Wednesday, January 20^th

3 Major Objectives of Critical Response

1. what was attempted = Understanding
2. How fully was it accomplished? = Effectiveness
3. Was it worth doing? = Ultimate worth

Dramatic Structure

1. plot
2. character
3. diction
4. thought
5. music
6. spectacle

1. help people understand human life
2. what does theatrical form have to do with human life
3. what part matters to others who won't see it
4. find an issue or fact, deals with general , not particular

The best writers write about "the experience" (what they saw, felt, etc)

• The best way to issues and fact are through yourself
• Criticism is like an autobiography
• Own up to your own subjectivity
• Not everyone is the same as the critic
• A critic needs to make his humanity interesting to the reader
• A critic needs to learn to be objective about his subjectivity
• A good critic has double subjectivity (can see both sides of an issue)
• A good critic understands why he thinks something is good or bad
• A good critic is emotionally free but intellectually under control
• Honesty - not easy but important. An honest critic always has a chance

Dramatic Action - central focus that holds all the action together

Statement of Dramatic Action - Statement of what happened. Not a summation of the plot.

Examples from Chekov include "Lomov needs to assert himself and propose" and " Two people confronted with differences that will never see eye to eye

Dramatic Question - "Will she accept?" "Will he ever propose?" " Can they get past their differences?"

1. Purpose - awareness of goal (to propose)
2. Passion - willingness to fulfill goal, act of suffering to make actor fulfill that goal (overcomes & asks)
3. Perception - Understanding that comes from the struggle (father - God bless you both. Lomov and his girl - We'll never see eye to eye, but we will accept one another)

Qualities of Effective Dramatic Action

1. beginning, middle, end
2. variety
3. engage and maintain interest
4. arouse curiosity
5. internally consistent
6. deliberately shaped to make the audience feel a certain way

Cause to Effect Structure - each event leads to the next; logical progression

1. physical
2. sociable
3. psychological/emotional - what they desire and why
4. moral/ethics - what they'll do to get what they want (Lomov was willing to argue with her for the rest of his life) (her desire was to get married, but she would stand up to him and argue)

level of characterization Aristotle left out

5. intelligence

Ways to convey Characterization

1. What the character says about themselves
2. What other characters say
3. Stage directions - what the writer says, info in the script
4. What the character does

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