I had to look up the title to understand the mythological allusion. A man sculpts a girl, and she is given life by the gods. In the same way, Henry Higgins plucks Eliza Doolittle off the street and gives her a new life as a lady of society. Excellent, Mr. Shaw.
When I first read the play, I was shocked by its brevity. Where was the story? I thought. But, over time, I have come to realize that the stage is a far different medium that that of the conventional novel page. Only the core action can be portrayed in the limited time a play is allowed, and so many of the fascinating encounters sure to appear in a lengthier form of a story must be cut for time's sake. I can accept that.
The story was truly a great concept. I was enraptured with the linguistic content. Do our words really contain that many discernible sounds? Letting Higgins remain a bachelor was a wonderful touch. It was completely unexpected, and entirely appropriate.
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