Fanny’s First Play
Description
The Count O’Dowda, a hater of what he perceives as the modern vulgarity of England, hires a professional producer and actors to put on a play in his country estate, and then invites professional critics to attend. But unknown to him, his daughter Fanny, a student at Cambridge and a member of the Fabian Society, has written the play with the intent of morally shocking her father, and she hopes that the presence of professional critics will convince him of its artistic merit.
Within this framing, the play within the play concerns the Gilbey and Knox families. Both are highly respectable, and both of their children have secretly spent a fortnight in jail for assaulting a police officer. The families, along with a noble footman, a disreputable woman, and a French naval lieutenant, must navigate what it means to be respectable in the eyes of society, and what truly noble behavior entails.
Fanny’s First Play is a satire not only of society and morals, but of the theater of the day and of specific criticisms George Bernard Shaw’s works had drawn. The characters of the theater critics are based on actual critics of the day, and Shaw’s other works are discussed dismissively by them. It was originally performed with its authorship kept secret, but attendees and critics soon recognized it as Shaw’s work. The mystery around its authorship was good publicity, and it became Shaw’s longest running and most popular work.
Read free
This ebook is thought to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. It may still be under copyright in other countries. If you’re not located in the United States, you must check your local laws to verify that this ebook is free of copyright restrictions in the country you’re located in before accessing, downloading, or using it.
Download for ereaders
-
Compatible epub — All devices and apps except Kindles and Kobos.
-
azw3 — Kindle devices and apps. Also download the Kindle cover thumbnail to see the cover in your Kindle’s library. Despite what you’ve been told, Kindle does not natively support epub. You may also be interested in our Kindle FAQ.
-
kepub — Kobo devices and apps. You may also be interested in our Kobo FAQ.
-
Advanced epub — An advanced format that uses the latest technology not yet fully supported by most ereaders.
Read online
A brief history of this ebook
More details
Sources
Transcriptions
Page scans
Improve this ebook
Anyone can contribute to make a Standard Ebook better for everyone!
To report typos, typography errors, or other corrections, see how to report errors.
If you’re comfortable with technology and want to contribute directly, check out this ebook’s GitHub repository and our contributors section.
You can also donate to Standard Ebooks to help fund continuing improvement of this and other ebooks.