George Bernard Shaw, Saint Joan

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error
Saint Joan

, first produced in New York in 1923 and in London in 1924, is considered by many to be Shaw's greatest play, though some critics have taken a more negative view of it and it has probably been ranked less highly in recent years than in the past. It remains one of the most frequently performed of his plays and it provides a major role for an actress. Joan of Arc had been a subject of particular interest around 1920. During the First World War she had been represented fighting alongside French soldiers against the Germans and it is likely that this was a factor that influenced her canonisation by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920. A translation of documentation relating to her trial had been brought to Shaw's notice by a friend and his wife also enthusiastically promoted it as a…

1922 words

Citation: Newton, Ken. "Saint Joan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 October 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2287, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2287 Saint Joan 3 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.