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The Art Of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives Paperback – February 15, 1972

4.6 out of 5 stars 589 ratings

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For many years, Lajos Egri's highly opinionated but very enjoyable The Art of Dramatic Writing has been a well-guarded secret of playwrights, scriptwriters, and writers for television. Unlike many other books on playwrighting (several of which Egri criticizes during the course of this one), the author's systematic breakdown of the essentials for creating successful realistic plays and screenplays effectively demystifies the process of creative writing. Egri, who formulated his thoughts about "a well-made play" during its heyday (the 1940s and '50s), places a premium on an exhaustive analysis of characters and discussion of their psychological motivations. The writer is exhorted to find a premise to explore and to discover which characters will most effectively demonstrate this thesis, then is shown how most effectively to place them into conflict with each other. Conflict itself is also discussed, particularly how to create scenarios in which the crisis develops at a pace that feels unforced and natural. While Egri's view of the well-made play has little space for either the spare musings of Beckett and Pinter or the conscious excesses of non-narrative and other experimental writing, it nonetheless remains an essential text for writers drawn to realistic drama, and to any writer interested in the fundamental motivations of human behavior. --John Longenbaugh

Review

Moss Hart I found Lajos Egri's book enormously interesting -- one of the best I have ever read.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Touchstone; Revised edition (February 15, 1972)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671213326
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671213329
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.84 x 8.44 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 589 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
589 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019
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Andre Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars but it isn't an easy read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2017
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neutraltones
4.0 out of 5 stars A classic still relevant today
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2012
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Assynteach
4.0 out of 5 stars A flawed classic, but still an essential read for any writer.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2013
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Ogo
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterclass in writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2018
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Scribe73
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
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