{"product_id":"arms-and-the-man","title":"Arms and the Man","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat becomes of a romantic heroine’s ideals when a soldier climbs into her room carrying chocolate instead of cartridges?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Bernard Shaw’s three-act comedy Arms and the Man, Raina Petkoff dreams of military glory in her family’s comfortable Bulgarian home. Her fiancé, Major Sergius Saranoff, is the hero of a cavalry charge. Then Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss soldier serving in the Serbian army, climbs onto her balcony seeking refuge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBluntschli wants to survive, not look noble. His empty pistol and precious chocolate challenge everything Raina admires about soldiers. Around them, the Petkoff household guards its social standing, while the proud maid Louka wants a better place in the world. Sharp talk and awkward entrances turn love, honour and class into lively comic arguments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChocolate instead of cartridges\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet a hungry soldier whose practical choices make military glory look very different.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA bedroom under siege\u003c\/strong\u003e – Step into Raina’s room as gunshots outside bring an unwelcome stranger to her balcony.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe burden of heroism\u003c\/strong\u003e – Watch Sergius struggle with the grand role his celebrated cavalry charge gives him.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePride above and below stairs\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow Louka’s ambition as she pushes against the place her employers expect her to accept.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComedy with awkward entrances\u003c\/strong\u003e – Enjoy hidden objects, sharp exchanges and sudden arrivals that put fine ideals under pressure.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for lovers of witty comedy, plays about ideas and stories that laugh at heroes, including students meeting Shaw for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and enter a household where heroic dreams face some very practical questions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"eBook","offer_id":58289275896156,"sku":"LOA-C334-EB","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":58289275928924,"sku":"LOA-C334-AU","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":58289275961692,"sku":"LOA-C334-PB","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":58289275994460,"sku":"LOA-C334-HC","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/loa-top-00334-en_a5934971-fce8-4a32-89ed-0f06dd3f5c7b.jpg?v=1792697427","url":"https:\/\/libraryofalexandria.com\/fr\/products\/arms-and-the-man","provider":"The Library of Alexandria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}