action, Shaw's theory that thewoman is the great and aggressive pursuer of the man and that this will lead to a higher evolutionary state, as the best women seek out and conquer the smartest and most creative men by persuading them to marry and procreate. Ann Whitefield, with her "ensnaring eyes and hair" and high degree of vital energy, is an example of this kind of woman, as she overcomes the highly intelligent John Tanner's reluctance to marry. Pairings like this will inevitably improve the human race, according to Shaw.

Of course, today we find theories of creating a race of supermen repugnant, but Shaw was writing before experiences in the middle of the twentieth century warned society that it is dangerous to try to create a 'superior' caste.

Shaw adds a uniquely feminist twist to the quasi-Nietzschean idea of creative evolution. He suggests that it is the woman who is the prime mover in the process of natural selection. For it is she who consistently chooses those specimens of maleness that are the strongest, thus altering over time the biological and cultural make-up of mankind.

In Man and Superman that role is taken on by Ann Whitefield. It is she who takes the lead role in her relationship with Tanner, aggressively pursuing him and trying to get him to marry her. Although the life force finds its ultimate expression in the male of the species, it's women like Ann who act as its conduits, channeling the life force through their actions as they go about determining which man they will choose as their mate.