Introduction: “Press as Corrected, G.B.S.”

Abstract

The author traces Shaw’s use of the word “advertisement” and its variants in his literary and journalistic writing over the course of his career in order to gauge his definition of the word and understanding of the concept. For Shaw, “advertising” provided a vocabulary for various critiques (theater, the middle-classes, capitalism) but also a context within which the relationship between the individual and overarching authority could be negotiated. Indeed, sedulous self-promotion was essential for his valorized “world betterers” who successfully harnessed marketing as a vehicle towards advancement and sought to stave off being harnessed into a mere hoarding, complicit with oppressive economic forces. For his part, Shaw was so adept at creating a lucrative brand that “G.B.S.” became a marketing tool for other entities within public campaigns. Always his own best copywriter, he and his early biographers had to fend off critics who charged him with vulgar self-advertisement. More recently, his appearances across media throughout his professional career have been affirmed as remarkably prescient. Marketing Shavian physical, mental, and spiritual fitness via “G.B.S.,” Shaw was a master of the “near-testimonial” in which he managed to retain integrity and individual autonomy apart from client and product within the space of the advert.