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George Bernard Shaw

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Pygmalion: Introduction

Pygmalion: plot summary, pygmalion: detailed summary & analysis, pygmalion: themes, pygmalion: quotes, pygmalion: characters, pygmalion: symbols, pygmalion: literary devices, pygmalion: quizzes, pygmalion: theme wheel, brief biography of george bernard shaw.

Historical Context of Pygmalion

Other books related to pygmalion.

• Full Title: Pygmalion
• When Written: 1912
• Where Written: London
• When Published: 1912
• Literary Period: Victorian period
• Genre: Drama, comedy, comedy of manners
• Setting: London
• Climax: In act four, after winning the bet concerning Eliza, Higgins says he has been bored with his experiment, and treats Eliza poorly. Infuriated, Eliza throws Higgins' slippers at him and argues and fights with him.
• Antagonist: While Eliza and Higgins argue with each other, they both cooperate in order to fool London's high society. The rigid hierarchy of social classes in Victorian England can be seen as the antagonist against which all the characters struggle, as they deal with issues of class and wealth.

Extra Credit for Pygmalion

Double Threat. George Bernard Shaw is the only person to have ever won both the Nobel Prize in Literature and an Oscar. He won the Oscar for his work on a film adaptation of Pygmalion .

Thanks But No Thanks. At first, Shaw declined to accept the Nobel Prize. He later changed his mind, but still refused the prize money, wanting it instead to fund translations of Swedish literature into English.

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Introduction to Pygmalion

Summary of pygmalion, major themes in pygmalion, major characters in pygmalion, writing style of pygmalion, analysis of the literary devices in pygmalion, related posts:, post navigation.

by George Bernard Shaw

Pygmalion summary and analysis of act i.

It is raining in Covent Garden at 11:15 p.m. Clara complains that Freddy has not found a cab yet. Freddy returns to his mother and sister and explains that there are no cabs to be found. They chide him, and as he runs off to try again to find a cab, he knocks into Liza , a flower girl, spilling her flowers into the mud. Freddy's mother gives her sixpence when she complains that her flowers are ruined. Colonel Pickering comes onstage, and Liza tries to sell him a flower. He gives her three hapence. A bystander advises Liza to give Pickering a flower for it, because there is a man behind a pillar taking down every word that she says.

Liza becomes hysterical, claiming that she has done nothing wrong. She thinks that he is an informant for the police. The man, Higgins, shows Liza what he has written--which is not a record of possible misdeeds. When she complains that she cannot read it, he reads it out to her, reproducing what she has said in her exact accent.

Higgins amuses the small crowd that has gathered when he listens to what they say and guesses their hometowns with exactitude. Higgins whistles for a taxi for Clara and her mother, and they exit.

Liza picks her flowers out of the mud while Higgins explains to Pickering that he is able to guess where people are from because he studies phonetics. To make money, he gives lessons to millionaires to improve their English, which allows them to be accepted in higher social milieus. When Higgins finds out that Pickering has been in India and is the writer of [I]Spoken Sanskrit], he exclaims that he was planning to travel to India to meet the man. Pickering is equally excited when he realizes that he has happened upon the creator of "Higgins's Universal Alphabet"--for he has traveled from India to meet Higgins.

They arrange to have dinner together. Liza makes a last-ditch effort to sell Pickering some flowers, claiming that she is short for her rent. Having recorded what she was saying, Higgins points out that she cannot be short for her rent because she said she had change for half a crown. (His record traps her in her own words after all.) Liza flings her basket at him in desperation. Higgins hears a church bell tolling and generously fills her basket with money anyway, before leaving with Pickering.

Freddy arrives in a cab, looking for his mother and sister. He does not know what to do with the cab when he realizes that they have left already, but Liza wants to take the cab home. The cabman looks doubtful at her ragged appearance, but she shows him her money before she gets in.

Besides introducing the major characters of the play, this act introduces socioeconomic class as a central theme of Pygmalion . As a socialist, Shaw was particularly concerned with exploring and exposing the power divide between the poor and the rich. By setting the play in London, Shaw chooses to deal with a society that is particularly stratified. British class-consciousness is based not only on economic power, as it is in many other societies, but also on history (historic class differences). The play highlights British people's recognition of accents to differentiate among themselves not only geographically (a Welsh accent is distinct from a Scottish accent, which is distinct from a Surrey accent), but also to distinguish (on another but related dimension of accents) the various social classes.

Higgins's ability to pinpoint the location of origin of members of the crowd means not only that he can tell what part of England, or even what neighborhood of London, they are from, but also that he can probably guess fairly easily their socioeconomic status. In the early twentieth century, social mobility in Britain was slim to none, so the fact that Pickering's accent is audibly a Cambridge one (tying him to a very upper-class university) means that he is upper-class and likely to remain so. Conversely, Liza was born into Lisson Grove and, correspondingly, grew up speaking with what was considered a terrible accent. She is thus likely to remain poor not only because her family was poor, but also because everyone else can tell that she had a poor upbringing from the way that she speaks.

Nevertheless, Higgins's system of teaching better English serves to undermine the system in which his keen awareness of language so easily has allowed him to participate. Higgins, like Shaw, sees the strict hierarchy of British society as mutable after all. Higgins's alphabet is a new type of shorthand which more accurately conveys the exact sound of the speaker's voice. So, while normal shorthand conveys the content of a conversation, Higgins's form also records the intonation and accent of a speaker's voice. Even the name of his system of shorthand writing, "Higgins's Universal Alphabet," not only indicates that it reproduces all the sounds of language, but also implies that he believes that everyone should have access to elevated language.

Pygmalion Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Pygmalion is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What tensions already show in the relations between the Mother (later named as Mrs. Eynsford Hill), the Daughter (later named as Clara), and the son, Freddy?

It is raining in Covent Garden at 11:15 p.m. Clara complains that Freddy has not found a cab yet. Freddy returns to his mother and sister and explains that there are no cabs to be found. They chide him, and as he runs off to try again to find a...

What does Higgins mean when he says, “teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred”?

Higgins is answering Pickering's charge that he cannot be involved in an experiment where the girl (Eliza) is not treated with the utmost respect. Higgins replies that his pupils are sacred, which means regarded with reverence and respect.

explain the myth of pygmalion in what significant ways and with what effect.has shaw transformed that myth into his plav?

This story is about a sculptor who sculpts the most beautiful woman in stone ever and then falls in love with her. The sculptor's name is Pygmalion; the goddess in the myth transforms the stone into a real woman and they live happily ever...

Study Guide for Pygmalion

Pygmalion study guide contains a biography of George Bernard Shaw, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Pygmalion
• Pygmalion Summary
• Character List

Essays for Pygmalion

Pygmalion essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

• An Atypical Romance in Five Acts
• Nurture or Nature: The Gentleman Versus the Guttersnipe
• Pygmalion and Pretty Woman
• The Extent Contextual Attitudes and Values Regarding Gender and Class are Maintained or Altered in Pygmalion and Pretty Women
• The didactic purpose of Shaw's 'Pygmalion'

Lesson Plan for Pygmalion

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Pygmalion
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Pygmalion Bibliography

E-Text of Pygmalion

The Pygmalion e-text contains the full text of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

• Preface to Pygmalion

Wikipedia Entries for Pygmalion

• Introduction

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George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion": Character Analysis of Henry Higgins

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The Unconventional Bet and Henry Higgins' Eccentricity

Henry Higgins: A Complex Persona

Henry higgins: contradictions and struggles, conclusion: the enigma of henry higgins.

George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion": Character Analysis of Henry Higgins. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/pygmalion-play-review-essay

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StudyMoose. (2020). George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion": Character Analysis of Henry Higgins . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/pygmalion-play-review-essay [Accessed: 4 Sep. 2024]

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"George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion": Character Analysis of Henry Higgins," StudyMoose , 02-Jun-2020. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/pygmalion-play-review-essay. [Accessed: 4-Sep-2024]

StudyMoose. (2020). George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion": Character Analysis of Henry Higgins . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/pygmalion-play-review-essay [Accessed: 4-Sep-2024]

• Character Manipulation In The Novel Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw Pages: 3 (754 words)
• Characters of George Bernard Shaw's Play Pygmalion Pages: 3 (863 words)
• Female Autonomy in Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw Pages: 7 (2083 words)
• Communication in Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw Pages: 4 (1072 words)
• Eliza’s Transformation in Pygmalion by George Shaw Pages: 2 (537 words)
• The Radical Idea Of Marriage For Love: Bernard Shaw Comments Pages: 4 (912 words)
• Exploring Victorian Morality in Shaw's Pygmalion Pages: 3 (629 words)
• The Compelling Persona of Higgins: The Heart of the Play Pages: 5 (1377 words)
• The Complexity of Destiny: Shaw's "The Man of Destiny" Pages: 4 (969 words)
• Shame and Guilt: Hidden Metaphors in Bernard Schink’s ​The Reader Pages: 2 (387 words)

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Act Summaries & Analyses

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Discuss the similarities between Higgins and Pygmalion. Examine how Eliza and Pygmalion’s statue are alike and how they are different. How might Shaw be commenting upon the Pygmalion story? How are the lessons in the two stories similar or different?

How does Eliza Doolittle change over the course of the play? Which changes are the most meaningful? What do the constants in her character suggest about her character and Shaw’s themes?

How does Shaw reveal the hypocrisy and inconsistency of Victorian high society throughout the play? How does the transformation of Eliza reflect these flaws? Does Shaw present the possibility of social transformation as a positive or negative idea?

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Pygmalion review: George Bernard Shaw's classic is done a great disservice

Patsy Ferran as Eliza Dolittle in this revival of Pygmalion at the Old Vic

It might be the ultimate tale of transformation, but George Bernard Shaw’s great classic, Pygmalion looks a little misshapen in this new production at London’s Old Vic Theatre. The 1921 class-system satire, which follows flower girl Eliza Dolittle’s evolution from Covent Garden ‘cabbage leaf’ to a dress to impress a duchess, is weighted by a case of confused identity. Is Richard Jones’s revival an attempt to reinvent the vintage play? Or does he want to embrace its traditionalism? I’m not convinced he’s sure.

And what a pity this muddle is because the cast is made up of some of the greatest acting talent working onstage today. Patsy Ferran, who Tatler interviewed earlier this month, is quite the marvel as she contorts her vowels into cockney shapes and flails about the stage like elastic. Bertie Carvel as her teacher, Henry Higgins is reptilian, acid-tongued and irredeemably unpleasant. Bouncing on his heels with a cruel glee, he spits out foul language and taunts his new student eagerly. He is so desperate for Eliza to become a perfect reconstruction, he wastes no time being kind.

Patsy Ferran, an Olivier-award-winning ‘acting wizard’ according to former co-star Paul Mescal, is one of the greatest actors of her generation. Tatler ’s deputy features editor Annabel Sampson catches up with her on dialect lessons, impromptu – and unwelcome – fangirl moments on stage and following in the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn

Bertie Carvel is ‘reptilian’ as Henry Higgins in Pygmalion

But even with such flair, the pair get lost within Jones’s indecisive direction. The early London street scenes are played with excessive physical comedy, exaggerated dropped ‘aitches and noisy screams. It is unnatural and jarring – and perhaps intentional, but it makes Eliza and Higgins’ endless squabbles irksome.

This production is a blend of Shaw’s original 1912 script and his screenplay from 1938, but the setting is neither modern or historical. Stewart Laing’s design is almost scientific: made up of geometric structures, boards decorated with diagrams, and beige colours, it washes out the drama’s much needed fire. Everything is performed at an unnatural, heart-racing pace. Eliza’s elocution lessons are hurried through, and the struggle of her metamorphosis into a lady is never properly conveyed. Underscored with hectic and choppy piano music, the whole thing feels like a race to the finish line.

Bertie Carvel as Henry Higgins in Pygmalion

Robin Muir raises the curtain on fashion's greatest theatrics

Pygmalion should be a play of glitz, glamour and pizazz. After all, Eliza is stepping into the world of the aristocracy. But, Laing’s costumes are muted even in what should be the most dazzling of party scenes. Bizarrely, Higgins arrives at the Ambassador’s Ball in a scruffy brown suit he wears for the play’s entirety. There’s a lack of time specificity to the style too: Eliza is first seen in an anorak that looks present day and then, later, changes into 1930s inspired pinafores.

Other than Sylvestra Le Touzel as Henry’s decisively unimpressed mother, the rest of the supporting cast are shrunk to caricature. Taheen Modak looks nearly possessed as the love-struck Freddie, grinning from ear to ear. Lizzy Connolly as his sister, Clara, is shrill and one-note in her delivery. Jones’s direction does little to ham up the class divisions that are essential to Shaw’s text and instead, focuses his attention on drawing out the humour.

And yes, he might get the laughs. But, if Jones hoped to make any sort of astute commentary on today’s society, then he failed. At its core Pygmalion has things to say about the current moment – the coercive control present in Henry and Eliza's relationship is a power dynamic still dismally current. But here, the play has transitioned into something cartoonish and it makes for bizarre viewing. What a travesty for a revival that had so much promise.

Literary Devices used in Pygmalion

• Shaw uses irony to highlight the contrasts between characters’ perceptions and reality, particularly regarding social class and identity.

2. Symbolism

• Symbols such as Eliza’s hat and the Embassy Ball are used to represent broader themes of transformation and social status.
• The play employs satire to critique societal norms, especially the superficial nature of social class distinctions.

4. Metaphor

• Shaw uses metaphors to convey complex ideas about identity and transformation, such as comparing language to a tool for social change.
• The play’s realistic dialogue and situations ground its social critique in authentic experiences, making the themes relatable and impactful.

6. Foreshadowing

• Foreshadowing is used to hint at future events and character developments, building anticipation and tension.

7. Juxtaposition

• Juxtaposition contrasts different social classes and characters’ values, emphasizing the play’s exploration of social mobility and identity.

8. Allegory

• The play can be seen as an allegory for the broader societal issues of class and transformation, using characters and situations to represent larger themes.

9. Characterization

• Detailed characterization reveals the complexities of the characters, enhancing the play’s exploration of social and personal issues.

10. Dialogue

• Shaw’s use of dialogue is central to developing characters and advancing the plot , allowing for the exploration of themes and relationships.

Literary Devices Examples

. | | The absurdity of social pretensions | Highlights the ridiculous nature of societal expectations and class judgments. |

Foreshadowing

Juxtaposition

Characterization

Q: What is the main theme of Pygmalion ?

A: The main theme of Pygmalion is the exploration of social class and transformation. Shaw examines how identity and social status can be altered through external changes and critiques the superficial nature of class distinctions.

Q: How does Shaw use satire in Pygmalion ?

A: Shaw uses satire to critique societal norms, particularly the superficial nature of social class distinctions and the pretentiousness of high society. His witty dialogue and humorous situations expose the absurdities of social expectations.

Q: What is the significance of the Embassy Ball in the play ?

A: The Embassy Ball is a pivotal event where Eliza’s transformation is tested. It symbolizes high society and exposes the superficial nature of social acceptance. The ball serves as a turning point in the play , revealing the true nature of social pretensions.

Q: How does Eliza’s character evolve throughout the play ?

A: Eliza evolves from a naive flower girl into a self-aware and assertive woman. Her journey reflects her struggle with identity and personal empowerment as she navigates the challenges of social transformation and self-discovery.

Q: What role does Professor Higgins play in Eliza’s transformation?

A: Professor Higgins is central to Eliza’s transformation, as he uses his expertise in phonetics to alter her speech and manners. His role, however, is both constructive and problematic, as he often treats Eliza as an experiment rather than a person with her own needs and emotions.

Identify and analyze the use of literary devices in the following passage from Pygmalion :

“Eliza stood at the threshold of the ballroom, her dress shimmering under the chandeliers. The guests, their faces masked in polite curiosity, turned their eyes towards her, as if she were a creature from another world.”

• Symbolism :
• “Eliza’s dress shimmering under the chandeliers” symbolizes her transformation and newfound status, contrasting her former identity.
• Juxtaposition :
• “Eliza stood at the threshold of the ballroom” vs. “guests turned their eyes towards her” highlights the contrast between Eliza’s modest origins and the high society’s superficial interest in her appearance.
• “As if she were a creature from another world” compares Eliza to an exotic being, emphasizing her alienation and the societal fascination with her transformation.

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• NEWS EXPLAINER
• 28 August 2024

Mpox is spreading rapidly. Here are the questions researchers are racing to answer

• Sara Reardon

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

You have full access to this article via your institution.

Monkeypox virus particles (shown in this coloured electron micrograph) can spread through close contact with people and animals. Credit: NIAID/Science Photo Library

When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public-health emergency over mpox earlier this month , it was because a concerning form of the virus that causes the disease had spread to multiple African countries where it had never been seen before. Since then, two people travelling to Africa — one from Sweden and one from Thailand — have become infected with that type of virus, called clade Ib, and brought it back to their countries.

Monkeypox virus: dangerous strain gains ability to spread through sex, new data suggest

Although researchers have known about the current outbreak since late last year, the need for answers about it is now more pressing than ever. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spent decades grappling with monkeypox clade I virus — the lineage to which Ib belongs. But in the past, clade I infections usually arose when a person came into contact with wild animals, and outbreaks would fizzle out.

Clade Ib seems to be different, and is spreading largely through contact between humans, including through sex . Around 18,000 suspected cases of mpox, many of them among children, and at least 600 deaths potentially attributable to the disease have been reported this year in the DRC alone.

How does this emergency compare with one declared in 2022, when mpox cases spread around the globe? How is this virus behaving compared with the version that triggered that outbreak, a type called clade II? And will Africa be able to rein this one in? Nature talks to researchers about information they are rushing to gather.

Is clade Ib more deadly than the other virus types?

It’s hard to determine, says Jason Kindrachuk, a virologist at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He says that the DRC is experiencing two outbreaks simultaneously. The clade I virus, which has been endemic in forested regions of the DRC for decades, circulates in rural regions, where people get it from animals. That clade was renamed Ia after the discovery of clade Ib. Studies in animals suggest that clade I is deadlier than clade II 1 — but Kindrachuk says that it’s hard to speculate on what that means for humans at this point.

Even when not fatal, mpox can trigger fevers, aches and painful fluid-filled skin lesions.

Growing mpox outbreak prompts WHO to declare global health emergency

Although many reports state that 10% of clade I infections in humans are fatal, infectious-disease researcher Laurens Liesenborghs at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, doubts that this figure is accurate. Even the WHO’s latest estimate of a 3.5% fatality rate for people with mpox in the DRC might be high.

There are many reasons that fatality estimates might be unreliable, Liesenborghs says. For one, surveillance data capture only the most severe cases; many people who are less ill might not seek care at hospitals or through physicians, so their infections go unreported.

Another factor that can confound fatality rates is a secondary health condition. For example, people living with HIV — who can represent a large proportion of the population in many African countries — die from mpox at twice the rate of the general population 2 , especially if their HIV is untreated. And the relatively high death rate among children under age 5 could be partly because of malnutrition, which is common among kids in rural parts of the DRC, Liesenborghs says.

Is clade Ib more transmissible than other types?

The clade Ib virus has garnered particular attention because epidemiological data suggest that it transmits more readily between people than previous strains did, including through sexual activity, whereas clade Ia mostly comes from animals. An analysis posted ahead of peer review on the preprint server medRxiv 3 shows that clade Ib’s genome contains genetic mutations that seem to have been induced by the human immune system, suggesting that it has been in humans for some time. Clade Ia genomes have fewer of these mutations.

But Liesenborghs says that the mutations and clades might not be the most important factor in understanding how monkeypox virus spreads. Although distinguishing Ia from Ib is useful in tracking the disease, he says, the severity and transmissibility of the disease could be affected more by the region where the virus is circulating and the people there. Clade Ia, for instance, seems to be more common in sparsely populated rural regions where it is less likely to spread far. Clade Ib is cropping up in densely populated areas and spreading more readily.

Jean Nachega, an infectious-disease physician at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, says that scientists don’t understand many aspects of mpox transmission — they haven’t even determined which animal serves as a reservoir for the virus in the wild, although rodents are able to carry it. “We have to be very humble,” Nachega says.

How effective are vaccines against the clade I virus?

Just as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts are looking to vaccines to help curb this mpox outbreak. Although there are no vaccines designed specifically against the monkeypox virus, there are two vaccines proven to ward off a related poxvirus — the one that causes smallpox. Jynneos, made by biotechnology company Bavarian Nordic in Hellerup, Denmark, contains a type of poxvirus that can’t replicate but can trigger an immune response. LC16m8, made by pharmaceutical company KM Biologics in Kumamoto, Japan, contains a live — but weakened — version of a different poxvirus strain.

Hopes dashed for drug aimed at monkeypox virus spreading in Africa

Still, it’s unclear how effective these smallpox vaccines are against mpox generally. Dimie Ogoina, an infectious-disease specialist at Niger Delta University in Wilberforce Island, Nigeria, points out that vaccines have been tested only against clade II virus in European and US populations, because these shots were distributed by wealthy nations during the 2022 global outbreak . And those recipients were primarily young, healthy men who have sex with men, a population that was particularly susceptible during that outbreak. One study in the United States found that one dose of Jynneos was 80% effective at preventing the disease in at-risk people, whereas two doses were 82% effective 4 ; the WHO recommends getting both jabs.

People in Africa infected with either the clade Ia or Ib virus — especially children and those with compromised immune systems — might respond differently. However, one study in the DRC found that the Jynneos vaccine generally raised antibodies against mpox in about 1,000 health-care workers who received it 5 .

But researchers are trying to fill in some data gaps. A team in the DRC is about to launch a clinical trial of Jynneos in people who have come into close contact with the monkeypox virus — but have not shown symptoms — to see whether it can prevent future infection, or improve outcomes if an infection arises.

Will the vaccines help to rein in the latest outbreak?

Mpox vaccines have been largely unavailable in Africa, but several wealthy countries have pledged to donate doses to the DRC and other affected African nations. The United States has offered 50,000 Jynneos doses from its national stockpile, and the European Union has ordered 175,000, with individual member countries pledging extra doses. Bavarian Nordic has also added another 40,000. Japan has offered 3.5 million doses of LC16m8 — for which only one jab is recommended instead of two.

Monkeypox in Africa: the science the world ignored

None of them have arrived yet, though, says Espoir Bwenge Malembaka, an epidemiologist at the Catholic University of Bukavu in the DRC. Low- and middle-income nations cannot receive vaccines until the WHO has deemed the jabs safe and effective. And the WHO has not given its thumbs up yet. It is evaluating data from vaccine manufacturers, delaying donors’ ability to send the vaccines.

Even when the vaccines arrive, Bwenge Malembaka says, “it’s really a drop in the bucket”. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, estimates that 10 million doses are needed to rein in the outbreak.

Bwenge Malembaka says that the uncertainty over vaccine arrival has made it difficult for the government to form a distribution plan. “I don’t know how one can go about this kind of challenge,” he says. Bwenge Malembaka suspects that children are likely to receive doses first, because they are highly vulnerable to clade I, but officials haven’t decided which regions to target. It’s also unclear how the government would prioritize other vulnerable populations such as sex workers, who have been affected by clade Ib. Their profession is criminalized in the DRC, so they might not be able to come forward for treatment.

Researchers lament that public-health organizations didn’t provide vaccines and other resources as soon as the clade I outbreak was identified, especially given lessons learnt from the 2022 global mpox outbreak. “The opportunity was there a couple months ago to cut this transmission chain, but resources weren’t available,” Liesenborghs says. “Now, it will be more challenging to tackle this outbreak, and the population at risk is much broader.”

Nature 633 , 16-17 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02793-9

Americo, J. L., Earl, P. L. & Moss, B. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 120 , e2220415120 (2023).

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22 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall

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As vacations wrap up and classes resume, trade in those sandy beach reads for more ambitious fare this fall. If you’re desperate for a break from politics — it is an election year, after all — look for dispatches from the mind of Orhan Pamuk, the latest humanistic work from Yuval Noah Harari and tell-alls by Connie Chung, Alex Van Halen and Lisa Marie Presley. If you’d rather lean into the political season, you might pick up biographies of John Lewis and Mitch McConnell or memoirs by Ketanji Brown Jackson, Alexei Navalny and Angela Merkel. Ta-Nehisi Coates returns with an essay collection on collective mythmaking, and an alarming account by Porter Fox warns of coming superstorms. Find these and others among our most anticipated nonfiction books of the fall.

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