Mr. Bernard Shaw has based the action of _You Never Can Tell_ on
the amazing coincidence that Mrs. Clandon and her children, coming to
England after eighteen years' absence, should by pure chance run
straight into the arms, or rather into the teeth, of the husband and
father whom the mother, at any rate, only wishes to avoid. This is no
bad starting-point for an extravaganza; but even Mr. Shaw, though a
despiser of niceties of craftsmanship, introduces no coincidences into
serious plays such as _Candida_ or _The Doctor's Dilemma_.
* * * * *
[Footnote 1: The malignant caricature of Cromwell in W.G. Wills'
_Charles_ I did not, indeed, prevent the acceptance of the play by the
mid-Victorian public; but it will certainly shorten the life of the one
play which might have secured for its author a lasting place in dramatic
literature. It is unimaginable that future generations should accept a
representation of Cromwell as
"A mouthing patriot, with an itching palm,
In one hand menace, in the other greed.
Pages:
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403