George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin on 26th July, 1856 into the disreputable branch of an otherwise respectable Irish Protestant family. His father, George Carr Shaw, was an unsuccessful mill-owner and an alcoholic. Emotionally deprived as a child, Shaw experienced a haphazard education which included a brief spell at the Wesleyan School in Dublin, but also an inspiring introduction to music from the maverick musician, Vandaleur Lee, who lived with the family for some time. In 1873, Shaw's mother, Lucinda Elizabeth Gurly, an amateur singer, broke up the family when she left for London with her daughter Lucy to follow Lee (who was the model for Svengali in George du Maurier's

Trilby

). At fifteen, Shaw became a minor clerk in a land-agent's office and having endured this until the age of…

2388 words

Citation: Chothia, Jean. "George Bernard Shaw". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4043, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4043 George Bernard Shaw 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.