Eck, S. 2013. - The Transformation of the Pygmalion Myth in Anglo-Saxon Literature since the 20th Century

IV Retelling Pygmalion: New, Feminist Conceptions in the 20th and 21st Centuries

  • Essaka Joshua notes a shift in the reception of Ovid's Pygmalion myth in English literature:
    • From man-centered to woman-centered in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
    • Focus shifts to the empowerment of Galatea and the overturning of Pygmalion's patriarchal power.
  • The statue, once a "tabula rasa" for male creation, transforms into a major character.
  • A "feminist revisioning" emerges, focusing on Galatea's perspective and identifying Pygmalion as a pathological figure satisfying male fantasies.
  • George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" (1912) is a key feminist retelling.
  • This chapter discusses feminist re-workings by Angela Carter, Carol Ann Duffy, and Neil LaBute, focusing on gender concerns rather than artistic crises.

1. Critical View on the Educator Pygmalion

1. 1 George Bernard Shaw’s Drama Pygmalion (1912)

  • Shaw's "Pygmalion" counteracts Victorian receptions of the myth.
  • Galatea is represented by Eliza, a self-confident flower girl who confronts Higgins.
  • The play owes more to W. S. Gilbert’s version than to Ovid.
  • It focuses on Pygmalion as educator.
  • William Caxton's 1480 text and Tobias Smollett's "The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle" (1751) also depict Pygmalion as educator.
  • Shaw critically approaches Pygmalion-as-educator from a feminist perspective.
  • Higgins aims to form an aristocrat, not a refined human being.
  • Higgins views Eliza as a human guinea pig, disregarding her feelings and future.
  • Higgins doesn't care about Eliza, demonstrated by his indifference to her future.
  • Higgins is selfish and focused on winning a bet with Colonel Pickering.
  • Higgins intends to remain a bachelor and envisions Eliza, himself, and Pickering living together.
  • Eliza marries Freddy Eynsford Hill instead, defying Higgins’ expectation.
  • Higgins resembles the mythical Pygmalion only in bachelorhood and misogyny.
  • Higgins expresses contempt towards Eliza, calling her derogatory names.
  • Eliza differs from the Ovidian statue:
    • She is not silent but makes use of her voice.
    • Higgins is interested in her speech from a phonetic perspective.
    • Eliza's speech and manners are shaped until she passes as a duchess.
    • Her inner change is more crucial.
    • She rages against Higgins, symbolized by throwing slippers at him.
  • Eliza becomes a self-confident woman, distinct from Higgins' molding.
  • Eliza's effort, not Higgins' talent, leads to the play's positive ending.
  • Eliza possesses the "divine prerogative" that belonged to Venus in Ovid’s tale.
  • Eliza's inner “life force” transforms her into an independent individual.
  • Shaw attacks contemporary views on women's roles, highlighting Eliza's problematic shift from independence to dependency.
  • Shaw questions traditional gender roles and marriage ideals, influenced by his socialist views and unconventional relatives.
  • Sally Peters finds parallels between Eliza and Shaw’s mother and sister.
  • "Shaw explores the intersection of male artistic creation and female self-creation".
  • Shaw prevents Eliza's marriage to Higgins, allowing her emancipation.
  • Higgins defines relationships by man's ability to shape woman, while Eliza suggests alternatives:
    • Eliza could be the shaping part, or partners could remain natural.
  • Higgins and Eliza’s different approaches to marriage prevent their union.
  • Shaw's epilogue states Galatea never quite likes Pygmalion due to the godlike relationship.
  • Mutual love is impossible due to Galatea's dependence.
  • Eliza marries Freddy, while Higgins remains a bachelor.

1. 2 Willy Russell’s Drama Educating Rita (1980)

  • Willy Russell's "Educating Rita" revives the educating Pygmalion.
  • It is a modernised version of Shaw's play, with a hairdresser (Rita) and a literature professor (Frank).
  • Frank is not a misogynist, but doubts his writing career.
  • Russell substitutes Ovid’s motif of the petrified Propoetides by a petrified relationship that led to Frank’s difficulties.
  • Rita's real name, Susan White, may refer to Pygmalion’s ivory statue.
  • Rita resembles a blank page to be filled with words and meaning.
  • Rita learns from Frank, but he is only a trigger for her transformation.
  • Rita takes her transformation into her own hands:
    • She changes her name from Susan to Rita, hinting at her transformation.
    • Further steps include separating from her husband, moving into a shared flat, making friends, and attending summer university.
  • She feels like “a halfcaste” as she no longer fits into her old environment.
  • Education is presented