I didn't realise until a couple of pages in that this is the play that 'My Fair Lady' is based on. It is pretty much the same as the film, except for a rather long afterword. This isn't too tedious though, Shaw uses it to explain why he didn't match up Eliza and Higgins. Higgins doesn't see Eliza as his equal and so can't give her what she wants; 'his relation to her is too godlike to be agreeable'. I get the impression Shaw would have been a really interesting person to have a conversation with.
Pygmalion is a very funny play, but I never really appreciated before how moral the story is. Classes and superficiality, men and women and how people are treated. Shaw lulls you in with a funny, slightly silly play and asks you lots of questions whilst showing you the answers. Its a lovely read, and worth taking the time over as its a different experience reading it over a few days than watching it in a couple of hours.
I have just started Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (mostly because im going to Brighton at the weekend..)
