[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/lit/ - Literature

View post   
File: 1.77 MB, 450x253, 1386612032438.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4760601 No.4760601[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

Is there any space for verse drama in the modern world?

I am a playwright (although I write mostly for myself), and Shakespeare has always been my main model. I love the blank verse, for at the same time that it forces you to respect the metric of the verses, it doesn’t constrict you with rhyme. You cn use the blank verse for anything: from extremely solemn and rhetorical dialogue to common and plain conversation – it is one of the most adaptable and varied verse forms ever created.

I also use rhymed verse sometimes, and even songs and small poems. But the other medium that I use as much as blank verse is prose. Prose and blank verse are the main tools of my craft.

But, to be honest, I don’t know if poetic drama, if verse drama, has a space in the modern world. I bought 7 books about the technics of playwriting, and none of them mentioned anything about this kind of plays. They all spoke of realistic dialogue, only realistic dialogue, as if nobody was ever going to dare to experiment with verse drama. They had the nerve to mention Shakespeare several times as a main teacher and reference, but seemed to forget that Shakespeare was much more a master of language than a playwright.

It’s a sad thing to live in a time where people are so afraid of rhetoric and the great powers of artificial language.

>> No.4761294

Tha gif always makes me lol hard

>> No.4761314

maybe the world has to recover from all the misplaced elizabethian dialogue in 19th and early 20th century plays. you came too late.

>> No.4761344

>>4760601

No, there isn't really room for verse drama outside the usual productions of the great masters. And yeah, it's a pity.

But keep it up OP. Maybe you'll be the one to spark a renaissance of the form. I'd personally like to see that happen.

There is definitely something of value in the versatility and power afforded by rhymed verse and blank verse in drama. But for now perhaps you should stick with writing your works closet plays. Even Shelley and Byron were stuck doing that. The disregard for verse in the theater ain't anything new. Damn shame.

>> No.4761356

>>4761314

I think that I might have some luck because I write in Portuguese, not in English, and the tradition of the drama in Portuguese is not that strong (if you consider poetic drama, then there are no great names, only some archaic ones, like Gil Vicente). Even the blank verse is not that famous in Portuguese, but I have been working with it for more than 10 years, and it is simply one of the most perfect poetic devices ever invented.

My first studies were more concerned with rhetoric, with figures of speech (I remember that I read and analyze very carefully the supreme book “Shakespeare Uses of the Arts of Language”, by Sister Mirian Joseph), and above all else metaphor and simile (imagery). I fight my way day after day in order to improve my metaphorical creation, and thank heaven I always had a natural gift for it.

But now I am studding the structure of the play, of the scenes, of dialogue, of plot. That’s why I bought so many books. Problems is that they are all made for naturalistic language writers. I know how to write with natural language, and I often do that style (according to the character), but I simply can’t abandon the great pleasure and beauty of the poetic imagery.

Don’t know, however, if this kind of language will ever be hailed again.

>> No.4761361

>>4761344

Thank you very much for your support. It means a lot to me.

>> No.4761369

I'd watch the fuck out of a play with rhyming poetic dialogue.

>> No.4761386 [DELETED] 
File: 50 KB, 406x364, 1346508877586.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4761386

How do you guys keep up with the world of literature?
I am a very novice reader and, while I enjoy reading, I don't do it systematically (that is, not going from period to period, etc.), which may not be a bad thing. However, I also feel I miss out on A LOT.
Just reading a story and enjoying the writing is one thing; knowing the contest of the book, the era, literary tendencies, etc. is another and I feel it would make reading much more substantial. However, the closest I come to trying to analyze literary works is a couple of seminars at my Uni (which I am not particularly fond of), and I have no one to seriously discuss books with (/lit/ doesn't count, since I am still too new for it). However, I also feel I can't learn to be able to analyze stuff on my own without being stimulated at least in some way, if not fed the information.
So, what would you recommend besides, say, reading up an author's biography on Wikipedia before starting to read his work? Are there maybe some books or resources or lectures which would help me understand changes of literature over time, all the different trends, etc.?
I also have friends who read and our only discussion usually consists of 'I liked this book - me too - okay', which I don't find satisfying.
In short, I want to leave the book with something a little more than enjoyment of a good story/writing, with something broader to discuss. How do you guys do that?
Sorry if this question seems strange to you. It just really has been bothering me recently, and I feel I am doing something wrong when jumping into this new medium.