Political Theatre and its Influence on the Writings of George Bernard Shaw

Abstract

Many political theorists have noted that the twentieth century was a time of an “eclipse of the public sphere” and a “sublimation of politics.” Partly due to the traumas of world war, totalitarianism, and genocide, and partly due to the absorptive capacities of instrumental reason and mass consumerism, mid- twentieth century Europe experienced an exhaustion of radical energy and a hollowing out of political discourse. This research aims at the narration of these developments by offering an account of the influence of political theatre in twentieth century Europe. By profiling one of the most important, brilliant, and influential playwrights of the century George Bernard Shaw, this research has two primary goals: to contribute to the remembrance of a “world we have lost” and through such remembrance to incite contemporary political theorists to revisit and rethink the political potential of the theatre.