Bernard Shaw has been called "the liveliest and, in many ways, the youngest intellect of the century." This estimate is fully supported by the three "problem" plays in this volume:

SAINT JOAN, a searching portrayal of Joan of Arc—one of Shaw's greatest successes in the theatre, MAJOR BARBARA, a devastating indictment of insincere philanthropy—regarded by some critics as one of Shaw's finest works, ANDROCLES AND THE LION, a brilliant exploration of the varieties of faith—a perennial favorite of Shaw admirers.

Often disconcerting and irreverent, Shaw never fails to be thought-provoking in his charmingly witty way. The Modern Library takes pride in adding these plays to those already available in Four Plays by Bernard Shaw (ML 1 9).