The Fight for Autonomy in Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and George Du Maurier’s Trilby
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Beth Torgerson
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB 323
Primary Discipline of Presentation
English
Abstract
Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion obviously draws from Ovid’s account of the ancient tale, but little scholarship has compared it to George Du Maurier’s Trilby, another work featuring a male character dominating his female protégé. This essay analyzes the commonalities between the two works, highlighting similar themes which signify Shaw’s continuation of the conversation Trilby sparks. Both works focus on control of one’s voice and the impact of giving up that control to another. Eliza originally goes to Higgins for his classes, hoping to portray herself as a lady suitable to work at a flower shop, but in the end compares herself to a gramophone, only replicating what she’s been taught. Trilby is not given the choice and never fully learns what Svengali did as he took complete control of her voice through his mesmerism. Additionally, both authors highlight the importance of language in determining identity as the two female characters develop into proper Englishwomen during the work. Eliza learns directly from Higgins while Trilby progresses by reading the books Little Billee gives her. Shaw depicts Eliza’s successful escape from Higgins’ control as a counterpoint to Du Maurier’s representation of the inescapable Svengali, providing a solution to male attempts at domination.
Recommended Citation
Iverson, Charles E., "The Fight for Autonomy in Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and George Du Maurier’s Trilby" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 7.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/op_2025/o4_2025/7
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
The Fight for Autonomy in Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and George Du Maurier’s Trilby
PUB 323
Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion obviously draws from Ovid’s account of the ancient tale, but little scholarship has compared it to George Du Maurier’s Trilby, another work featuring a male character dominating his female protégé. This essay analyzes the commonalities between the two works, highlighting similar themes which signify Shaw’s continuation of the conversation Trilby sparks. Both works focus on control of one’s voice and the impact of giving up that control to another. Eliza originally goes to Higgins for his classes, hoping to portray herself as a lady suitable to work at a flower shop, but in the end compares herself to a gramophone, only replicating what she’s been taught. Trilby is not given the choice and never fully learns what Svengali did as he took complete control of her voice through his mesmerism. Additionally, both authors highlight the importance of language in determining identity as the two female characters develop into proper Englishwomen during the work. Eliza learns directly from Higgins while Trilby progresses by reading the books Little Billee gives her. Shaw depicts Eliza’s successful escape from Higgins’ control as a counterpoint to Du Maurier’s representation of the inescapable Svengali, providing a solution to male attempts at domination.
