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Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization Paperback – August 21, 2002

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4.1 out of 5 stars 30 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Hachette Books; 1st edition (August 21, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786887400
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786887408
  • Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsA real find! Inspiring and practical, too
By A Customer on August 2, 2003
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.
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4.0 out of 5 starsConcise dramatic instruction
By D. Rahmel on 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.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA great way to introduce Aristotle's Poetics.
By Paulo Leite on 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.
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5.0 out of 5 starsIt really helps to understand screenwritng concepts
By A Customer on November 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
This book has not only helped me to understand the somewhat complex art of dramatic stroy telling - but it has helped me to help others. Recently working on a documentaty project with a first time director, this book allowed him to internalize and distill his thoughts into a more cohesive vision, that was readily translatable to an audience. I would reccomend this book to any one who wants to gain insight and understanding to "the movies."
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4.0 out of 5 starsA must read primer for any screenwriter.
By A Customer on April 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
Being a professor of ancient Greek classics, I am impressed that a mass-market book about Aristotle's Poetics possesses such keen insights into the breadth of the work, including Tierno's fluidity with tying back the Poetics to Aristotle's greater system of thought. Perhaps if more Hollywood screenwriters would adhere to Tierno's teaching of Aristotle there might be more sophisticated enjoyable adult films coming out of the modern studio system. -Being a professor of ancient Greek classics, I am impressed that a mass-market book about Aristotle's Poetics possesses such keen insights into the breadth of the work, including Tierno's fluidity with tying back the Poetics to Aristotle's greater system of thought. Perhaps if more Hollywood screenwriters would adhere to Tierno's teaching of Aristotle there might be more sophisticated enjoyable adult films coming out of the modern studio system.
-Ancient Greek Classics Professor
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe title says it all, worth you time an enjoyable read.
By Anthony R. Kassel on October 12, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I loved it, short and sweet a lot of good ideas, looks at the subject of screenwriting from a perspective a historian like myself will find enlightening. I had read Aristotle's poetics when I was in high school, this was a good refresher. I am an aspiring screenwriter and can use all of the help I can find. When reading books on screenwriting I always pay close attention to the bibliography and recommendations for further reading from the authors. This book was recommended by several of them and it is now in my library.
It is an easy read, I found it quite useful, well written and a book worth savoring, you need to read this one chapter at a time and then think about what Mr. Tierno is saying and how it applies to you and your writing. Enjoy the read.
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1.0 out of 5 starsAnother Howlingly Wrong Interpretation of Aristotle
By Dr. P. F. Kiernan on January 22, 2011
Format: Paperback
So, did you know that Hollywood execs assess screenplays using 'exactly' the same criteria found in Aristotle? Or that the film 'Rocky' can be analysed following the 'story structure' of Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex', which the Daddy of Lit.Crit examined to demonstrate 'timeless universal truths' about drama?

And did you know that Aristotle talked about 'the three unities of dramatic action: time, place, and action'?

Neither did I!

Poor Aristotle, and poor us! Crumpling under this veritable barrage of howlingly wrong interpretations of an ancient fragment of literary criticism by a terrific guy who was writing a work-in-progress, always looking out for new ideas, testing out his theories and modifying them as he went along.

To treat his 'Poetics' as a completed and revised treatise of the art and craft of drama is an insult to a great mind. Only one quarter of his works survive. He wasn't interested in setting the Ten Commandments on How To Write a Play in stone. And, my God, he'd be furious if he could see how perversely his work has been misinterpreted, mangled and torn and chewed over (and spat out on poor aspiring screenwriters' scripts by self-proclaimed experts).

Let's for once give this man the courtesy and respect of reading what he actually wrote, and put a stop, once and for all, to putting words into his mouth.

The Big One:
'A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
A beginning is that which does not itself follow anything by causal necessity, but after which something naturally is or comes to be.
An end, on the contrary, is that which itself naturally follows some other thing, either by necessaity, or as a rule, but has nothing following it.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsHelpful!

I found it informative and useful.

Published 3 months ago by Jamie Dedes
5.0 out of 5 starsTake Your Screenplay to the Next Level

This book will help a writer take her screenplay to the next level or two. I used it as one of three textbooks when teaching screenwriting at a top 20 American university. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Brian McLaughlin
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Every screenwriter needs to read this book!

Published 14 months ago by PJ
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Good book

Published 20 months ago by ofu obekpa
3.0 out of 5 starsGood Class Book

When the teacher said Poetics of Screenwriters I nearly fell asleep in my chair but this book was a big help.

Published on December 31, 2013 by Jonathan Kerns
1.0 out of 5 starsWanders along.

Though this makes some interesting points it is not organized well enough to be great. Wish I had put my money elsewhere. Read more

Published on September 16, 2013 by Jack Bert
5.0 out of 5 starsHelpful and Inspiring for Writings in General

This little book was a pleasant surprise in that it was immediately helpful in enabling this writer to better understand the writing process and improve his stories. Read more

Published on August 18, 2013 by Vance
3.0 out of 5 starsits okay

on film making by alexander mackendrick has i though more useful insights as did howard suber on aristotle. but is is a good useful read

Published on May 27, 2013 by unnamed
5.0 out of 5 starsHelpful

This an old reference and a need if
You ever wish to write a novel, play or essay.
Very helpful

Published on May 7, 2013 by Marilyn Najm
3.0 out of 5 stars3 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 on April 16, 2013 by Pedro Santos

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