Saint Joan · Chapter
To the Critics, Lest They Should Feel Ignored explained
Shaw defends the length and structure of his play St.
What happens
Shaw defends the length and structure of his play St. Joan, arguing that genuine drama should be judged by its quality and engagement rather than by arbitrary time constraints. He criticizes fashionable audiences and pseudo-critics who prioritize social display over artistic experience, and he aligns himself with true theatre lovers who value classical comedy and tragedy for their own sake.
Key passages
“I write in the classical manner for those who pay for admission to a theatre because they like classical comedy or tragedy for its own sake, and like it so much when it is good of its kind and well done that they tear themselves away from it with reluctance to catch the very latest train or omnibus that will take them home.”
Shaw states that he writes for audiences who genuinely appreciate classical drama and are so engrossed that they leave only at the last possible moment.
Shaw distinguishes his ideal audience from those who attend theatre for social reasons.
“I cannot help feeling some compassion for them when they assure me that my play, though a great play, must fail hopelessly, because it does not begin at a quarter to nine and end at eleven.”
Shaw pities critics who claim his play will fail simply because its runtime does not fit conventional scheduling.
Shaw dismisses the notion that a play's success depends on fitting a narrow time slot.