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The Dead Puritanism vs. the Diabolonianism in The Devil's Disciple

  • Journal of Modern English Drama
  • Abbr : JMBARD
  • 2009, 22(2), pp.171-192
  • Publisher : 한국현대영미드라마학회
  • Research Area : Humanities > English Language and Literature > English Literature > Contemporary English Drama

Jang, Keum-Hee 1

1단국대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Bernard Shaw found his socio-religious thought beyond the Victorian age which can be traced back through the preceding conventional tradition, even though he wrote that “the nineteenth century has crowned the idolatry of Art with the deification of Love (21)” in the preface to Three Plays for Puritans. Shaw presents his own controversial opinion on Puritanism in the preface to the plays. As a social, political or philosophical thinker, Shaw developed his own artistic means of promoting his goal of reforming the existing institutions of his society. In The Devil’s Disciple Shaw attacks both theatrical conventions and certain societal evils. In the play, the artistic protest is intricately bound up with the social protest however this social protest has religious implications. In the play Shaw presents the power of greatness through such a human being eager for divinity as well as the power of established institutions and beliefs in such a society. The characterizations of the play are interesting primarily because of the way they are related to Shaw’s unorthodox treatment of the conventions of melodrama. The play reveals diabolonian ethics through the characterization of the devil’s disciple in the Shavian perspectives. Richard is at the center of Shaw’s attention in the play and no other characters approach that position either structurally or thematically. Through Richard Shaw attacks the religion of dead Puritanism and the conventional conceptions of duty in the traditional Christianity. In The Devils’ Disciple, Shaw presents his religious idea based on the life force through the devil’s disciple of the institutional religion. The Devil’s Disciple clearly sets the unorthodox spiritual belief in opposition to the lack of charity, compassion or any feeling of generosity of the institutional Puritanism. In the play, Shaw intends to reverse what virtue is compared to the view of conventional religion. The play shows us how far the narrow and perverted sense of Puritanism is contrasted with the broad sense of universal religion emphasizing the instinctive passion for the religion of humanity.

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