Discuss “You Never Can Tell” as an Anti-Romantic Comedy.
You Never Can Tell is a notable literary work by George Bernard Shaw. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of You Never Can Tell.
Answer
Is “You Never Can Tell” an Anti-Romantic Comedy?
In the play “You Never Can Tell” (1898), Shaw (1856 – 1950) attacks the romantic ideas about love and marriage. By romanticism, Shaw means all that is not based on facts and reality. This play is anti-romantic because Shaw satirizes the romantic and idealistic notions about love and life.
Anti-Romantic Comedy: The term ‘anti’ means against or opposite, and anti-romantic comedy signifies the opposite of romantic comedy. To put it differently, Anti-romantic is a type of comedy in which romantic fascinations are disrupted. ‘You Never Can Tell’ is an anti-romantic comedy because Shaw satirizes a cynical attitude toward love, marriage, and life.
Ironical Setting: At the beginning of the play, we notice that the plot starts very romantically but gradually turns into bitter experiences of love and marital life.
Anti-Romantic Ideology or Ideas: Shaw expresses his ideas against traditional thinking. He satirizes love and marriage and modern Victorian society. Mrs. Clandon thinks she teaches her children her philosophy and ideals, but she fails because her daughter, Gloria, disobeys her ideals and falls in love with Valentine. Mrs. Clandon tries to dissuade Gloria from falling in love with Valentine.
Anti-romantic attitude to love: Shaw has an anti-romantic attitude to love. Being Shaw’s mouthpiece, Valentine expresses his creator’s attitude to love. Valentine told Gloria that his attack on the conflict of love is not conventional. He does not kneel in front of her. She doesn’t worship and adore her like a romantic lover. Instead, he hugs her tightly and kisses her lips. Valentine says:
Nature was in deadly earnest with me when I was in jest with her.
Here, he applies his new method to overcome new women’s resistance. His work is more direct and realistic, and Valentine unconventionally wins Gloria’s heart.
Witty Dialogue: Valentine is a wit person. When Gloria wants an explanation of man-woman attraction for each other, Valentine describes it in terms of chemistry. Valentine also illustrates that their relationship is like a chemical reaction. In a chemical reaction, a new is always produced by mixing at least two elements. Likewise, the relationship between man and woman is prolific because a new human comes to this world through such a relationship.
No, no, no. Not love: we know better than that. Let’s call it Chemistry.
Morality for Anti-romantic Comedy: Every literary work bears morality for humans, and ‘You Never Can Tell’ is no exception. The play’s morality is that everyone can never tell what will happen in the future. Man needs a family, and marital life needs mutual understanding. Walter Buhon says:
It’s unwise to be born; it’s unwise to be married; it’s unwise to live; and it’s unwise to die.
From the above discussion, it is undoubted that this play is an anti-romantic comedy because it fulfills all elements of anti-romantic comedy. Shaw breaks the conventional ideals of love and marriage and expresses his realistic view.