American Drama Lit Books pg. 813

Novels vs. Plays A novel is… – Meant to be read – A personal experience for the reader – Finished once it’s published A play is… – Meant to be brought to life through theatre – Dependent on nonverbal elements (movement and gestures) for meaning – A public experience for the viewer – Not finished until it’s performed However, fascinating effects cannot replace an engaging story that connects to the audience emotionally (like a novel!).

Organizing Emotions The playwright must – Conceive the story in dramatic terms (to catch, hold, and reward the attention of an audience) – Organize audience’s emotions behind characters so they care about characters and conflicts – Give characters something vital at stake Types of conflict: – External conflict: person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society – Internal conflict: involves opposing forces within a person The protagonist: The major character who wants something and who drives the action forward – typically (but not always) the “good guy” Exposition: Background information given at the beginning of a story, who the characters are, where they are, when the action is taking place etc. A play in an empty theatre is not a play. The actors use the audience as fuel to help propel their performance. Actors must think about shaping lines according to audience reaction (pauses, beats, moments etc.)

The History of American Drama Before about 1920 (Eugene O’Neill) American drama consisted mostly of entertaining spectacles with amazing effects—but little in deep character development Every town had some type of theater or hosted touring companies. Theatre was slow to take up new attitudes and social ideas (usually they were explored in other areas—like novels— first) The Influence of Europe Influenced by playwrights such as Ibsen (Norway), Strindberg (Sweden), and Chekhov (Russia), Americans started taking on more complex ideas These included guilt, sexuality, mental illness, psychological complexities, and characters’ inner struggles

Example of an “entertaining spectacle”

Realism Began in the early 20 th Century Realistic Drama: – based on the illusion that audiences are looking at life through a “fourth wall” that has been removed – the audience is watching characters that are going through realistic issues in their lives Playwrights like Eugene O'Neill tried to reveal the characters’ complex selves

How realism works Characters Audience Wall One Wall Three Wall Two FOURTH WALL!

Theater Today: A Revolt Against Realism The current revolt of theatre focus is shifting away from realism and on making theatre theatrical again. – using different theatrical devices to extends its texture of language, special effects, imaginative sets, and script writing. Expressionist drama: Shows that life is formless or meaningless, using: – No logical plot stream of consciousness writing – Focus on characters’ inner consciousness – Impressions – Fragmentation

Theater Today: A Revolt Against Realism Theatre of the Absurd: The action is not intended to tell a story but to communicate a pattern of poetic images. Sometimes nothing actually happens The problem with these types of dramas is that they are only interesting for so long (lack emphasis on plot). These plays tend to be short Modern theatre has no set formula– just a stage and an audience. Playwrights may use as many—or as few—special effects and can write realistically, absurdly, or somewhere in between

Arthur Miller ( ): Playwright of our Social Conscience Considered to be the “master of realism” Focused on society’s impact of his characters’ lives Development of his action/characters depends not only on the characters’ psychological makeup but also on the social, philosophical, and economic atmosphere of their times. Writing style is one of high moral seriousness