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kirbyhunt's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
gsroney's review against another edition
3.0
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
eb00kie's review against another edition
5.0
Marketing for Philosophers: when the Socratic method fails (usually due to the diminishing attention spans), draw out a decent romantic comedy, engage the sense of humor and serve the conclusions interspersed with the snappy dialogue.
chelenag's review against another edition
2.0
I was constantly confused, but I finished it so it's fine.
david_rhee's review against another edition
3.0
Man and Superman is a play laden with incongruencies and surprises, and enough interplay between them to make the play predictably unpredictable. First, Shaw establishes the comforts of grounding tradition and then he forcefully infuses it with new blood for gasps and howls. Or maybe not. Who knows? Perhaps the audience was already way past clamoring to upset the old ways and manners. The play takes a bizarre turn when the genteel cast meets up with a gang of brigands in the desert, but that weirdness is quickly outdone by the vision or dream of hell which follows. As might have been suspected the Superman is Nietzsche's Ubermensch as is confirmed in the hell vision. Think man's ascent to superman by Origin of Species and natural selection being humbled by Descent of Man and the sobering realization that the principal being really is woman, or Life Force as Shaw would say. Though I wasn't really feeling this one, it was a funny and entertaining ride.
anetq's review against another edition
3.0
I heard the 1998 BBC radio production, with a brilliant cast. This is at once a classic marriage comedy (Who will marry the now fatherless young lady), a political farce (social democrats, anarkists and the like discuss in Spain, where the brits got by the fancy new motorcar), an explaining of Nietzsche's idea of the Übermensch and other philosophical debate of men, women, the meaning of life etc. taking place in hell between some of the cast after their deaths with the devil and Don Juan (who in English sillily enough is pronounced 'Don Dju-an' or maybe 'Don Jew-an'). I can see why the play has been performed without the third act before (the philosophy debate from hell (literally!)) without it this would be a little more like one of the lighter Shakespeare comedies.
It is interesting - if also a bit messy - and verbose.
It is interesting - if also a bit messy - and verbose.
cassidyloverofbooks's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5