Behind the Veil Vengeful Spirit

Shaw was born in Dublin as the third and last child of George Carr and Lucinda Elizabeth Gurly Shaw. He suffered what he described as "a devil of a childhood." His father was a civil servant turned unsuccessful corn merchant, as well as an alcoholic—all of which reduced the family to living in genteel poverty. His mother—the daughter of a well-to-do family—found escape from the family difficulties in music. A professional singer and student of the conductor George Vandeleur Lee, she eventually followed him to London to pursue her own career and improve her situation. These life events encouraged Shaw to be a lifelong teetotaler (person who does not drink alcohol). They also imbued him with a strong interest in music and kindled his sensitivity to the plight of women in Victorian society (1837–1901).

In 1876 Shaw joined his mother and Vandeleur Lee in London. He expanded his knowledge of music to include literature. He read voraciously, attended socialist lectures and debates, and pursued a career in journalism and writing. His first attempts to write prose—a string of five novels—were rejected by publishers. However, he did land a job as a freelance critic for an influential daily paper, the Pall Mall Gazette. The liberal political leanings of the paper were in line with Shaw's growing interest in socialism (social and economic practice where the government owns and controls property and resources). His articles and critiques of art, music, and theater written for this and other publications brought him at last to the attention of London literary society.

Socialism

Shaw's interest in socialism had a profound effect on his writing. In 1884 he joined the recently established Fabian Society, a British socialist organization intent on advancing the principles of non-Marxist evolutionary socialism (peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism in contrast to the ideas of German philosopher Karl Marx [1818–83]). He became one of its leading members and regularly wrote and lectured on socialist topics. Often he focused on themes of marriage, education, politics, class struggle, and religion. As a self-professed socialist, Shaw was a vigorous proponent of gender equality. He believed that all people have a purpose in life and that women were being denied chances to play their critical roles in society. He actively supported efforts to alter the marriage laws, eliminate patriarchy, establish female suffrage (right to vote), and recast gender roles. Shaw felt that "unless woman repudiates her womanliness, her duty to her husband, to her children, to society, to the law, and to everyone but herself, she cannot emancipate herself." As a playwright, his portrayal of remarkable, clever, and powerful women departed from the 19th-century stereotype of the male-dominated, sweetly fragile, self-sacrificing female.

Career as a Playwright

Shaw's career as a playwright began in 1891 when he met J.T. Grein (1862–1935), the director of The Independent Theatre—a new, progressive venue for "the theatre of ideas" inspired by the realistic "problem plays" of Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906). Grein offered to read Shaw's play Widowers' Houses. He accepted it almost immediately, and it was first publicly performed in 1892. Over the next six years, Shaw completed a collection of dramas called Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant. Each attacked with varied ferocity the social evils of the day. Arms and the Man was part of this collection and satirized romantic ideas of war and heroism. It was first produced in 1894 and published in 1898. It was made into a musical, The Chocolate Soldier (1908), which was successful but in which Shaw did not cooperate.