The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives
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- Create Date：2021-10-10 09:54:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lajos Egri
- ISBN：0671213326
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Summary
Among the many "how-to" playwriting books that have appeared over the years， there have been few that attempt to analyze the mysteries of play construction。 Lajos Egri's classic， The Art of Dramatic Writing， does just that， with instruction that can be applied equally well to a short story， novel， or screenplay。
Examining a play from the inside out， 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。 Using examples from everything from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House， Egri shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise - a thesis， demonstrated in terms of human behavior - and to develop the dramatic conflict on the basis of that behavior。
Using 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。
Examining a play from the inside out， 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。 Using examples from everything from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House， Egri shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise - a thesis， demonstrated in terms of human behavior - and to develop the dramatic conflict on the basis of that behavior。
Using 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。
Reviews
Tama-te-ra
，
“Decision is made because of the premise of your play。 The characters decision necessarily sets in motion another decision from his adversary。” Sparked an interesting workshopping experiment of giving the enemies of existence a voice in text。I think the lifeblood of drama is content， specifically ideological content。 Debates。 Explorations of our conceptions。 But certainly human nature can be interesting。 But if the transition is quick， but the explorations in the text is profound that is perfect “Decision is made because of the premise of your play。 The characters decision necessarily sets in motion another decision from his adversary。” Sparked an interesting workshopping experiment of giving the enemies of existence a voice in text。I think the lifeblood of drama is content， specifically ideological content。 Debates。 Explorations of our conceptions。 But certainly human nature can be interesting。 But if the transition is quick， but the explorations in the text is profound that is perfect。。。 though this isn’t drama is it？ But drama for drama’s sake sucks。 They must be arguing about something。It’s a good book。 The voice is condescending but the words are wise enough。 Always taking writing theory with a grain of salt but mostly everything g said here is quite justified and for the right side of writing—originality。 Though writing a script based solely off this book’s education would produce something similar to an Ibsen play， of a varying quality depending on the writer’s talent of course。 。。。more
Hugo Schnorrenberger
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Melhor livro sobre escrever que eu já li。
Aly
，
Il libro è ottimo， soprattutto la parte dedicata alla premessa e al personaggio。 Ho dato quattro stelle a causa di alcuni concetti dati per fondamentali ma spiegati in modo superficiale， per esempio il problema della transizione per gradi del personaggio per l'autore è fondamentale ma la spiegazione è in parte lacunosa。 Il libro è ottimo， soprattutto la parte dedicata alla premessa e al personaggio。 Ho dato quattro stelle a causa di alcuni concetti dati per fondamentali ma spiegati in modo superficiale， per esempio il problema della transizione per gradi del personaggio per l'autore è fondamentale ma la spiegazione è in parte lacunosa。 。。。more
محمد موافي
，
ما أحلى ترجمة ديني خشبة。
Shawn Deal
，
This is the book that every playwright reads。 And it is a good book and one you should read， however， there are others out there that are just as good。 This is told very conversationally， with a lot of examples of thoughts， sometimes I felt there were to many， as one or two could have made the point。 It got in my way of getting as much out of this book as I would have liked。
Ben
，
Despite the author’s best intentions， this ultimately made for a tiresome read。Egri often fails to elaborate on his constant exhortations， and outright discounts plays without explaining why。 I found myself frustrated by his pedantic style of prose， and his decision to straw-man most of his opponents’ arguments didn’t exactly do much in favour of his cause。 This is a shame， as his theory does have some merit， and I often agreed with what he was saying。 In the hands of another writer， this could Despite the author’s best intentions， this ultimately made for a tiresome read。Egri often fails to elaborate on his constant exhortations， and outright discounts plays without explaining why。 I found myself frustrated by his pedantic style of prose， and his decision to straw-man most of his opponents’ arguments didn’t exactly do much in favour of his cause。 This is a shame， as his theory does have some merit， and I often agreed with what he was saying。 In the hands of another writer， this could have easily made for a stimulating read。That said， I can’t exactly say that I wasted my time here。 If you’re looking for some Henrik Ibsen propaganda， look no further。A brief aside， but I get the impression that Egri is a bit of a sexist: so far as I can recollect he only references a female writer once， and even then it is begrudgingly。 His aesthetic theories are also rather lacklustre: he speaks of geniuses of great men specifically， and art as the perfection of the universe， and acts as if both of these revelations are both comprehensive in their own right and even remotely insightful。 Overall， I get the impression that Egri wrote this book to lord it over his students， and his readers in turn。 How people are willing to look past its latent sexism and the incessant arrogance of its author is beyond me。 It is arduous。 。。。more
Angie López
，
4。5
SeaShore
，
Chapter one: The importance of Premise。
Trey
，
This book was recommended by Ron Howard in his Masterclass。 I immediately bought it and believe it will prove to be one of the best investments I’ve made in myself， as a writer。 The ideas are clearly and clearly presented。 But that doesn’t mean they go down easy。 I found myself reading and rereading chapters。 Moving forward slowly。 Studying。 Savoring。 Processing。 I’m grateful I happened upon this book。 I plan to keep it within arms reach， wherever I write。
Danielle Frimer
，
Frustrating， sexist， and pedantic。 But a few good pointers which made it almost worth the read。
Nando Murdoch
，
Brilliant book。
Anna
，
This book accompanied me through my first longer story。 I would write in the morning and read the book in the early afternoons and think back of what I wrote and revise per Egri’s guidance。 Like Euclid’s Elements of Geometry laid out the most fundamental laws in that field， this book did the same in my opinion for writing fiction。 Mastering the three pillars Premise， Character and Conflict is all it takes to produce a timeless piece of writing， if that’s what you are after。
Brady Walsh
，
Definitely a useful steering tool for new writers - great analysis of conflict， premise， and characters。 Can be a bit repetitive in driving home certain points， which seemed more like a personal extension of the author’s ego as opposed to key literary lessons。 That being said， I found the cited passages and analysis extremely enlightening and palatable。 Will definitely revisit this material as I continue to write， but a cover-to-cover re-read is unlikely。
Keith
，
While this book is certainly dated， there are many themes in it which are timeless when it comes to telling a compelling story。
Dmytro Shyian
，
Удивительная книга， как по глубине мысли， так и по доступности изложения。 Не только новичок， но и опытный ремесленник найдет в ней надежную опору и пищу для размышлений。 Выверенные советы и наблюдения чередуются тут с выдержками из знаменитых произведений прошлого。 Вы узнаете， почему Шекспир， Ибсен или Софокл никогда не утратят актуальности， а созданные ими характеры были и остаются образцом высокого искусства。 Автором проводится и блестяще доказывается мысль， что несмотря на ход времени - закон Удивительная книга， как по глубине мысли， так и по доступности изложения。 Не только новичок， но и опытный ремесленник найдет в ней надежную опору и пищу для размышлений。 Выверенные советы и наблюдения чередуются тут с выдержками из знаменитых произведений прошлого。 Вы узнаете， почему Шекспир， Ибсен или Софокл никогда не утратят актуальности， а созданные ими характеры были и остаются образцом высокого искусства。 Автором проводится и блестяще доказывается мысль， что несмотря на ход времени - законы драматургии остаются неизменными， а значит обязательными для каждого， кто решил взяться за перо。 Книга окрыляет и одновременно предупреждает о сложности выбранного пути:"Мы часто поражались легкости， с какой люди решают стать писателем。Чтобы стать сапожником или плотником， нужно три года учиться в ПТУ - как же можно сразу， без серьезных занятий овладеть искусством драматургии - одним из труднейших в мире？"Все это так。 Но разве это остановит настоящего творца？ 。。。more
GENESIS。
，
“A fish out of water is a dead fish， and a genius kept from his art is often a simpleton。”
Verner Freeson
，
My Los Angeles based writer friend said this is the 2nd only book worth reading about script writing。 In fact she recommended only the 1st chapter。 The 1st book she recommended is "Story" by Robert Mckee （to be read entirely）。 Story: Substance， Structure， Style， and the Principles of Screenwriting My Los Angeles based writer friend said this is the 2nd only book worth reading about script writing。 In fact she recommended only the 1st chapter。 The 1st book she recommended is "Story" by Robert Mckee （to be read entirely）。 Story: Substance， Structure， Style， and the Principles of Screenwriting 。。。more
Rober Rodríguez
，
Quite an interesting book， which examples clarify dramatically all the concepts exposed。 Shown concepts are key to understand how stories work （or do not）。Nonetheless， as the original text is from the first half of 20th century， it is focused on theater plays that are hardly known by contemporanean readers。 Moreover the way some concepts are explained seemed to me not to be as straightforward as I would have liked to。In any case， this book can be really useful for people getting into the world o Quite an interesting book， which examples clarify dramatically all the concepts exposed。 Shown concepts are key to understand how stories work （or do not）。Nonetheless， as the original text is from the first half of 20th century， it is focused on theater plays that are hardly known by contemporanean readers。 Moreover the way some concepts are explained seemed to me not to be as straightforward as I would have liked to。In any case， this book can be really useful for people getting into the world of storytelling。Recommended。 。。。more
Cassäundra Sloan
，
Though dated （especially how every subject is referred to as "he/him/man"） and perhaps nowadays forged with a little too much common sense to set the information apart from anything accessible on the internet， it is a great guidebook for playwrights screenwriters alike。 Though dated （especially how every subject is referred to as "he/him/man"） and perhaps nowadays forged with a little too much common sense to set the information apart from anything accessible on the internet， it is a great guidebook for playwrights screenwriters alike。 。。。more
John Carter
，
An absolute MUST-READ if you currently are or are planning to write for either the big stage OR the silver screen。 Mr。 Egri explains the ABC's of what constitutes 'greatness' in the craft of drama-driven writing， in measurable， actionable steps -- and it isn't to be missed。 An absolute MUST-READ if you currently are or are planning to write for either the big stage OR the silver screen。 Mr。 Egri explains the ABC's of what constitutes 'greatness' in the craft of drama-driven writing， in measurable， actionable steps -- and it isn't to be missed。 。。。more
Josh Middleton
，
Fantastic book and perfectly laid out。 This book covers everything you must know before writing your first play; from Premise to Character， Plot to Resolution， Egri writes with an encouraging tone toward these playwriting elements。 Egri also references many plays （good and bad）， but focuses more on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House （read this first before Egri’s book） to drive his points home。 Overall， a well written book with nothing to spare。
Tuğçe Kozak
，
Bu dönem Dramaturji dersi için okuduk。 Piyes için yazılmış bir kitap olsa da hikaye yaratmak isteyenler için de güzel bir kaynak。
Michael
，
My four star rating is a compromise - the "pure advice" and principles get five stars （being generous）， but much of the book is examples/excerpts that make for three star reading。 The book is somewhat dated in attitude and tone。 Egri's focus is entirely on plays except for a couple of pages at the end on "that new and exciting medium， television。" The form for live stage performance is obviously much different than for screen or literature， but the principles here will serve anyone well regardle My four star rating is a compromise - the "pure advice" and principles get five stars （being generous）， but much of the book is examples/excerpts that make for three star reading。 The book is somewhat dated in attitude and tone。 Egri's focus is entirely on plays except for a couple of pages at the end on "that new and exciting medium， television。" The form for live stage performance is obviously much different than for screen or literature， but the principles here will serve anyone well regardless of the medium。 。。。more
Thomas Bertson
，
I read it 4 times and currently using it as a reference book。 It's on my top 10 best books ever！ I read it 4 times and currently using it as a reference book。 It's on my top 10 best books ever！ 。。。more
Rouzanna Sarkissian
，
This is definitely a classic title and a must read for all those who aspire to write。 Lajos Egri thoroughly and masterfully describes the building blocks of the art of dramatic writing。 Not only is he great at his subject， but he can also explain all the topics very well， even to a layperson。 And doing so， not once does he use a condescending tone or look down to his reader。 On the contrary， his book is inspiring and encouraging， and makes you think you can master the elusive art of writing--eve This is definitely a classic title and a must read for all those who aspire to write。 Lajos Egri thoroughly and masterfully describes the building blocks of the art of dramatic writing。 Not only is he great at his subject， but he can also explain all the topics very well， even to a layperson。 And doing so， not once does he use a condescending tone or look down to his reader。 On the contrary， his book is inspiring and encouraging， and makes you think you can master the elusive art of writing--even if you lack talent or literary background。 The analysis of plays Egri provides （mostly "A Doll's House" by Ibsen， "Tartuffe" by Moliere， "Bury the Dead" by Shaw， and a few others） is helpful in understanding the main concepts。 It would be infinitely more desirable to see a wider range of works by various playwrights covered， and in greater detail。 I also think that this book addresses the basic level required for dramatic writing--I'm sure there are more comprehensive guides for more advanced writers。 As an introduction， however， "The Art of Dramatic Writing" is excellent and will be useful not only to those of us who plan to write at some point， but also those who simply strive to get better at storytelling。 。。。more
Annalise Nakoneczny
，
I'd love to be able to give this a 4。5。 The concepts in this book are excellent; the thesis of the book states that good characterization drives a plot， whether it's a play or a novel。 Egri is very thorough in explaining the writing process。 The one problem that I have is that the concepts in here are slightly hard to explain and grasp。 This book has forever changed the way I look at writing， plot， and people。 One of my top five writing books！ I'd love to be able to give this a 4。5。 The concepts in this book are excellent; the thesis of the book states that good characterization drives a plot， whether it's a play or a novel。 Egri is very thorough in explaining the writing process。 The one problem that I have is that the concepts in here are slightly hard to explain and grasp。 This book has forever changed the way I look at writing， plot， and people。 One of my top five writing books！ 。。。more
Aryasb Feiz
，
Every screenwriter should read this
Fulvia Bonaiuti
，
must read for playwrights and extremely useful for fiction writers。
Emre Ergin
，
Mehmet Önder'in tavsiyesiyle okudum。 Herhalde ders kitabıydı kendisinin。Anlattıklarını durmadan diyalektik materyalizme ve doğal bilimlere bağlamaya çalışmasının iticiliği bir kenara koyulursa， ki bu kitabın hacminin dörtte birine tekabül ediyor， bence faydalı bir kitaptı。 Genel özeti şu şekilde:---Bir eser için önce kendimizin doğruluğunu kuvvetle hissettiğimiz bir Önerme buluruz。 Sonra bu önermeyi iyi yansıtacak bir büyük çatışma düşünürüz。 Bu büyük çatışmaya sebep olacak bir eksen karakter bu Mehmet Önder'in tavsiyesiyle okudum。 Herhalde ders kitabıydı kendisinin。Anlattıklarını durmadan diyalektik materyalizme ve doğal bilimlere bağlamaya çalışmasının iticiliği bir kenara koyulursa， ki bu kitabın hacminin dörtte birine tekabül ediyor， bence faydalı bir kitaptı。 Genel özeti şu şekilde:---Bir eser için önce kendimizin doğruluğunu kuvvetle hissettiğimiz bir Önerme buluruz。 Sonra bu önermeyi iyi yansıtacak bir büyük çatışma düşünürüz。 Bu büyük çatışmaya sebep olacak bir eksen karakter buluruz。 Sonra karakter kutuplarının dağılımını gözeterek diğer karakterleri oluştururuz。 Karakterlerin kendi amaçlarına ulaşmak için çırpınmaları， çatışmayı şiddetlendirir。 Bu yüzden ödünsüz ve amansız karakterlerin ele alınması varış noktamıza ulaşmamızı hızlandırır。 Yazarın karakterlerin ne söyleyeceği hakkında büyük bir özgürlüğü yoktur， karakterler kendi geçmişlerinin ve kimliklerinin gereğini yaparlar。Her sahne küçük çatışmalar ve onların çözümlerinden ibarettir。 Bu küçük çatışmalar büyük çatışmanın ilerlemesini ve olgunlaşmasını sağlar。 。。。more
Martin Ambos
，