Dramatic Structure and Meaning in Theatrical Productions Hardcover - 1999

Edwin Mellen Pr, 1999. 2nd. Hardcover. Good. 1999 signed and inscribed revised edition, E. Mellen Press (Lewiston, New York), 6 3/8 x 9 1/4 inches tall pale blue and white pictorial cloth hardcover, no dust jacket, black lettering to front cover and spine, xvi, 344 pp. Very slight soiling and slight to moderate rubbing and edgewear to covers. Small stain to lower part of blank front pastedown and adjacent free-endpaper. Nicely signed and inscribed by the author to well-known theater professor Leonard Pronko (1927-2019) on the blank front free-endpaper, and on the half title page, the author lined out the second half of the title, writing underneath 'added by an addled editor.' Otherwise, apart from a couple of corrective changes in the text, a very good copy - clean, bright and unmarked. ~SP46~ [2.0P] This study introduces a general theory of dramatic form, together with a detailed, practicable method for the analysis and critical understanding of plays and screenplays. The author proposes that any play or screenplay can ultimately be understood as conforming to one of just seven dynamic types, and that knowledge of the kinetic and modal signatures of these skeletal 'plots' provides the key for decoding the metaphorical significance of a drama's action and imagery. Examples range from ancient Greek drama to modern opera libretti to contemporary film, and from acknowledged dramatic masterpieces to more popular works.