7 h 48 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 48 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the great romantic chase begins with a man determined not to be caught?
In Bernard Shaw's four-act comedy Man and Superman, John Tanner talks boldly about freedom but fears marriage. A dead man's will makes him one of Ann Whitefield's guardians. Ann seems graceful and obedient, yet she knows what she wants—and quietly steers the people around her.
Shaw turns the Don Juan legend upside down, surrounding the chase with a lovesick poet, a sharp chauffeur and brigands in the Spanish mountains. In the dream scene Don Juan in Hell, the arguments reach beyond romance to the Life Force: Shaw's idea of what drives men and women toward each other.
What you’ll discover
- A revolutionary under pressure Meet a man whose bold defence of freedom runs straight into his fear of marriage.
- Ann's quiet command Watch apparent obedience become a source of power in a comedy of pursuit.
- Wit against respectability Enjoy sharp exchanges as proud opinions meet people who refuse to play along.
- Don Juan in Hell Enter a long dream scene where romantic comedy opens into an argument about life.
- The force beneath desire Explore Shaw's Life Force and the questions it raises about romance, freedom and evolution.
Who will love it
Das wird Ihnen gefallen, wenn Sie Komödien mit schlagfertigen Dialogen, streitlustigen Paaren und großen Gedanken über Liebe, Ehe und die Zukunft der Menschheit mögen.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Eine Widmung fordert Don Juan zur Verwandlung heraus
- Ein Testament verpflichtet 2 Vormünder
- Jack warnt Tavy: Ann will ihn verschlingen
- Violets Geheimnis entzweit Familie und Moral
- Ann und Jack erinnern sich an ihren Kindheitspakt
- Das Automobil, der Chauffeur und der neue Mensch
- Jack flieht nach Spanien und gerät unter Räuber
- Don Juan streitet in der Hölle mit dem Teufel
- Die Lebenskraft macht Frauen zu Jägerinnen und Männer zu Werkzeugen
- Wie das Stück endet und erzählt wird
Who’s who
- John TannerGenannt Jack, ein reicher, rastloser Vielredner und Verfasser eines Handbuchs für Revolutionäre, der die Ehe fürchtet und nur frei sein will.
- Ann WhitefieldEine charmante, pflichtbewusste junge Frau, die immer bekommt, was sie will, und einen bestimmten Mann im Auge hat.
- Octavius RobinsonGenannt Tavy, ein sanfter Dichter, der Ann verehrt und ein Stück über sie schreiben will.
- Roebuck RamsdenEin alter Radikaler mit festen Ansichten und blanker Glatze, entsetzt über Jacks Buch und nun einer von Anns Vormündern.
- Violet RobinsonTavys Schwester, beherrscht und scharfsinnig, die ihre Ehe geheim hält und ihren Mann nicht nennen will.
- Henry StrakerJacks Chauffeur, ein kluger Ingenieur, den Jack den neuen Menschen nennt und der mehr erkennt als sein Arbeitgeber.
- MendozaDer dichterische Anführer der Räuber in der Sierra, ein ehemaliger Kellner, der noch immer eine Frau namens Louisa liebt.
- Don JuanDer geisterhafte Vorfahr des Helden im Traum, der die Freuden der Hölle verlässt, um die Arbeit des Himmels zu suchen.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Mensch und Übermensch: Eine Komödie und eine Philosophie in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Mensch und Übermensch: Eine Komödie und eine Philosophie
by Bernard Shaw · 1903
John Tanner rast im Automobil durch Spanien, um Ann Whitefield zu entkommen, und trifft auf Räuber und einen Traum von der Hölle.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanischFranzösischDeutschItalienischJapanischPortugiesischEnglischHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What happens when a man who despises marriage becomes the target of a woman who has already decided to have him? That is the question behind Man and Superman, a comedy Bernard Shaw finished in 1903.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Eine Widmung fordert Don Juan zur Verwandlung heraus
Das Stück beginnt mit einem Brief an Arthur Walkley, der um ein Don-Juan-Stück gebeten hatte. Hier sei es, erklärt Shaw, und macht den Kritiker für alles Weitere verantwortlich. Hinter dem Scherz steht die Frage, wie eine Don-Juan-Geschichte aussehen sollte.
Ein spanischer Mönch erzählte die alte Geschichte als Warnung. Spätere Autoren machten den Rebellen reizvoller als die Moral. Ein moderner Don Juan könne kein bloßer Wüstling sein, meint Shaw: Kein Adliger wage mehr, seinen Gemüsehändler zu schockieren.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1903
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 5 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Shaw, Bernard. Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/man-and-superman-a-comedy-and-a-philosophy.
Shaw, B. (2026). Man and superman: A comedy and a philosophy. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/man-and-superman-a-comedy-and-a-philosophy (Original work published 1903)
Shaw, Bernard. Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/man-and-superman-a-comedy-and-a-philosophy.
@book{shaw2026man,
author = {Shaw, Bernard},
title = {Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/man-and-superman-a-comedy-and-a-philosophy},
note = {First published 1903}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Mensch und Übermensch: Eine Komödie und eine Philosophie
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
Worum geht es in Mensch und Übermensch?
Das Stück folgt Jack Tanner, einem überzeugten Junggesellen, der zu Ann Whitefields Vormund ernannt wird und ihr zu entkommen versucht. Dabei fragt es, wer in der Liebe eigentlich wen jagt und warum.
Was bedeutet der Übermensch in dem Stück?
Er ist eine höhere Art von Mensch, die die Lebenskraft eines Tages hervorbringen könnte. Shaw übernimmt die Idee von Nietzsche. Im Traum sucht Dona Ana nach einem Vater für ein solches Wesen.
Wer ist Don Juan in Mensch und Übermensch?
Jack Tanner ist ein moderner Don Juan. Der Traum in Akt 3 zeigt seinen Vorfahren, den legendären alten Verführer, der in der Hölle mit dem Teufel und einer steinernen Statue streitet.
The author
Bernard Shaw
1856–1950 · Irish playwright and critic
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was an Irish playwright and critic. Born in Dublin, he moved to London in 1876 and later lived in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, where he died. His plays include Arms and the Man (1894), Man and Superman (1903), Major Barbara (1905), and Pygmalion (1912).
More by Bernard Shaw
Alle Bücher des Autors ansehenMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in poetry and plays
See all
