— Aljermaine Glaze
Is the translated version of Pygmalion by Rolfe Humphries , 2004 a great work? This answer to this question is two fold and does not quite bring an immediate answer to mind. It makes me look deeper into both words. When I think of the word great, something of reverence immediately comes to mind. Work immediately makes me think of labor but in the contexts of literature I picture words on a piece of paper. In literature I expect a great work to have many qualities. Some qualities would be; enjoyable, intriguing, insightful and something that turns on an emotional switch. I really enjoyed the piece about Pygmalion because I feel like I was able to take away insightful information from the reading. First thoughts on this piece was Pygmalion’s dedication and focus to his artwork. The text stated, “Only too often, chose to live alone, To have no woman in his bed. But meanwhile He made, with marvelous art, an ivory statue.” I thought he was a bit cuckoo for cocoa puffs, as he started to adore the ivory statue to the point I felt he literally was falling in love with an inanimate object. It seems that in his mind he created the perfect image of a woman he could marry. He mentioned he was shocked at the woman’s vices and I believe this is why he chose to not have any woman in his bed. He used wisdom in this matter to not corrupt himself with the immoral women. It makes sense why he prayed for his wife to be like the ivory woman who he described as a virgin. Pygmalion seem to know exactly what he wanted and would not settle for less. I think readers can learn from Pygmalion and not settle for less or below standards but wait patiently for a person that will meet majority of their criteria. If we can practice this in society maybe we can limit second and third marriages. I would consider Pygmalion to be a great work because it meets my criteria of great works.
