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Born in 1856, George Bernard Shaw grew up during the apex of the British Empire, the Victorian Age. English industry was at that time the most advanced in Europe; the government's censorship laws were the most liberal of their kind; and the overtaking of the aristocracy by the bourgeoisie was well underway. In this politically liberal and intellectually rich milieu, Shaw created a life for himself based on his strongest assets: his quick wit, his keen insight into both cultural and political affairs, and his ability to express himself in both written and spoken form. Born into an aristocratic family on the verge of poverty, Shaw became quickly aware of the importance of social class and its related hazards: Though his parents could have made money by turning to speculation or trade, they refused to do so on the grounds that such activities were below their dignity as members of the aristocracy. Their decision to value social status over material stability—and the fact that these were two separate features of modern society—always struck Shaw as bizarre and contributed to his awareness of the power of social norms to constrain common sense. Unlike his parents, Shaw saw through the veneer of aristocratic superiority and embraced the modernizing world even as he criticized it. ¹

DOI: 10.1057/9781137370389_2

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