第8單元　蕭伯納

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) （蕭伯納）

1Life（生平）

George Bernard Shaw, a remarkable British playwright, was born in Dublin, Ireland. When he was 20, he went to London to begin his literary career. Under the influence of socialism, he participated in workers’ assemblies, matches and socialist propaganda campaigns. He joined the Fabian Society in 1884 and became one of the major leaders. Shaw’s play is based on Henrik Johan Ibsen. He objects to the theory of “art for art’s sake” and maintains that drama should reflect pressing social problems. Shaw is skilled at stage dialogue and soliloquy. He employs witty conversations, smart epigraphs and paradox to achieve attractive and thought-provoking effects.

蕭伯納，英國杰出的戲劇家。他生于愛爾蘭都柏林。二十歲時，蕭伯納到了倫敦，開始文學活動。受社會主義思想影響，蕭伯納參加了工人的集會游行和社會主義宣傳活動。蕭伯納于1884年參加了費邊社，接著成為該組織的主要領袖之一。蕭伯納以易卜生的戲劇作為自己的榜樣，他反對“為藝術而藝術”的文藝理論，主張戲劇應該反映迫切的社會問題。蕭伯納擅長舞臺對話和獨白，善于運用俏皮話、機智幽默的警句和反說的藝術手法，達到引人入勝、發人深思的效果。

2Major Works（主要作品）

Widowers’ Houses (1892) 《鰥夫的房產》

Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1894) 《華倫夫人的職業》

The Devil’s Disciple (1897) 《魔鬼的門徒》

Man and Superman (l903) 《人與超人》

John Bull’s 0ther Island (1904) 《英國佬的另一個島》

Major Barbara(1905) 《巴巴娜少校》

Pygmalion (1912) 《劈克美梁》

Heartbreak House (1919) 《傷心之家》

The Apple Cart (1929) 《蘋果車》

Too True to be Cooa (1931) 《真相畢露》

Quintessence of Ibsenism (1891) 《易卜生主義的精華》

3Selected Work（選讀作品）

◆Widowers’ Houses《鰥夫的房產》

Capitalist Sartofius and his daughter Blanche meet  young Dr. Trench, who is from upper class during their journey in German. The two young person’s fall in love at first sight and get engaged in a hurry. After they return to their own country, Trench hears that Blanche’s father is the landlord of London slum. He leases dilapidated rooms and exploits the poor to make fortunes. The young doctor does not want to join them, so he asks his fiancé not to take her father’s money. But he is refused. They fall out with each other and Trench breaks their engagement. Through many facts, the old landlord proves that Trench is also not innocent and dependent on exploiting income for maintenance. Trench has to admit it in front of the facts. At last, he and Blanche get married.

Shaw reveals the exploiting nature of bourgeoisie. Sartofius is a typical representative of this class. He has the shrewdness which successful capitalists are featured by and he is crafty and hypocritical. Through will-less and weak Trench, the author wants to prove that fate is irresistible under the capitalist system.

資本家薩托里阿斯和他的女兒白朗琪在德國旅行途中遇見了上流社會出身的青年醫生屆蘭奇，兩個年青人一見鐘情，匆促訂婚。回國后，屆蘭奇聽說白朗琪的父親是倫敦貧民窟的房東，出租破舊房屋，靠剝削窮人致富。這位年青醫生不愿同流合污，要求未婚妻白朗琪不收父親的錢，遭到拒絕。兩人因此鬧翻，屈蘭奇毀棄婚約。老房東薩托里阿斯以許多事實證明屈蘭奇并不清白，同樣是靠剝削收入來維持生活。屈蘭奇在事實面前不得不承認這個事實。后來，他終于和白朗琪結成夫婦。

蕭伯納揭露了資產階級的剝削本質。薩托里阿斯是一個資產階級的典型代表人物,他具有成功的資本家的那種精明，他是狡詐和虛偽的，作省通過屈蘭奇這樣一個缺乏主見的性格懦弱的形象，力圖證實在資本主義制度下，個人的不可抗拒的命運。