“ It is a woman's business to get married as soon as possible, and a man's to keep unmarried as long as he can. ”
George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman (1903). copy citation
| Author | George Bernard Shaw |
|---|---|
| Source | Man and Superman |
| Topic | men women marriage |
| Date | 1903 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3328/3328-h/3328-h.htm |
Context
“You need not sit looking longingly at the bait through the wires of the trap: the door is open, and will remain so until it shuts behind you for ever.
OCTAVIUS. I wish I could believe that, vilely as you put it.
TANNER. Why, man, what other work has she in life but to get a husband? It is a woman's business to get married as soon as possible, and a man's to keep unmarried as long as he can. You have your poems and your tragedies to work at: Ann has nothing.
OCTAVIUS. I cannot write without inspiration. And nobody can give me that except Ann.
TANNER. Well, hadn't you better get it from her at a safe distance?” source
OCTAVIUS. I wish I could believe that, vilely as you put it.
TANNER. Why, man, what other work has she in life but to get a husband? It is a woman's business to get married as soon as possible, and a man's to keep unmarried as long as he can. You have your poems and your tragedies to work at: Ann has nothing.
OCTAVIUS. I cannot write without inspiration. And nobody can give me that except Ann.
TANNER. Well, hadn't you better get it from her at a safe distance?” source
Meaning and analysis
