Arms and the Man
by George Bernard ShawSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
people who like Oscar Wilde.
Arms and the Man is a fun read and a serviceable introduction to the writings of George Bernard Shaw. Shaw's language reminded me of Oscar Wilde's, though not as elegant, his characters reminded me of Chekhov's, though not as full of pathos and self-pity, and his subjects reminded me of most satirists', romantic love and military glory. That being said, Shaw is not just another playwright-satirist. At the very least, his premise--a muddy, exhausted soldier steps through a young, naive wom...more
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Read in August, 2008
I really enjoyed this play and found it to be quite humorous. I want to call it a satire, but really it is the complete opposite. Shaw portrays characters so realistically without exaggerating their flaws, yet his characterization and clever dialogue expose the fact that, as Sergius puts it, "Life's a farce."
On a sidenote, I don't recommend this eidtion of the play--quite a few spelling errors/typos.
On a sidenote, I don't recommend this eidtion of the play--quite a few spelling errors/typos.
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Read in May, 2008
I am a fan of Shaw's plays, but this one underwhelmed me. While I enjoyed the characterization of Bluntschli, many of the others were selfish and seemed slightly underdeveloped, and the play itself lacked the social commentary and understanding of humanity that lift up Shaw's other plays. As a result, the play felt a bit trite, which is a definite shame considering how much it has going for it.
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Quote from Shaw's Preface to Vol. II of Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant:
"But unity, however desirable in political agitations, is fatal to drama, since every drama must be the artistics presentation of a conflict. The end may be reconciliation or destruction; or, as in life itself, there may be no end; but the conflict is indispensable: no conflict, no drama.
"But unity, however desirable in political agitations, is fatal to drama, since every drama must be the artistics presentation of a conflict. The end may be reconciliation or destruction; or, as in life itself, there may be no end; but the conflict is indispensable: no conflict, no drama.
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Read in October, 2006
Unimpressive. The characters were uncovincing and the play failed to establish either solid social commentary or even a very funny plot. Several critics I read argued that you have to see the play performed to truly apreciate the delicacy of Shaw's characterization. Maybe this is so. But, on paper, I didn't like it so much.
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I have a confession, I didn't read the book I saw the play. It's like reading the book, only better. To the woman who played Louka in the U.Va drama department's 2006 production: I am still in love with you.
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I just re-read this for my 10 Honors summer reading, and I'm really glad that I did. I think this play is really entertaining, and I'd love to see it live at some point.
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Read in January, 1989
Another high school required reading that I actually liked... I remember being surprised that something "so old" could be so relevant to the way people think & act today.
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This play is histerical! There are comic reliefs every where that keep you from realizing how serious the situations were.
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Read in January, 2002
I remember liking this story a lot. I read the play and then I saw the play later, and it was good both times!
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I LOVE this play. It is sweet and romantic in a socially critical way. The characters are so much fun.
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This is a great play. One of Shaw's first displays of the finger where war was concerned. Delightful.
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Read in January, 2008
A fairly hilarious and romantic farce with a very nicely Catch-22-like view of warfare.
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I love to read this book again and again. I love the hero in this book very much.
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Totally my kind of a play--I'm such a sucker for romantic comedies!
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This one comes close to Pygmalion as one of my favorites by Shaw.
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