An Inexorable Exposure Ending In An Inevitable Compromise

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is an outstanding Irish realistic dramatist, literary critic, a socialist spokesman, and a leading figure in the 20th century theatre. He wrote 51 plays during his lifetime and is regarded as a playwright who possesses the longest literary career in the history of British drama. Major Barbara (1905) is among Shaw's three most powerful dramas, the other two being Widowers'Houses (1892) and Mrs. Warren's Profession (1893) from his earliest days. Major Barbara reveals ruthlessly the social evils under the bourgeois system mainly through the conflict between the two protagonists Barbara and her father Undershaft. Influenced by other realistic dramatists at his age, especially Henrik Ibsen, Shaw creates a new drama which combines significant social issues with his original and mature dramatic skills. This study is intended to analyze the artistic features of the play from the perspective of realistic drama and throw light on the contribution of Shaw to British drama.This paper is divided into four chapters:Chapter One first provides a general introduction to the life and career of George Bernard Shaw. He was a dramatist without a peer not only for the range of his writing but also for the length and vigor of his life. As a productive author, Shaw produced five novels, numerous literary reviews and 51 plays during his lifetime of 94 years.The following is the synopsis of the play and criticism on it. Literary critics hold various views on Major Barbara ever since it was put on the stage. Some analyze it from a dramatic angle, some from a perspective of the comparative literature, some give detailed anatomy of Shaw's artistic features and his contradiction in thought in this play, and there are others who only focus on the general artistic techniques in Shaw's plays as a whole. However, none of them have noticed the perspective of realistic drama.