Reviews
"An erudite and spirited work that will be of use not only to Shavians grappling with the Fabian side of this habitual iconoclast, but also to students of drama theory and theatre history, and to anyone interested in the period of evolving sociopolitical change at the turn of the twentieth century."
--English Literature in Transition
Whilst one might fear this study to be esoteric in content, it is surprisingly accessible in its clear yet challenging stylistic and formal critical approach. Carpenter deploys a wealth of sources and offers helpful contexts to Shaw's most infamous plays as well as his more obscure essays. This work is far more liberating in criticial terms than the self-styled 'Educate, Permeate, Irritate' slogan may suggest and highlights the importance of Fabian political context when consulting Shaw as artist, for it has infected his fiction and non-fiction. It is up to the reader,Carpenter suggests, to be wary of infection. After all, the revolution will not be televised.
--Irish Studies Review