"A Father's Heart, as It Were": Paternal Shaw

Although this article begins with irony and satire, which are among Shaw's trademarks, it provides a view of Shaw as compassionate and caring—in his life and in his writings. Although he was not a father, he was paternal not only toward his friends' children and grandchildren, but also toward children he did not personally know. Throughout his life, he wrote about and to children and parents, and gave them advice on books, school, and upbringing. As a socialist, he decried the exploitation of children for the profit of parents and plutocrats. As a human being, he warned of child molestation and the difficulties presented by the law if a parent went to it for redress. This article also treats the question of whether Shaw might have become a father.