I haven't written a journal entry in a while, since I've been busy working on a new script, a variation on the Pygmalion and Galatea story.
In Ovid's version, Pygamalion is a confirmed bachelor, misogynist, and sculptor. One day, he starts carving a statue of a woman. He keeps carving it, perfecting it, till it is more beautiful than any woman, or statue of a woman, ever created. Then--wouldn't you know it?--the woman-hater falls in love with this woman, who is ideal, except for one thing: She isn't alive!
One day, the feast day of Venus goddess of love, Pygmalion prays to Venus to send him a living woman like his perfect statue. Venus, knowing what the sculptor wants but dares not ask for, answers Pygmalion's prayer. She brings to life this statue, which (or whom) he names Galatea. Well, you can guess what happens next: They marry, they have a kid, and while Ovid doesn't say so, it's a good bet they live happily ever after.
Of course, if this happened today, there'd be a political movement to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, rather than a man and an animated statue. But I digress.
My version is more like George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." You're probably more familiar with the musical version, "My Fair Lady." The basic story's the same: Henry Higgins, confirmed bachelor, misogynist, and phonetics expert molds cockney flower girl, Eliza (or Liza, as she says it) Doolittle into a refined lady suited to running her own flower shop. He falls in love with her, but she doesn't love him back, and, of course, they don't marry. The reason, in Shaw's words, is that "Galatea never does quite like Pygamlion: his relation to her is too godlike to be altogether agreeable."
Harry Sweet, my script's Henry Higgins, is a confirmed bachelor. It's not that he's a misogynist. It's just that he's not willing to settle for anyone less than his ideal woman. Much the same thing can be said for Henry Higgins, for whom no woman can quite measure up to his ideal woman, his mother. Egad! (By the way, I'm still looking for my ideal woman: A beautiful classics scholar. Latin pillow talk gets me hot!)
As for Higgins, part of the reason he remains unmarried is because he's an intellectual and his real passion is for intellectual things, like phonetics. Egad! He says at one point that he doesn't make small talk. He makes "large talk." Does this guy sound like me--or what?
Anyway, in my script, Harry Sweet, is not a phonetics expert, but a screenwriting guru. And Galatea--yeah, I think I'll stick with the name Galatea--is not a social climbing flower girl, but a hooker who wants to become a screenwriter. (Screenwriters are notorious for prostituting themselves, so it's not really that much of a stretch.) Anyway, she becomes Harry's student and, eventually, a successful screenwriter. Either the story ends with the Roman happily-ever-after ending or some form of Shavian anticlimax--I can't decide which.
That's all for now. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.
In Ovid's version, Pygamalion is a confirmed bachelor, misogynist, and sculptor. One day, he starts carving a statue of a woman. He keeps carving it, perfecting it, till it is more beautiful than any woman, or statue of a woman, ever created. Then--wouldn't you know it?--the woman-hater falls in love with this woman, who is ideal, except for one thing: She isn't alive!
One day, the feast day of Venus goddess of love, Pygmalion prays to Venus to send him a living woman like his perfect statue. Venus, knowing what the sculptor wants but dares not ask for, answers Pygmalion's prayer. She brings to life this statue, which (or whom) he names Galatea. Well, you can guess what happens next: They marry, they have a kid, and while Ovid doesn't say so, it's a good bet they live happily ever after.
Of course, if this happened today, there'd be a political movement to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, rather than a man and an animated statue. But I digress.
My version is more like George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." You're probably more familiar with the musical version, "My Fair Lady." The basic story's the same: Henry Higgins, confirmed bachelor, misogynist, and phonetics expert molds cockney flower girl, Eliza (or Liza, as she says it) Doolittle into a refined lady suited to running her own flower shop. He falls in love with her, but she doesn't love him back, and, of course, they don't marry. The reason, in Shaw's words, is that "Galatea never does quite like Pygamlion: his relation to her is too godlike to be altogether agreeable."
Harry Sweet, my script's Henry Higgins, is a confirmed bachelor. It's not that he's a misogynist. It's just that he's not willing to settle for anyone less than his ideal woman. Much the same thing can be said for Henry Higgins, for whom no woman can quite measure up to his ideal woman, his mother. Egad! (By the way, I'm still looking for my ideal woman: A beautiful classics scholar. Latin pillow talk gets me hot!)
As for Higgins, part of the reason he remains unmarried is because he's an intellectual and his real passion is for intellectual things, like phonetics. Egad! He says at one point that he doesn't make small talk. He makes "large talk." Does this guy sound like me--or what?
Anyway, in my script, Harry Sweet, is not a phonetics expert, but a screenwriting guru. And Galatea--yeah, I think I'll stick with the name Galatea--is not a social climbing flower girl, but a hooker who wants to become a screenwriter. (Screenwriters are notorious for prostituting themselves, so it's not really that much of a stretch.) Anyway, she becomes Harry's student and, eventually, a successful screenwriter. Either the story ends with the Roman happily-ever-after ending or some form of Shavian anticlimax--I can't decide which.
That's all for now. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
...read your post over in Regional Misfits and thought it would be neighborly to drop in on your page and chat you up.
You're a screenwriter, that's interesting 'cos I've been mulling over the idea of moving to Orlando to attend the Full Sail School of Film. I've always wanted to direct (man, that sounds dweebish). I think that I have some comedic writing skills, I'd hesitate to say I have any talent. I never attempted to write a screenplay before, the notion to do so has always intrigued me.
I see that you're also a fan of classic rock and roll, cool. Although you're not missing anything right now, perhaps you'd consider joining the Classic Rock SG group. We could certainly use more members with something intelligent and articulate to add to the discussions.
Well, that's it for now...
Oh, and if you don't already have enough SG Friends, please feel free to Add Me.
Peace