Harry Hamilton Johnston (1858–1927)

In Mrs. Warren's Daughter, Sir Harry Johnston attempts to pick up where Vivie's story left off at the end of George Bernard Shaw's play, Mrs. Warren's Profession. The first three quarters of the book are a first wave feminist polemic set to the tune of Victor/Victoria, in which we find Vivie agitating for women's rights by donning men's clothing and representing suffragettes in court. The last quarter of the book follows Vivie's rather unfortunate move to Brussels in August of 1914. You can guess how that goes.

Sir Harry Johnston notes in his introduction that "though he [Shaw] has not renounced polite interest in Vivie he is in no way responsible for her career and behaviour. He may even be annoyed at both." I suspect he was. Johnston takes Shaw's sharply drawn social commentary and turns it into an extremely silly caricature. The result is pretty dreadful and mostly pointless. However! as a work of 1920s fanfic, it's touching that Sir Harry wanted to give this project a go. I honor the desire without thinking much of the effort.… (meer)