Given Circumstances
This chapter begins the study of formalist analysis, which is the foundation for action analysis studied in the previous chapter. Unlike action analysis, which is rapid and sketchy, formalist analysis is slow and detailed. Like the first years of medical school that require the close study of human anatomy and how the body works, formalist analysis closely studies dramatic anatomy and how plays work. Formalist analysis asks readers not to cling to any preconceived ideas about the play or characters they are studying, but to allow the play to come to them and identify itself piece by piece. Readers have ideas, of course, but they are asked to set them aside and let the play speak to them. Readers should also try to ...
Get Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers, 5th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
