibsen’s dramatic
disciple, shaw took up the cause of Nora, Helmer and Hedda Gabler and wrote the Female parts in his
own playa with depth and complexity in motivation and thought, placing them squarely cecter stage to
argue their case and earning himself a place along side ibsen as one of moderninism’s great Feminist
play wrights, However, white shaw’s dramatic writing has generally served to cast him in the role of
Feminism’s champion on stage, acloser look at some of his off stage productions- especially in personal
correspondence and relationships with some aspiring Feminist play wrights presents a slightly deffent
vision OF Shaw’s commitment to women’s emanicipation : on that suggests that his efforts to liberate
women from the bonds of commention may have largely served a desire to constrain and confine them
instead with in the ones he himself defined. Through out the century, rapidly increasing diffrary rates,
urban migration , and the economic stradification that facilitated the creatuin of a semideisured middle
class created unprecedented demand for reading material of a mor recreational nature.

The symbiotic relationship between developing literary forms and a changing social structure placed
popular forms like periodicals and novels in an ideal position to help explain and contain anxieties
around 2 social , cultural, an d ecnomic up heaval .How ever, while the novel’s plots tented to discipline
or defect the women who dared to defy the gendered terms of culureal control, the economic of the
publishing iostitution contributed to a rather difrent story. There, the urgency of suppluing the demand
for printfiction provided vocational opportunities for diterate middle- and upper class women giving
them unprecedented access to a public sphere that other wise took pains to exclude them. Authorship
offered one of the few viable profession for respectable women, asd not surprisingly, many enterprising
Females took up the pen and enjoyed popular success, celebrity, financial stability, and undependance
through their writing. As their possibilities for careers outside the domestic sphere increased, society
had to realign its assumption and expectiations to eccommodate these career women.

In that era, middle – class women who had opporatunity and often, Financial necessity
were gaining entry into certain profession, allowing them to achiere independence and financial
autonomy. Access to education, changes in property laws , and a population surplus of women led to
increased agitation for economic persona, and political eqnality with men. “ The women question”
dominated public discourse in novels and periodicals, although, as shaw noted, it was slow to appear on
the theatrical stage . pivshing in to the void, shaw became the first british playwright to seriously stage
debates around “ the women question”, and the extra ordinary range of female charaters that populate
his plays literally embody various perspectives and position in the debate.

The main interrougation involved in the modern is ‘the women question’ George Bernard
shaw and Henrik lbsen are the writers forwomen is the victim of the mai;s ego and the desire for
property. However, the woman has broken wraps and obstacles and exleeded to behave un
womanly. Eliza, by all means, was the victim of a bet made by professor Higgins. She has been changed
from a street flower selter to an independent and educated woman, although she was unsatisfied with
the case and sough to be treated as human being .

shaw rejected the traditional romantic ending, as the mythical Pygmalion, and made Eliza a
strong independent woman who was able to survive by using her own skills and talents. Pygmalion
brought the stature in to life but Higgins, as Eliza admitted, brought her in to hell since she could not
udergo such life . The bad effect of poverty is the main causative of the woman;s sufferings and being
so far struggling for liberty.

George Bernard shaw, the great reformer and social satirist , is best known for his
plays of mockery. His Pygmalion of 1912 criticized the effects of poverty and lack of education on a
persons social conditions make a person machiavellion and narcissistic . shaw incorporated historical,
mythical and social problem in to his plays. Shaw insited in most of his plays, on the necessity of taking
care and paying great attention to the working – class women. Pygmalion is the representative play by
the famous British playwright Bernardshaw. Up to now , there have been many academic discussions an
it from different perspective . This project intends to analyze the play from due feminist perspective.
 A feminist perspective to Pygmalion
Pygmalion is the representative play by the famous British play wrigh Bernard shaw.
Up to now , there have been many academic discussion on it from different perspectives. This paper
intends to analyze the play from the feminist perspective. From this perspective, we can clearly find that
the play is no doubt the creation of woman, eigher the cration of a duchess from a flowergirl , or the
creation of a woman from duchess, in which man IS God, the father, and the creator whereas woman is
in the position of a child, a pupil, being corrected, educated and remade by man. The woman character
in it is seen only as on object for experiment. Through detailed analysis, the paper exposes how woman
figure being pre- patterned , and the position of woman in society being forced to the lowest.

In 1912 Bernard shaw wrote Pygmalion the little of which refers to the myth of the
sculptor Pygmalion who created and them fell in love with a beautiful statue and whose love enabled
the marble to become a live woman, Galatea. Shaw’s basic plotline is that of an equally creative
langvageprofessor , Mr .Higgins, who turns a gutter shipe flower girl in to a woman able to pose as
duchess

Add brief story one pase

Pygmalion became very popular all over the Eropean world as a soon as it was brough to stage In
spite of the author’s strong objection, the ending was interpreted romantically by the actors and the
audience. The audience have reasons do feel very much pleased with the romantic and happy ending
because the play is obviously based upon another popular myth- the story of cindrella in that fairly tale
the poor but virtuous girl is transformed for one night at a ball , meets her princes in truth. Pygmalion,
however, has brought this romantic trans formation in to a more practical and possible one. The ending,
as might bew accepted by the audience, that Eliza meorying Higgins and settling down to fetch his
slippers for him, makes the audience feel so satisfied that they must feel they have found the order of
the world again.

The plot of the play is no doubt the creation of woman, either the creation of a
duchess from a flower girl, or due