Pygmalion

What was kind of interesting as supplementary material to this reading was that we read it at the same time that my linguistics course was discussing phonetics, dialect/code switching, and the stigmatization of certain dialects - obviously tying in very closely to Higgin's project.

In this version and in every remake from She's All That to Pretty Woman, it seems that if you're teaching someone to be much different in their actions, speech or dress, they may appreciate the help at times, but they will surely be insulted since the teacher obviously believes there is something inherently wrong with the way they began.

The comedy of the lessons in combination with the drama that results is basically what makes this classic story so interesting and amusing for the audience. In addition, I think that the variety of personalities among characters allows each reader/audience member to relate to at least one of the characters, if not several at once.

The explanation of why Higgins and Eliza could not live happily ever after was not in the original publications, but was added later as a response to the many remakes and play directors who wanted to leave their audiences with a warm, happy feeling. I think that it probably should not have the explanation at the end, but I could definitely understand the frustration Shaw must have felt. It would be difficult to work the explanation into the play and is quite akward at the end of the book too, so to others, I would probably just recommend skipping the end explanation.