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The Art of Dramatic Writing
The Art of Dramatic Writing
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Biz Bestseller!
Author: Lajos Egri Publisher: Touchstone Format: Softcover # of Pages: 316 Pub. Date: 2004 ISBN-10: 0671213326 ISBN-13: 9780671213329
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About
the Book:
Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives…
Lajos Egri was writing about the concept of premise – a
thesis, demonstrated in terms of human behaviour – in scriptwriting
long before Syd Field, William Goldman and Blake Snyder.
Learn the basic techniques every successful playwright and
screenwriter knows. Among the many "how-to" books that have appeared over the years, there have been few that
attempt to analyze the mysteries of construction. You really must have a sense of what form is. Everyone thinks they have great ideas, but unless you can translate them to the page, they mean nothing. Lajos
Egri's classic, The Art of Dramatic Writing (originally intended for playwrights), does just
that. One of the best books on screenwriting for beginners, it is
often used as a textbook in screenwriting classes, but the
instruction can be applied equally well to a short story, novel,
play, or screenplay.
Examining a script from the inside out, Lajos Egri starts
with the heart of any drama: its characters. All good dramatic
writing hinges on people and their relationships, which serve to move
the story forward and give it life, as well as an understanding of
human motives – why people act the way that they do. One tool he uses for character design is the Character Bone Structure, which fleshes out the physical, social and psychological factors that make up a character. Filling out the
specific details of each serves as a good start in creating a three
dimensional character. He also brilliantly analyses plays – using examples
from everything from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to
Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House – and shows how it is essential
for the author to have a basic premise and to develop the dramatic
conflict on the basis of that behaviour. Once you've digested the
contents of this book, with examples drawn from the great
playwrights, you'll have a deeper view of what drama is. This book is
an excellent compliment to Syd Field's Screenplay.
While Syd Field is all about screenplay structure, Lajos
Egri is all about character and the character driven story. All
great drama revolves around a great character and Lajos Egri
gives you lots of help developing solid characters. He is fascinated by the motivations for our actions, and at the heart of
the book is a moving belief in human beings' capacity for change.
Using Lajos Egri's ABCs of premise, character, and
conflict, The Art of Dramatic Writing is a direct, jargon-free
approach to the problem of achieving truth in writing.
What people say:
"For many years, Lajos
Egri's highly opinionated but very enjoyable The
Art of Dramatic Writing has been a well-guarded secret of
playwrights, scriptwriters, and writers for television. Unlike many
other books on playwrighting (several of which Egri criticizes during
the course of this one), the author's systematic breakdown of the
essentials for creating successful realistic plays and screenplays
effectively demystifies the process of creative writing." —
John Longenbaugh, playwright
and director
"I found Lajos
Egri's book enormously interesting – one of the best I
have ever read." — Moss Hart,
award-winning playwright and screenwriter
About the Author:
Lajos Egri (1888-1967) was born in Hungary and founded the
Egri School of Writing in New York City in the 1930s. In addition to
writing books, he spent his life writing and directing plays in both
the United States and Europe, as well as writing screenplays for the
film industry.
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