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| - A character has made someone -- literally, such as by sculpting a statue, or figuratively, through giving lessons in speech, behavior, or etiquette -- and has fallen in love with the creation. Originally the Greek myth of the sculptor Pygmalion, and his statue brought to life by the gods. Ovid never gave the statue-girl a name, but the name Galatea was given in Apollodorus's Bibliotheca, which predates Ovid. Examples of Pygmalion Plot include:
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| abstract
| - A character has made someone -- literally, such as by sculpting a statue, or figuratively, through giving lessons in speech, behavior, or etiquette -- and has fallen in love with the creation. Originally the Greek myth of the sculptor Pygmalion, and his statue brought to life by the gods. Ovid never gave the statue-girl a name, but the name Galatea was given in Apollodorus's Bibliotheca, which predates Ovid. The most recognized version of this story nowadays is probably the musical My Fair Lady (which, incidentally, was based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion): Professor Henry Higgins teaches the poor, lower-class Eliza Doolittle to act and -- especially -- talk like an upper-class lady, on a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering. He succeeds, but Eliza, tired of being treated as an experiment, rebels against him and leaves. Higgins eventually realizes that he has "grown accustomed to her face," just in time for her to return. In the original play, Eliza ends up stranded between two worlds, fitting into neither; it was a Deconstruction of the concept of teaching "proper" behavior. Ironically enough, this makes the Trope Namer a subversion. This is related to Wife Husbandry, but differs because it's not (as) intrinsically creepy. It's Older Than Feudalism, dating to Ovid at least, but most modern versions will probably claim to be more directly descended from My Fair Lady, commonly through references such as "by Jove, I think she's got it!" or "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain." However, with the advent of modern Science Fiction, this trope seems to have come full circle (perhaps unintentionally). Common twists include Pygmalion having his own lower-class past, Galatea not knowing of the bet with Colonel Pickering and reacting badly, and a Beautiful All Along addition to soften the Unfortunate Implications of classism or sexism. See also In with the In Crowd, Pygmalion Snapback, and Teach Him Anger. If the situation is inverted (i.e. the new creation intentionally resembles a long-lost love), then the result is a Replacement Goldfish. Compare also Muse Abuse. Stories featuring The Svengali will usually have a warped version of this plot. The Pygmalion may be the Spear Counterpart to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in that they both are usually there to help the main character somehow transform their lives. Examples of Pygmalion Plot include:
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