![]() ![]() ‘In my view any claims she has on GBS’s estate do not arise until after we had finished with the matter,’ the official wrot The files show that Dicker’s mother had complained about her daughter being ordered to stay on at the house ‘even after his death’.Īn official notes in the files that the mother was told ‘this department had absolutely no official connection with the appointment’ and that it was ‘merely doing a personal favour for GBS’. Mr Shaw died at home, aged 94, just months after Ms Dicker’s appointment.Īround seven months after Shaw’s death, the Department of External Affairs moved to distance itself from the appointment. she promised to adapt herself to the routine of what I imagine to be a rather difficult household – at least we must admit it is unusual and not every girl would fit in there.’ ![]() In a subsequent note confirming her appointment, Miss Mooney beamed that she was ‘so glad’ Ms Dicker was successful ‘and I think we are very lucky to get her’. Miss Mooney added: ‘She is quite willing to take any orders and adapt herself and any impression we might have had at first that the glamour of the post attracted her was soon dispelled by her sensible and matter of fact attitude.’ Eliza is confusing them to create a comic effect.It was noted that Ms Dicker ‘admits that she does like dancing and pictures but says they are not essential to her and she would be quite satisfied to cycle into Welwyn on her days off and find her own amusement in whatever it has to offer’. reputation - that people see you as trustworthy and honest. In the first quote it is the “Character reference” and in the second it is the general “character”, i.e. (I have looked at my city's regulations for street traders, and a character reference is still done, but now it is more commonly known as a "police check" or "police vetting" or "criminal records check".)īut in this case, it doesn't make a lot of sense, because only a street vendor would need a permit, and not "any lady". It was commonly referred to as “a character.” This was usually by way of a statement from the police that the person had not been convicted of any crime, or an official stamp from the police station that the declaration by made by the applicant of "being of good character" was true. The permit was granted only to those “of good character”. The Russian is accurate as far as the meaning goes, but does not capture the nuance that roots Eliza firmly in the low-aspirational working classes.Įliza was a flower seller: she needed a permit. What is the specific meaning of the phrase "take away my character"? Is it some kind of legal procedure which would label her as a known prostitute, or just a rumor going on, or what? But the peculiar wording, and the fact that the Russian translator decided to go with a different meaning, planted some doubt in my mind. I think that this just means "ruin my reputation". It doesn't make a lot of sense, because only a street vendor would need a permit, and not "any lady". The last sentence, literally, means: "I need my permit, as any lady does". The Russian translation of "Pygmalion", which otherwise is good (as far as I can judge), has it as у меня отберут патент, which literally means "they'll suspend my (street vendor's) permit". ![]() My character is the same to me as any lady’s.Īpparently, she is afraid that she would be charged with soliciting for prostitution, then "they" would "take away her character" (whatever it means), and this would make her lose her home. They’ll take away my character and drive me on the streets for speaking to gentlemen. In Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion", Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl, is worried that Higgins, whom she sees making notes and mistakes for a plain-clothed cop, will "take away her character": ![]()
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