John Bull's Other Island


Book Description

"John Bull's Other Island" by George Bernard Shaw is a satirical comedy that offers a sharp critique of British imperialism and Irish identity. Set in Ireland, the play follows the character of Tom Broadbent, a British engineer who arrives in the country with plans to exploit its resources for profit. Through Tom's interactions with the locals, including his childhood friend Larry Doyle, Shaw explores the tensions between British colonialism and Irish nationalism. The play's witty dialogue and clever wordplay highlight the absurdities of imperialism and the clash of cultures between England and Ireland. "John Bull's Other Island" is a thought-provoking and entertaining work that challenges conventional attitudes towards colonialism and national identity, showcasing Shaw's skill as a playwright and social commentator.




John Bull's Island


Book Description

There is a strong but unreliable view that immigration is a marginal and recent phenomenon. In fact, immigrants and refugees have come to Britain throughout its recorded history. In this book, first published in 1988, Colin Holmes looks at this period in depth and asks: who were the newcomers and why were they coming? What were the distinctive features of their economic and social lives in Britain? How did British society respond to their presence? The resulting book is a major historical survey of immigration which synthesises and evaluates existing work and weaves in new material on a wide range of immigrant minorities.







John Bull's Other Island


Book Description

"John Bull's Other Island" is an entertaining comedy about Ireland. It revolves around Larry Doyle, originally from Ireland, who has adopted English cultural customs and manners to fit in in England. Moreover, it has another engaging character Tom Broadbent, who is Doyle's English business partner. They are civil engineers who run a firm in London. The adventure begins when the pair goes to Roscullen, where Doyle was born, to acquire some land.




John Bull's Other Island


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The Marriage of Contraries


Book Description

This reading of Bernard Shaw focuses on his habit of seeing the world in terms of contraries, a habit related to his basic rejection of absolutes, his distaste for finality. The author examines nine of Shaw's finest plays: Man and Superman, Major Barbara, John Bull's Other Island, The Doctor's Dilemma, Pygmalion, Misalliance, Heartbreak House, Saint Joan, and Back to Methuselah. The book takes seriously Shaw's claim that all of his characters are "right from their several points of view." We are compelled to respect the qualities and values of opposing and very different characters in these plays, and we also have a sense of their complementary defects. J. L. Wisenthal's commentary sheds light on Shaw's techniques of portrayal as well as his dialectical habit of mind. This finely written essay is for all lovers of Shaw and the theater.







The History of John Bull


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John Bull's Other Island


Book Description