Love Among the Artists


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(3.9 stars; 5 reviews)

Love Among the Artists was published in the United States in 1900 and in England in 1914, but it was written in 1881. In the ambience of chit-chat and frivolity among members of Victorian polite society a youthful Shaw describes his views on the arts, romantic love and the practicalities of matrimony. Dilettantes, he thinks, can love and settle down to marriage, but artists with real genius are too consumed by their work to fit that pattern. The dominant figure in the novel is Owen Jack, a musical genius, somewhat mad and quite bereft of social graces. From an abysmal beginning he rises to great fame and is lionized by socialites despite his unremitting crudity. As a study of Bohemia and its clash with conventional society, the novel is revealing of Shaw's belief that the true Artist has wholly different criteria than the ordinary person for the living of Life. Written as "a novel with a purpose," according to its author's preface, Love Among the Artists is an ironic novel with a serious intent. - Summary by Wikipedia, supplemented by Expatriate. (11 hr 23 min)

Chapters

Author's Preface 5:43 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 01 14:50 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 02 21:32 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 03 34:35 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 04 28:39 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 05, Pt. 1 18:54 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 05, Pt. 2 22:31 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 06 25:53 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 07 22:06 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 08, Pt. 1 26:12 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 08, Pt. 2 28:58 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 09 31:56 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 10 22:47 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 11, Pt. 1 23:09 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 11, Pt. 2 19:38 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 12, Pt. 1 23:05 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 12, Pt. 2 22:05 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 13, Pt. 1 22:10 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 13, Pt. 2 22:42 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 14, Pt. 1 22:23 Read by Expatriate
Book 1, Chapter 14, Pt. 2 23:53 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 01, Pt. 1 20:28 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 01, Pt. 2 19:12 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 02, Pt. 1 17:52 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 02, Pt. 2 19:19 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 02, Pt. 3 19:36 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 03, Pt. 1 26:49 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 03, Pt. 2 26:51 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 04, Pt. 1 22:43 Read by Expatriate
Book 2, Chapter 04, Pt. 2 27:17 Read by Expatriate

Reviews

Shaw in the Making


(1.5 stars)

Written before Shaw gained fame with his plays, it’s interesting to see how GBS combines into one character Beethoven and Henry Higgins. Two other characters - Adrian and Charlie - anticipate Shaw’s long line of feckless, sentimental milksops, including Freddy Eynsford- Hill and Octavius. As you would expect, the women have to choose between milksops and geniuses who don’t need them, although there is at least one genius woman who chooses to live for her art. It’s an earnest book. Don’t expect much Shavian wit. And it ends as abruptly as a Marx Bros. movie. Still, fascinating to follow Shaw’s development. Thanks for posting!