BERNARD SHAW’S The Black Girl in Search of God The Story behind the Story Leon Hugo Bernard Shaw’s The Black Girl in Search of God The Florida Bernard Shaw Series Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers Florida International University, Miami Florida State University, Tallahassee University of Central Florida, Orlando University of Florida, Gainesville University of North Florida, Jacksonville University of South Florida, Tampa University of West Florida, Pensacola The Florida Bernard Shaw Series Edited by R. F. Dietrich This series was made possible by a generous grant from the David and Rachel Howie Foundation. Pygmalion’s Wordplay: The Postmodern Shaw, by Jean Reynolds (1999) Shaw’s Theater, by Bernard F. Dukore (2000) Bernard Shaw and the French, by Michel W. Pharand (2001) The Matter with Ireland, second edition, edited by Dan H. Laurence and David H. Greene (2001) Bernard Shaw’s Remarkable Religion: A Faith That Fits the Facts, by Stuart E. Baker (2002) Bernard Shaw’s The Black Girl in Search of God: The Story behind the Story, by Leon Hugo (2003) “Hiding green thoughts in green shade.” Farleigh’s cover design for The Black Girl. Reproduced by permission of The Society of Authors, on behalf of the Bernard Shaw Estate. Bernard Shaw’s The Black Girl in Search of God The Story behind the Story Leon Hugo University Press of Florida Gainesville ·Tallahassee ·Tampa ·Boca Raton Pensacola ·Orlando ·Miami ·Jacksonville ·Ft. Myers Copyright 2003 by Leon Hugo Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, TCF (totally chlorine-free) paper All rights reserved 08 07 06 05 04 03 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hugo, Leon. Bernard Shaw’s The black girl in search of God : the story behind the story / Leon Hugo. p. cm. — (The Florida Bernard Shaw Series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8130-2626-1 1. Shaw, Bernard, 1856–1950. Adventures of the black girl in search of God. 2. Women, Black, in literature. 3. Religion in literature. 4. God in literature. I. Title. II. Series. PR5365.A42H84 2003 822'.912—dc21 2003047335 The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida. University Press of Florida 15 Northwest 15th Street Gainesville, FL 32611–2079 http://www.upf.com Contents List of Illustrations ix Foreword xi Acknowledgments xv 1. Antecedents: Voltaire and Others 1 2. Foreshadowing 24 3. Accident 40 4. Publication 52 5. Reaction, Censorship, Repudiation 71 6. Rejoinder 98 7. Champion 130 Notes 151 Works Cited 157 Index 163 Illustrations following page 59 Frontispiece: Farleigh’s cover design for The Black Girl 1. Shaw’s rendering of Micah 2. Farleigh’s rendering of Micah 3. Shaw’s rendering of “the myop” (Pavlov) 4. Farleigh has eliminated the carrion birds 5. Shaw’s version of the Roman soldier 6. Farleigh’s Roman soldier 7. Cover design for C. H. Maxwell’s Adventures of the White Girl in Her Search for God 8. Title page of W. R. Matthews’s The Adventures of Gabriel in His Search for Mr Shaw 9. Cover design for Marcus Hyman’s The Adventures of the White Girl in Her Search for Knowledge 10. Shaw criticizing his version of the “laborer in flight” 11. Farleigh’s rendering of the “laborer in flight”