The Art of Dramatic Writing
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Review
Moss Hart I found Lajos Egri's book enormously interesting -- one of the best I have ever read.
Product Description
Lajos Egri examines a play from the inside out, starting with the heart of any drama: its characters. For it is people - their private natures and their inter-relationships - that move a story and give it life. All good dramatic writing depends upon an understanding of human motives. Why do people act as they do? What forces transform a coward into a hero, a hero into a coward? What is it that Romeo does early in Shakespeare's play that makes his later suicide seem inevitable? Why must Nora leave her husband at the end of A Doll's House? These are a few of the fascinating problems which Egri analyzes. He shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise - a thesis, demonstrated in terms of human behaviour - and to develop his dramatic conflict on the basis of that behaviour. Premise, character, conflict: this is Egri's ABC. His book is a direct, jargon-free approach to the problem of achieving truth in a literary creation.
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First Sentence
A MAN sits in his workshop, busy with an invention of wheels and springs. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A MAN sits in his workshop, busy with an invention of wheels and springs. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't buy this as your first introduction to dramatic writing. But if you've read Syd Field and the others, this one will take you way beyond. It might be daunting, but it will sure open your eyes to the demands of writing good drama.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you want to understand how to write drama for theatre, films or tv you will not find a better book. I'm currently reading it for the second time because it can be quite hard work at first. There have been mountains of books written on this subject but Egri's is the best despite being penned more than half a century again. A must for anyone serious about writing drama.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Woody Allen said of Lajos Egri "I still think his 'The Art of Dramatic Writing' is the most stimulating and best book on the subject ever written, and I have them all." (Part One, 'Woody Allen - A Biography' by Eric Lax).
This is how I found out about Egri's book and were I to try to give it the full praise it deserves I'd quickly run out of superlatives.
Even if you have no intention of getting into writing I would recommend this work because of the way it will transform your understanding not only of plays, but all narrative art forms. You will put down the book enlightened, empowered and aware of how little many supposed authorities in the field of writing (especially in higher education) grasp about the fundamentals of play-, novel- & screen-writing.
For someone who wants to be a writer this work will prove invaluable. I won't go into the specifics of Egri's approach (which involves the distinction between an idea and a premise and the narrative's role in the 'proving' of premses) since it wouldn't be possible in the space available, but urge you to get a copy now.
Will Taylor
This is how I found out about Egri's book and were I to try to give it the full praise it deserves I'd quickly run out of superlatives.
Even if you have no intention of getting into writing I would recommend this work because of the way it will transform your understanding not only of plays, but all narrative art forms. You will put down the book enlightened, empowered and aware of how little many supposed authorities in the field of writing (especially in higher education) grasp about the fundamentals of play-, novel- & screen-writing.
For someone who wants to be a writer this work will prove invaluable. I won't go into the specifics of Egri's approach (which involves the distinction between an idea and a premise and the narrative's role in the 'proving' of premses) since it wouldn't be possible in the space available, but urge you to get a copy now.
Will Taylor
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A classic still relevant today
A classic by Lajos Egri which I have come to late (both for it and for me). Of course, reading in the 21st century, you have to make some allowances for a text that was first... Read more
Published 18 days ago by David Williams
WARNING: Modern classic -- scandalous edition
This concerns the BN Publishing paperback edition ISBN 978-9562915861:
The people at BN Publishing, may they roast forever in literary purgatory who ever they are, have... Read more
The people at BN Publishing, may they roast forever in literary purgatory who ever they are, have... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Whiplash Willy
Good, but not the best.
This book was published long ago and, while it must have been indispensable back then, it cannot compete today with books such as Screenplay, Making a Good Script Great and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Yarasmodai
Really shouldn't have waited
When I went to film school, the first book my script writing teacher told me to get was 'The Art of Dramatic Writing'. So, I went to the bookstore and duly bought it. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2010 by Sleeve
Rewarding if you make it to the end.
This book is not for the faint-hearted and definitely not for the writers who are just starting out. It is harder to get into than the Pentagon and is heavy going throughout. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2009 by J. Staniford
Mr. Egri's Masterpiece
Excellent fundamental advice and instruction for a creative writer. Easy to read, with interesting metaphors and motifs for any aspiring composer of dramatic stories. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2009 by Harry Boyd
somewhat disappointing
This book has received many positive reviews so maybe my expectations were simply too high. I did not find this book particularly inspiring. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2008 by Erik Norgaard
Invaluable advice from a genius
I must have nearly 20 books on the subject of writing fiction. But two books stand out; this and Egri's other book - The Art Of creative Writing. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2006 by pl240596
Useful info, but you might prefer something more modern
Don't be fooled by the recent publication date of this edition: the work dates from the 1940s. I found the style to be hard going and the examples to be somewhat trite, and I... Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2000 by HLT
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