Dedication Summary

George Bernard Shaw's letter to Arthur Bingham Walkley is an epistle dedication to the play. Walkley asked Shaw, more than a decade before the play was written, why he had never written a Don Juan play. His question led to the creation of Man and Superman.

Shaw recounts the experiences he and Walkley had as critics, and he announces that he has finally written a Don Juan play, but he warns Walkley that it may not be what he is expecting. Shaw does not understand why the public is so interested in his plays, and he apologizes to Walkley for preaching.

Shaw finds all previous attempts to deal with the relationship between the sexes have been a failure. He is certain Walkley did not want him to write a trite Don Juan play as has been done in the past, so he had...