Reviews for Askania-Nova: Animal Paradise in Russia

The average rating for Askania-Nova: Animal Paradise in Russia based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-08-23 00:00:00 Evonne Ames My husband's German grandmother was a von Falz-Fein and this is the story of their family dating back to 1763. It's a multi-generation saga, really, that could be made into a movie. Just fascinating to me and also brought to life how valuable and important the written history of a family is for future generations.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-10-02 00:00:00 Edward Mckee This multi-volume set represents a lifetime of writing and a lifetime of reading. Shaw lived a long, productive life. I have no difficulty imagining Shaw, were he alive today, as a prolific blogger covering a wide range of topics each day with his unique wit and acid tongue. He has an opinion about everything as evidenced by his prefaces that rival his plays in length. One must admire his certainty. He had certainty about his uncertainty. Even when he should have been uncertain (vaccinations, eugenics), he was certain. Granted, Shaw often played the provocateur, so his statements should be taken with a grain of salt. Shaw�s plays are in a critical decline. Once heralded as one of the greats of English theatre, in more recent years, critical opinion has turned against his talky, social-commentary plays. The reason, in part I believe, is that though Shaw has some memorable characters (Joan of Arc, Professor Higgins, Andrew Undershaft, etc.), they never really come to life. There is something in Shaw�s tone or style or presentation that keeps audiences from losing themselves in the characters. (Brecht would approve.) In Saint Joan, for example, one certainly admires the character of Joan that Shaw creates. She is lively and interesting in a number of unexpected ways. But I think most people don�t feel a dread or suspense about her being burned alive toward the end. We don�t want Joan burned, but there�s not that emotional fear or dread you think you�d feel. There�s a stoic or comic distance that keeps us separated from the fate of the characters. But Shaw, ever self aware, himself noted, �I have spared no pains to make it known that my plays are built to induce, not voluptuous reverie but intellectual interest, not romantic rhapsody but human concern.� (BH 249) I think that, like Brecht, Shaw didn�t want audiences� minds to get caught up in the emotion and cloud their judgment on the thoughts of the play. He keeps raw emotions at arm�s length and there is a sense or assurance in most of his plays that nothing truly bad is going to happen. (Of course, another option is that Shaw may have been incapable of creating truly sympathetic characters.) I�ve read most of Shaw�s famous plays, but I�m only reviewing them here as I read or re-read them. Saint Joan *** � This, I�ve read, is Shaw�s only tragedy among his many plays. It is a tragedy, however, as I note above, that doesn�t necessarily pull the reader in. It is more a tragedy in a social sense than a personal sense. All the characters are tragic, though Joan is the only one burned at the stake. The tragedy, according to Shaw, is man�s fate. Overall, Shaw�s play is full of interesting and likeable characters. It is quite talky � not much happens on stage. It is mostly characters explaining themselves. If you�re looking for Shaw plays to read, this is a good play to include in your list. In form, it is a bit unusual for Shaw, but the characters are lively. The Dark Lady of the Sonnets *** � Shaw accurately described this as a Piece de Occasion, written to encourage the endowment of a National Theater. It is a moderately funny piece about the Bard�s chance encounter with Queen Elizabeth. It is mildly amusing. Arms and the Man ** � Despite the presence of Shaw�s incisive social commentary, Arms and the Man is a rather trite 19th century drawing room drama. Although it has several strong, interesting female characters, their abiding focus is marriage and the play does not disappoint. The poor soldier is found to be the son of a rich man who just died, so he can marry the pampered baroness (or whatever she is). Ain�t it great? (01/2014) Playlet on the British Party System *** � This is a light commentary on the British political system. I�m not enough of a student of their politics to comment intelligently on it. It displays Shaw�s acerbic commentary. (12/2013) Mrs. Warren�s Profession *** � Shaw claimed this play was written to �draw attention to the truth that prostitution is caused, not by female depravity and male licentiousness, but simply by underpaying, undervaluing, and overworking women so shamefully that the poorest of them are forced to resort to prostitution to keep body and soul together.� He added, �If on a large social scale we get what we call vice instead of what we call virtue, it is simply because we are paying more for it.� (BH p. 231) This is a play was berated in its day for being too risqu� and daring, and is today berated for not being risqu� and daring enough. Such is the life of a polemicist. I half jest of course. More important than facts of Mrs. Warren�s profession, the play revolves around the economics of women in the workplace, and their virtual enslavement (in marriage, in work or in crime) due to their lack of economic opportunity and the appallingly low wages they could earn. Shaw�s Vivian is a strong character, unwilling to be victimized by this paternal system. Like Pygmalion, Shaw adamantly refuses to soften the ending to make her even slightly sentimental. (01/18) Cymbeline Refinished *** -- Annoyed, as almost everyone is, by the final act of Cymbeline, Shaw decided to give it a rewrite. He offers his wry alternative, with the king's sons both renouncing the crown to continue to live in the woods, and Innogen/Imogen being irate that Posthumous was betting on her sexual fidelity. It's more of a commentary on Cymbeline than a serious attempt to "refinish" the play. (07/18) Caesar and Cleopatra � Shaw (12/07) Man and Superman � Shaw (1/08) Major Barbara � Shaw (1/08) Saint Joan � Shaw (2/08) Heartbreak House � Shaw (2/08) Too True to Be Good � Shaw (3/08) Candida � Shaw (10/10) Don Juan in Hell � Shaw (10/10) Pygmalion � Shaw (10/10) I am fortunate (or crazy) to own two separate, multi-volume sets of Shaw's complete plays. Both are very nice. The Dodd, Mead & Company edition, though, chose oddly to not present the plays in chronological order. I'm not sure what order they are in. I also have the Bodley Head version published in the U.K. This edition is in chronological order and it includes some extra program notes and essays by Shaw. I thought this worth pointing out if anyone was considering one or the other.