Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more



or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
Sell Us Your Item
For a $1.26 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization [Paperback]

Michael Tierno
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

List Price: $13.99
Price: $11.20 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.79 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually ships within 1 to 2 months.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $9.39  
Paperback $11.20  
Image
Save on Popular Books This Summer
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more.

Book Description

August 21, 2002

An insightful how-to guide for writing screenplays that uses Aristotle's great work as a guide.

Long considered the bible for storytellers, Aristotle's Poetics is a fixture of college courses on everything from fiction writing to dramatic theory. Now Michael Tierno shows how this great work can be an invaluable resource to screenwriters or anyone interested in studying plot structure. In carefully organized chapters, Tierno breaks down the fundamentals of screenwriting, highlighting particular aspects of Aristotle's work. Then, using examples from some of the best movies ever made, he demonstrates how to apply these ancient insights to modern-day screenwriting. This user-friendly guide covers a multitude of topics, from plotting and subplotting to dialogue and dramatic unity. Writing in a highly readable, informal tone, Tierno makes Aristotle's monumental work accessible to beginners and pros alike in areas such as screenwriting, film theory, fiction, and playwriting.


Frequently Bought Together

Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization + The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition + Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Price for all three: $44.33

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This earnest how-to puts a new spin on Aristotle as the master of philosophy, calling him not only the "greatest mind in western civilization," but also the "world's first movie story analyst." Asserting that Aristotle's Poetics has become a standard for constructing movies that reach audiences (and studio heads), Tierno, a director and Miramax story analyst, shows how to apply the basics of the great work to one's own screenplay. He introduces the "Action-Idea" as the way to understand the demands of the story, and debunks the belief that, in Poetics, Aristotle mandates a three-act structure. He also lays bare how people misread Aristotle's advice to employ the "imitation of a serious action." Tierno stresses the importance of ditching subplots for a story featuring "one complete action" and constantly supports his points with examples of successful films, such as Titanic and Rosemary's Baby. The frequent capsule plot summaries of favorites including The Godfather and Gladiator make Aristotle's instructions concrete, and Tierno helpfully breaks the movies down into plot essentials. Throughout, he is respectful but informal toward Aristotle. Tierno praises Aristotle for representing "beautiful truth," although the breeziness and the eager tone he takes may, at times, put off more serious readers. Still, screenwriters looking beyond the "three-act structure" mantra will find applicable strategies, and those who dismiss Aristotle as old hat will find their perceptions set straight with Tierno's modern movie examples.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A clever approach to screenwriting." -- Library Journal

"Makes the precepts accessible with easy comparisons to contemporary hits." -- Variety.com

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (August 21, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786887400
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786887408
  • Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 7.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
(21)
4.1 out of 5 stars
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A real find! Inspiring and practical, too August 2, 2003
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Many screenwriting gurus say "Everything you need to know about how to write good drama is in Aristotle's Poetics," but then they never explain what's actually in that work! I've tried reading Aristotle's original text, but it is really tough going. Tierno's book is a real find - it boils down a rambling, classics text into concise concepts, tips and techniques that I could understand and use. Tierno provides examples of how all this stuff really works in a variety of films, too. This book is not only practical, but pretty inspiring, too. It gets to the "heart" and "roots" of good drama, something you can forget about when you get bogged down with a script. After reading this, I was excited and motivated to return to my own work.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Concise dramatic instruction March 27, 2006
Format:Paperback
This book is useful for fiction writers as well as screenwriters. The author interprets Aristotle's ideas and suggestions and then renders them with examples into language applicable to modern drama. Many of Aristotle's original ideas are quoted and have timeless power. For example: "Beginners succeed earlier with Diction and Characters than with the construction of a story."

Tierno relates how the parts of a modern script evaluation (Log Line, Brief, Plot Summary, Comments, Idea, Story, Character, Dialogue, and Production Values) mirror Aristotle's examination of the same elements. I especially liked how the film "Gladiator" was used for the example of "the mistake in a hero's reasoning, leading to the hero's subsequent related misfortunes."

The short length makes the book a fast but powerful read.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to introduce Aristotle's Poetics. August 9, 2006
Format:Paperback
If you are (or want to be) a serious screenwriter, you probably already know names like Robert McKee, Syd Field, Linda Seger, David Trottier and even David Bordwell...

The good thing about Mr. Tierno's book is that it goes back to the one fundamental text who, 2300 years before the birth of Cinema, already thought about many of the things all other screenwriting authors still talk about - what do we do in order to achieve higher drama?

And it is surprising how fresh Aristotle still sounds today, according to Mr Tierno's reading. Even if we consider that the object of Aristotle's thought was not the Cinema, but the Classical Greek Theatre - or the mimetic form of representation.

In fact, there is nothing new about Aristotle (or Cinema, or narrative, or screenwriting) here besides the fact that Mr. Tierno does an accurate reading of the great greek thinker and explains many of his key concepts.

In a nutshell, this book is an excelent reminder of how important, necessary and universal, good drama can be. Also it is a great reminder that screenwriting is a natural heir of most of storytelling's past traditions.

It is also a proof that screenwriting is an art form by itself.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful
This an old reference and a need if
You ever wish to write a novel, play or essay.
Very helpful
Published 15 days ago by Marilyn Najm
3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars - So so
There is an interesting content, but it's not so transforming as other books, a little bit for specialized, as the ones written by Linda Seger or "Story".
Published 1 month ago by Pedro Santos
5.0 out of 5 stars I will read it twice
I haven't read any other books for screenwriters so I can't make a comparison but this was an enjoyable read. I will definitely look at it more than once.
Published 1 month ago by Jack M
5.0 out of 5 stars Aristotle for Dummies....
What's not to love from the father of storytelling...
Tierno explains Aristotle's Poetics clear and simple
I wish I had read this book 25 years ago.... Read more
Published 2 months ago by George Speed
2.0 out of 5 stars Not at all useful
I wish I'd just bought the original Poetics. I didn't find this at all helpful. It's really quite a shame.
Published 8 months ago by S. Farney
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful tool
I loved this book, but not enough to give it a five-star review, simply because it does not have an index. It's an easy read, and Tierno gives great examples. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for screenwriters.
This is an extremely informative book. Aristotle's poetics is full of great advice and insight into what makes a great narrative. Read more
Published 23 months ago by T. Brittain
1.0 out of 5 stars Another Howlingly Wrong Interpretation of Aristotle
So, did you know that Hollywood execs assess screenplays using 'exactly' the same criteria found in Aristotle? Read more
Published on January 22, 2011 by Dr. P. F. Kiernan
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Informative
I really like this book. I thought it was concise and insightful. I really enjoyed how straight to the point the author was since a lot of screenplay guidebook writers ramble on... Read more
Published on November 14, 2010 by Denny'sMama21
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Book is a good read. Wish it had used better examples from better films though. Gladiator seems Author's favorite. Read more
Published on September 6, 2010 by Sanket Vaidya
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews




What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 





Look for Similar Items by Category