what happens when theatre and writing collide

[bedlamsbard]

OH. MY. GOD. I am doing my homework for my Theatre Arts class, and I want to strangle the writer of the textbook, because his theatre snobbery is clashing with my writing snobbery (which, okay, I knew I had) and he's just...so wrong. So, so wrong.

Such a theatre snob. He goes so far as to say that theatre isn't just a branch on the literary tree (okay, look at that phrase. Tell me how it hurts your brain), but the trunk, and no. No, it's not. The trunk is the story in its purest form; every other literary form -- epic poetry, tragic plays, comedic plays (and if he's going to divide poetry up into epic and lyric, then I can damn well divide theatre up into tragedy and comedy), novels, short stories, dance, music -- expands on that basis, the story. No matter how big of a branch it is, theatre is not the fucking trunk.

Jesus Christ. And I have another seventy pages of this to read.

Comments

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

I just finished a book called 'Mornin Dew and Roses', which is about the metaphors used in folksongs and ballads. Basically, the author says the same thing-that the story's core is what's important and all the details of metaphors, expressions, and local color are used to add character and depth to it; but without the story, it doesn't mean anything. Or something like that.


What kind of things do you like to read for your own interest? I know you probably won't have much free time, what with the classes, homework, and writing, but still...let me know, please. :)

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Fiction. Lots and lots of fiction. Um -- I tend towards certain authors. Diana Gabaldon (historical fiction), Dennis Lehane (Mystic River is my favorite book EVER), Carol O'Connell (both mystery), George R.R. Martin, Mercedes Lackey, Diana Wynne Jones, Scott Lynch, Naomi Novik, Robin McKinley (all fantasy), S.M. Stirling (alternate history/sci-fi/speculative). I grew up Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote the Tarzan novels, and he's probably a big part of the reason I write a lot of adventure fiction.

Non-fiction -- I really like Graham Hancock. He's kind of a purveyor of what I tend to call "archaeological conspiracy theories" -- Atlantis, lost civilizations, all that -- but he presents it really well, and it's fun to read. (I got into Tulane with an essay about how I, uh, believe in Atlantis.) I always like reading history, even though I haven't done a lot of it lately -- there's a book called London: The Biography, that I meant to bring and couldn't fit in my suitcase. Most of the non-fiction I've read over the past year has been military history and military memoirs, like Black Hawk Down, which I also really like.

Poetry -- Kipling and Eliot are my favorites, if you can't tell. *sheepish*

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

You'd probably like Tanya Huff, then, if you've not read her...she's similar to Lackey. Hmm...Robin Hobb, maybe. *squints* Harry Turtledove, for the au history. H.Rider Haggard, perhaps-he wrote interesting adventures, though dated by now. Gaiman? At least Neverwhere and American Gods.

Not enough info on the *type* of stuff you like for me to do anything, though. *frowns*

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Hate Turtledove's writing style. Same with Gaiman -- actually Gaiman creeps me the hell out; there's about one poem of his I like and that's it. I haven't read any Hobb, although she's come highly recommended to me. Huff -- I don't think I ever managed to read any Huff; my library didn't have any.

As a general genre, I tend towards fantasy but I stopped reading new authors a while ago unless they came pretty highly recommended (and even then I've been burned a lot; oh my God, Stephanie Meyer made me want to claw my eyes out with a chainsaw) or I randomly picked up books and liked the way they sounded (The Terror, by Dan Simmons, is a good example of this; I love The Terror, I haven't read anything else of his). I ping very hard on style and tone; if I don't like an author's writing style, I can't read them. And I reread books a lot, too, so it's not that big of a deal. *shrug*

What I brought to Tulane: Mystic River, Dennis Lehane; Winter House, Carol O'Connell; Dragonfly in Amber and A Breath of Snow and Ashes, both Diana Gabaldon; The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies, both Scott Lynch; Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair, Laurie Perry (she writes one of my favorite knitting blogs ever); Generation Kill, Evan Wright; Kipling's collected poetry, and a collection of Eliot poetry. I also brought Sacred by Dennis Lehane and Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, but I took those home when I evacuated and left them there because I'd finished rereading them.

[1aquaesulis76.livejournal.com]

theatre isn't just a branch on the literary tree (okay, look at that phrase. Tell me how it hurts your brain), but the trunk,

*winces* Oh I agree, so agree. That sort of statement hurts your brain, and makes me want to hurt his, physically. I'm sympathising!

[1aquaesulis76.livejournal.com]

theatre isn't just a branch on the literary tree (okay, look at that phrase. Tell me how it hurts your brain), but the trunk

*winces* Oh I so agree - that kind of statement makes my brain hurt, and makes me want to hurt his, physically. I'm sympathising!

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

There is being a theatre snob, and then there is pushing it on everyone else. I love writing, but jeez, I don't go around telling people that novels are the peak of literature, because just...no.