Ph o t o p lay Plo t s an d Plo t

S o u rc e s

By

ERIC ! OWARD

On e o S eries o f L e c t u res Esp ec ially

f a

P rep a red f o r S t u d en t Me mb ers -

o f The Pal me r P lan

PAL MER P ! OTOP L A! C ORPORATION

DEP ARTMENT O F ED! C ATI O N

L O S A NG EL E S , C ALI F R N A O I

r
C o p y ig h t P a lm e r Ph r r
l ay C o p o a ti o n L o s A n g e le s , Ca l tf o r m a
fi
1920, o to
,

A ll r
ig h t: R es e ved
,
 ERIC ! OWARD

RI C ! O W ARD , t h e a ut h r o oft l y l ts
P h o op a P o l t
an d P o

urc s
So e , w as b o rn i n l t i m rBa duc t d i n
o e , Md , e a e t he
l nd li f r i i c l n iv rs i ty
.

O ak a C a o n a , ! g h S h o o a n d t he ! e of

l if rn i ft r whi c r c ni d l t
,

Ca o a, a e h he w a s e o g z e b y t he a e ! a k L o n c
don as a p o r m is i n st ry wr i t r
g o s r d hi s li t r ry
e , an d e ve e a ap p r e n

t ic es hipund r t t m st r
e ha a e t r studi d
L a e he e rv rd ll
at ! a a C o eg e
s c i l i i n i n li t r tur syc l y hil i n c ll
.
,

pe a z g e a e an d p h o og W e o eg e a n d

su s u nt ly s rv d dr m t i c r vi w r
.

b eq e he e e r rt r
as ep o e an d a a e e e on

r nc isc wr i t
,

S an F a o, Bost n o r n ws
a n d New ! o k e rsp ap e ! e has
s v r l succ ssfu l v ud vill l ys c ntr i ut d v rs
.

te n e e a e a e e p a a n d has o b e e e

an d fi cti n o t o th e m in s
aga z w ll
e , as e rt i cl s
as a e syc l y
on P h o og
r m
a n d t he D a a c ll r t i n wi th
I n o abo a o r r ns n w rd
G e o ge B o o ! o a , -

wri tt n f ur l y li n ur i n
.

he h a s e a o -
st
a ct ag e p a Th e A e
”
D g th e
s rv d n list d rt i n syc l i c l d rt
, .

w a r he e e a s a n e e ex p e the p h o og a ep a

m nte n i t d t t s rmy
o f th e ! e S a e A l s ct d
an d a o a e u n o flicia l ly as

ir t r duc ti n tud i d
,

D ec o of E a o f o r t h e ! M C A ! e h as s e th e
cr i t i c wr i t r r i i n l st r i s c nt i nu i t i s
. . . .

scr n ee as a a e of o g a o e an d o e ,
di r ct r n i s disc r fr m
,

a n d as a e o ! po h h a ge o rmy
t he A c m
, he b e a e
hi f ss ist nt r d ric lm r w rd is m m r
.

C e A a to F e e k Pa e Mr ! o a a e be
m ri c n ci ty d rn c l ss ci t i n
. .

o f t he A e a tr
Poe y S o e t h e Mo e S hoo A o a o ,
h tr lli nc
,

a n d the T e a e A rt A a . e
 N an y discussion of fict i on o r d rama and especi a l l y i n
‘

any consi deration o f the p hotop l ay one i s b rought at ,

the v e ry outset face to f ace with the p ro bl ems o f P l o t .

T h e p l o t fo rms t h e d es ig n o n which the sup erstructu re

of any sto ry or p l ay is erected I n the o r i gi na l sense o f the
.
!

wo rd a p lot was simp ly a p lot of ground an d b y usa ge ,

it h as come to mean a desi gn A des i gn i n the art i st i c .

,

sense i s a p attern an a rran gement a composit i on J ust

, , ,
.

as a desi gn is essenti al to eve ry p ictu re an d to eve ry wo rk

'
,

o f art so is a p lot ! wh ich i s the p a tt e r n o f the action

, )
necessa ry in eve ry work o f fiction an d drama an d in ,

eve ry p hotop l ay S imp l e o r comp le x it m ay b e as the

.
,

desi gn in a p ainting b ut it must be there fun dam enta ll y,

, ,

o r the p l ay o r sto ry will be mean i n gl ess ch a otic an d un de ,

si gned A s the art stu dent first of all stu d ie s D es i gn an d

Co mpos i t i on so it is necess a ry f o r the fi c t io n ist o r p hot o
.
'

p l aywri ght to lea rn at the b e ginnin g someth i n g of P l ot .

“
Tr eatm e n t O u tw e ig hs O r ig in ality .

2 Th e defin it i on O f P l ot as d es ign shou l d b e kep t

in min d b y the wr i te r f o r a l l to o o f ten o n e m akes t he
,
! ‘ ”
mistake of striving to invent in gen i ous an d o rig i n al
p l ots O ri gin al i ty in writin g fict i on is a m atte r of tr ea t
.

m e n t rathe r th an of fu n damental p lot i deas S h ak es

‘

p ea re f o r examp le i n a l l h is wo rks d id n o t d ea l w it h a
“

, , ,
“ ”
s in g l e o r ig in a l p l o t Even T h e Comedy of Er rors
.

“
an d T h e T amin g of the Sh rew common l y ac c epted as ,

who l l y Sh akesp ea re s may b e trace d to a come dy by

,

’
,

A r i osto an d on e b y P l au tus b oth of wh ich were un doubt

,

e dl
y f am i li a r t o S h akesp ea re B u t n o on e w i l l
.
“

i n the u se o f his m ateri al S h akespeare great l y

upon the sou rces f rom wh i ch h e b o rrowed M .

contem p o ra r i es treated the ve ry same themes in

t in gu ishe d ma n ne r b u t i t i s the wo rk o f S hakesp ea re
,

i s remem b e red an d read today T h at the re i s n ot .

3
[ ]
new un de r the sun is ce rta i nly true when ap p l i e d to p IOt
m ate rial but like most truisms of i ts kin d it f requent l y
, , ,

causes mental l azi ness rathe r than the keen affi rm ati v e ,

atti tude th at alwa y s ch a racte ri zes the truly c reative write r .

3 T h e plots of con tempo ra ry novels sta ge p l ays

.

an d photop l ays m ay be traced defin itely to ancient an d

hono r ab le sou rces T h e novel ty an d value of mode rn
.

s to ries dep en d u p on the m anne r in which th e autho r h as

used the o ri gin a l d es ig n an d upon the si gnificance of h is
finis h ed p l ay to a mode rn au dience T h e traine d wri te r .

h as fa r less trouble in fin din g a p lot th an in gi v ing it l i fe

an d s i gn ificance afte r he h as chosen i t T h e first p roblem .

th at con f ronts the w rite r is th at of selection Wh ich p lot .

sh all he c hoose ! ! uite often the ve ry wealt h of p lot

m ate ri al is con fusin g to young w rite rs ; they become
blin ded by th e v ast sup pl y Of i deas an d know not where
to seek no r wh at to select J ust as the a v era ge p e rson
.

f ails to see the wealth of b eau ty N atu re un fol ds until th e

'

a rtis t p oin ts it out to h i m so m an y writers spen d wea ry

,

months in look i n g fo r p lot i deas when they a re e v e ry

whe re p resent to th e disce rn in g e y e .

F airy Tal es a S o u r c e .

A few yea rs ago I was v isi tin g one of Ame rica s

’
4 .

most in genious novelists an d sto ry tel lers a m an with an ,

amaz in g p lot abili ty H is detectiv e sto ries a re ve ry wel l

.

known an d he is c re dited with an unusu al in genu i ty in

,

th e c re ation of o ri gin al p lots I ente red h is lib ra ry o n e

.

mo rn in g an d gl an c ed ove r m an y volumes O n t h e shel f .

of h ono r nea rest h is favorite ch ai r an d close to h i s writin g

,

desk I obse rv ed a numbe r of l a rge an d beautiful v olumes

,
.

Close r exam in ation showed them to be books of f ai ry

tale s one an d all H ad the w rite r been a rom antic autho r
,
.

of love sto ries I woul d not h a v e been su rp rised B ut

‘

,
.

noth in g I h a d obse rved about h im o r h is wo rk woul d in di

cate h is fon dn es s fo r such tales Late r I asked h im to .

e x p l a i n i t He ha d j ust fin is h ed a v e ry serious no v el of
.

New ! o rk life in whic h the he ro encountered unusu al

,

a d v en tu res an d misfo rtunes but eventu ally won out by h is

,

co u ra ge an d n o b ili ty I h ad read th e nov el in manu sc rip t

.

“ ”
an d it h ad struck me as a v e ry no v el an d o rigin al wo rk .

[ 4]
Th e novel i st walked to the shel f of books an d took dow n
a l a rge illustrated v olume I t was an edition of th e
, .

“
A ra b i an Nigh ts with sp len di d illustrations by Edmun d
”
,

Dul ac wh ich enh anced the sign ificance of the sto ries .

“ ‘ ’
How lon g since you ve rea d A li B a b a an d the F o rty
”
Thieves P b e asked
’
.

“
O h many yea rs I answered
, ,
.

Read it a gain an d stu dy the illustrat i on an d then

you ll see j ust whe re I go t the i dea fo r my b ook T h e
’
.

‘
novel is a mo dern M anh attan ve rs ion of Al i
,

An d as I rea d the famili a r O l d sto ry I coul d see j us t how ,

closel y he h a d followe d it and j ust how ma rv elously he ,

h ad fitted the des ign to modern ch a racte rs an d a mode rn

locale H is central ch aracte r descr ib ed at length in th e
.
,

novel was a high l y romanticized Al i

,
.

Th irty six F u n damen ta l S ituati o n s

-
.

5 .Th e n I s aw th e s ig n ifi c a n c e o f th e s h e l f o f fa iry
ta l es E ac h s t o ry o n t ha t s h e l f w as a s o u r c e o f in sp ira
'

tio n e a c h w as a p l o t a
, , o f t h e m o l d er t ha n

th e rec o r ds o f h is to ry , g e ttin g d o w n t o t h e f u n da m e n t a l
h u ma n e m o tio n s t ha t w e r e as tr u e a n d in t e r e s tin g in 5 0 00
B C as th ey a r e to day A ll p l o ts a r e d es ig n s in to w h ic h
. . .

h u ma n a c tio n s a n d e m o tio n s a r e fi tte d, w h ic h s e rv e t o

r ep ro du c e l if e a n d t o a c c e n tu a t e its m e a n in gs fo r t h e
r e a d e r o r t h e s p e c ta t o r Th e r e a r e o n ly t h ir ty -s ix f u n da
.

me n ta l h u ma n e m o tio n s, o n ly t h ir ty s ix f u n da m e n tal
d ra ma t ic s it u a tio n s, a n d a ll p l o ts a r e t h e r e s u l ts o f d e s ign s
in w h ic h th e s e e m o tio n s a n d s itu a tio n s a r e a rra n ge d .

Th e vas t p an o ra ma o f L if e its e l f i s t h e p l o t o f a mas te r

P l o tte r, in v o lv in g a ll o f t h e e m o tio n s a n d s itu a tio n s .

O ften to us seen th rough fin ite eye s an d j udged by

, ,
“

finite m in ds the infinite scop e of existence may se em

,

c h aoti c an d un desi gned B ut the see rs an d p rop hets an d

.

p oe ts of th e race h ave been as god s on a mountain an d

h a v e pe rc ei v ed th e fine symmet ry of th e cosmi c des ign .

E v e ry strong p lot th at h as been c reated by the human

imag i nation h as been a finite rep rodu ct ion o r mani fes ta
tion of the c os mic symmet ry wh ich even p rimiti v e man ,

p e r c ei v ed .

7 . All o f u s are famil i a r With th e sto ry of Ci n der

' “

[5 ]
el l a
.
” —
I t is th e e v er pop ul a r eve r inte restin g an d ev e r
-
,
-

“
d ram atic sto ry M iss M R C o x in he r b ook on C i n
. . .
,
”
derella h as traced th ree hun d red an d fo r ty fi ve v a ri ants
,
-

of the C in de rell a sto ry I t h as e x isted amon g a l l p eop l es

.
,

se emin gly f rom th e b eginn in g o f time I ts ea r l iest cl assic .

“
fo rm is p rob a b l y the sto ry of Rhodop is the rosy
,
,
!

c hec ke d whose san dal was sn atched away by an eag l e

,

an d ca rried to the K in g P sam me t ic h u s at M emp his who ,

sea rched the wo rl d f o r the owne r of the san dal an d fin a l ly

found h er A sl ightly di ff e rent version o f the sto ry of
.

Rho dop is is su ggested by a f ragment Of S ap p ho whose ,

b rother i s sai d to h a v e foun d Rhodop is in sl ave ry an d to

h ave f reed he r because of he r beau ty C h ar ax u s the .
,

b rothe r of S ap p ho is p erh ap s the or i gin a l P rince of the

,

tale Th us t h e s to ry w as fa miliar in 00 0 B C
. . .

8 .
Bu t l et it not be su p posed that we h a v e traced i t
to its origin f o r in all p rob ability i t S p ri n gs f rom a p re
,

h isto r i c n atu re m y th accordin g to wh ich the dawn ! Cin

,

de re l l a ) was op p resse d by n i gh t clou ds ! c ru el rel atives )

an d rescued b y the sun ! the P rince ) M ost o f the p lots .

of tod ay m ay b e t raced in th is way b ack to n atu re myths ,

’
wh ich a re in dicative of p reh i storic m an s tendency to
rep ro duce the d es ig n O f N atu re in hu man u n derstan da b le ,

ter ms .

The R eas o n f
or F i c t io n .

Th e r e in l ie s t h e r e as o n fo r fic tio n I t s e r v e s to giv e .

t h e r e a d e r o r t h e s p e c ta t o r a w id e s e n s e o f l if e g r e a te r ,

a n d m o r e o b j e c t iv e t h a n t h a t h e h as p e rs o n a l ly e x p e
r ie n c e d Th e a n c ie n t m in s tr e l w as o n e w h o c o u ld sin g
‘

o f m a rv e ls , a n d s o c a r ry t h e im a gin a tio n o f h is a u di t o rs

a w ay f r o m
t h e ir o w n n a r r o w e x is t e n c e in t o a br o a d e r,
f r e e r r e a l m o f fa n c y Th e fi c tio n is t o f t o day f u lfi lls a
.

s im ilar ta s k A n d t h e p h o t o p lay w r ig h t e sp e c ia l ly , w it h
.

h is in ter n a tio n a l a u d ie n c e o f m il lio n s p o ss e s s e s t h e mag ic

l a n g u ag e o f a c tio n — b y w h ic h e m o t i o n is in va r ia b ly
,

e x p r ess e d — t o m a k e h is app e a l a n d t o c a r ry h is a u d ie n c e
in t o t h e r e a l m o f fa n c y .

10 B u t always , as in the C in derell a sto ry , the re

—
.

mu st b e a soun d n atu ral b asis the desi gn must be p at

te rn ed after th at of N a tu re ,
fo r othe rw ise i t will h ave n o
6
1 ]
si gn ificance f o r the au dience H av i n g b een pop ul a r in
.
,

one form an d anothe r f o r twenty fi ve hun dred y ears i t is

,
-

not to be doubted th at the sto ry of Cinderel l a wil l c o n

t in u e to app eal Amon g the sta ge su c c e sse so f recent y ea rs
.

wh ich h ave followed the ancient p attern o n e m ay n ame : ,

Th e llI a r r iag e o f K itty S mit h Th e R ej u v e n a tio n o f A u n t

/
,

Ma ry Th e R e a l Th in g, K itty M c K ay , P e g 0 My ! e a r t,
,
’

! e a rs o f D is c r e t io n , Th e W is h in g R in g, F a n c h o n , M e r e ly
Ma ry A n n , Cap r ic e, Th e Tra il o f th e L o n es o m e P in e ,
P r u n e l la, D a d dy L o n g L e gs , Th e B r a t, a n d P o lly a n n a .

Amon g novels o f the day the l ist is intermin a b l e Count .

less p hotop l a y s h ave been dev elope d upon the s ame p at

tern which if ski l l fu l ly use d seem to ca r ry the assu rance
, , ,

of success .

11 T h e f ai ry ta l e of P rince Cop hetua an d the beg

.

ga r m ai d is a va ri an t of Cin derell a th at b rin gs out ev en

more clearly the b asic confl ict an d the contrastin g ch a r
ac t e rs T h e ri ch man the p oo r gi rl he r misfortune his
.
, , ,

p rotectin g in fl u e n c e— these a re the fun damental p lot e l e

ments o f many successful sto ries va ryin g in the nov el ty ,

an d distinction the in d iv i du al autho r b rin gs to thei r

trea tment .

A C las s ic My t h .

12 Less definitely th e cl assic myth of P y gm al ion

.

an d G a l atea is a va ri ant of th e same p lot i dea P ygma .

l ion y o u wil l remember fell in love with the ivo ry ima ge

, ,

of a ma i den h e himsel f h ad m ade an d p rayed to A p h ro ,

dite to b reathe life into her T h e request was granted

.

an d he ma rried he r P y gm al ion is a mythical ch a r

.

acter an d the sto ry a m y th b u t i t is t h e sou rce of a great

,

deal o f modern poetry an d fict i on T o cite a clea r exa m .

p l e B ern ard S h aw g ave us hi s b rill i ant d rama entitle d

,
”
P y gma l ion onl y a few ye a rs ago in wh ich he made use ,

O f the o l d p atte rn in a new an d de l i ghtful way Will iam .

Mo rris in Th e Ea rth l y P a radise gives a b eautiful

, ,

poet i c ren dering o f th is l e gen d .

”
13 .
“
I h ave mentioned the A ra b i an N i ghts Th e .

plots that owe thei r or i g in to it a re incalcul a b le in num

b e r an d its p a ges a re al ive wi t h su gges tions an d insp i ra
,

tions S i m i l arl y al l legends myth s and fa i ry t a l es a re

.
, ,

7
[ ]
sugge s ti v e of p lots an d a re the p a tte rns upon whi c h
mode rn sto ries may be w ri tten Aesop G rimm An der .
, ,

son L a Fo n t ain e an d the man y books of An d rew L ang

,

all contain the sug gestion s an d i deas th at h a v e b een

en tertain ing an d instru ctive to men of a l l time .

Mo dern L eg en ds .

14 Not only in ancien t le gen ds a re p lots to be

.

foun d bu t in the popul a r le gends of mode rn pl ac es

,
.

Ce rtain section s of ou r country possess a romantic in te r

est o f th is kin d We a re all acqu ainted wi th the sto ry
.

of P ocahontas fo r e x am p le wh ich h as se rv ed as th e
, ,

basis of an in fin ite numbe r of I ndi an p l ays an d photo

p l ays Th e le gen ds of the Coloni al p eriod I n di an fo l k
.
,

lo re such as the sto ry of H i awath a tal es tol d by ol d

, ,

inh abi tants in a l most an y p rimitive section of the coun

—
try all th is i s m ateri al fo r the c reative au tho r N atu .

rally such legen ds a re not in themselves effective p hoto

p l ay p lots b u t m an y of them contain the b as is the g e r m
, , ,

of stron g an d ap p eal in g sto ries I n the wo rk of de v elop .

ing such germs of mode rn i zin g an d d ramatizing them

, ,

th e c reati v e au tho r h as a sufficientl y diffi cul t task H e re .

e i
is th d e s g h ere is the b a re s k t
n ,
e l e o n — b ut the task of
giving i t the colo r an d h a rmony an d stren gth of real i ty
yet rem a ins I do not wish to convey th at the task of
.

c reat ive w ritin g is an eas y one th at p lots m ay be foun d ,

ready made whe reve r one l ooks B ut rather b y in di

-
.
,

e at in g the ch ief o rigin al sou rces of p lots I h O p e to ,

su ggest new themes an d subj ects th at are wo rthy of

imagin ative treatment Gol d is whe re you fin d it b u t
.
—
it m u s t b e m in e d an d m ill e d a n d m in te d b e f o r e it c an be
ex c ha n
g e d f o r o t h e r c o m m o dit ies .

15 O nly the othe r day , in readin g so recent

. a b o ok
“ ’
as M a ry Austin s Lan d of Li ttle Rain I was imp ressed ,

w i th the l e gen da ry n atu re of p rimitive l ife I n that .

boo k M rs A ustin w rites of the Moj ave dese rt an d th e

—
,
.

“ ”
to wns th at b o rde r it forsaken bo om towns fo r the ,

g re at e r
p a rt each
‘
wi th i ts
,
h al f mythical h isto ry its
-
almost ,

legen da ry ch a racte rs an d its one o r two wo rd o f mo u th

,
- ’

h isto ri ans who a re wi l ling to talk of the gl o r i ous days

th at a re p ast an d gone An old S p ani a rd who sti l l
.
,

8
[ ]
remembers the days b efore th e G rin go e s came to Ca l i
f o rn ia h as to l d me more interesting sto ries th an I sh a l l
,

e v er h ave time to w rite mo st of th em legen da ry in t h at

,

they dea l w i th a time th at is p ast an d l a rge l y un recorded .

Another f rien d who mushed ove r the Ch il coot p ass in

,

the v an gu a rd of the K lon dike rush is a m ine o f Al askan ,

tales a l so l a rgely le genda ry the p roduct o f time an d

, ,

m any men s imagination Whenever one comes in c o n

’
.

tact w i t h the p rimi tive con d i tions o r p rimit ive m inds o n e .

fin ds va ri ants o f the le gen ds that a re recorded i n the most

anc i en t books An d b ecause d ra ma m u s t d e a l t o b e g e n
.
,

e ra ll
y a pp e a l in
g w it h u n iv e rs a l a n d f u n da m e n ta l e m o
,

t io n s such le gends a re the sou rce o f the most d ramati c

,

p l ots
.

A S u g g es t ive L is t .

16 . I n th i s connect i on I t W i l l be su fficient to men

tion in p assin g some of the stories that h a v e b een adap ted
b y modern w ri te rs an d developed into p l easin g an d
e ff ective p lots Consi der such sto r i es as A l addin an d
.

the Won de rful Lamp ; Alice in Won derlan d ; B eauty an d

the B east ; B lue b ea rd ; T h e C at an d the M ouse ! f rom
Aesop ) ; the Ch angeling ; th e F ountain of ! outh ; S i r
Gal ah ad ; the Gol den Goose ; Gol dilocks an d th e T h ree
!

B ears ; H i awath a ; K in g M i das ; Red Ri din g Hood ; the

M ille r H is Son an d Th e D onkey ; P ando ra s Bo x ; P oca
,
’

b ontas ; T h e P o t of Gol d ; T h e P rince Who F oun d H is

H ea rt ; Wil l i am T ell ; Sleep i n g B eau ty ; S leep in g P ri n
cess ; Snow Wh ite etc Where cou l d one fin d a more
,
.

fascin ating range of plot i deas th an in this h ap h aza rd l ist .

,

wh ich is a b riefly su ggestive rathe r th an an exh austi v e

su rv ey of this p o rtion of the plot sou rces we a re c o n sid
e rin g !
17 . Mo l ded i n the c ruci bl e o f f ancy an d transmuted
in the a l em b ic o f the i ma gination these ancien t sto r i es ,

a re as interestin g today as when the p r i mitive m an l a i d

as i de his stone h ammer to l isten to the first poet Ch i l .

dren w i l l gi ve the i r rap t attention to these ta l es an d th e ,

ch i l d min d is often a b ette r j u d ge o f fiction an d the

p hotoplay th an one mo re m atu re for a gain the reason , , ,

f o r the e x istence o f the p h o t p l ay is to bea r the ti red

p
[ ]
9
min d an d th e le th ar ic ima gin ation awa y to a chil dish
l an d of rom ance E ven th e most r eal isti c of modern
.

se re e n d ram a i f i t i s a rtistic
,
ful fil ls th is p u rp ose fo r i t
, ,

in troduces the reade r to ch a racte rs an d p l aces b e other

wise woul d n o t h ave known .

18 . A skill f ul p hotop l ayw ri gh t can adap t any o r

all o f th e f ai ry ta l es m e n t io n e d ab o ve an d develop them ‘

into interestin g an d success f ul modern p l ays Cease t his .

fe v erish quest i n g f o r p lots ! P lots a re e v e ryw here an d ,

th e re is othe r wo rk to be done H ere a re the p atte rns

—
.
,

th e des i gn is d rawn n o w let us give i t a subtl e treat

ment of Notan ! li ght an d da rk ) co l o r p ersp ective ch a r
—
, , ,

acte r an d interest to use the p h rases Of th e art i st Th e .

skeleton is here an d it rem ains f o r the c reative writer to

give i t th e h ea rt th e s o u l an d t h e mo v e m e n t o f r e a l ity
, , .

The S t o ry o f Midas .

19 T ake h ap h aza rdly the sto ry of M id as The

‘

.
,
.

sto ry is b rie fl y set forth somewh at as follows :

M i das so n of Go rdius an d king o f P h ry gia was
, ,

reno wned f o r h is I mmense riches I n consequence of h is .

kin d treat men t of S ilenus the comp an ion an d teac h e r of

,

D ionysus ! the G reek go d o f wine ) th e l atte r allow e d ,

M i das to ask a favo r o f him M i das in h is folly desi re d

,
. .

th at al l thin gs wh ich h e touched shoul d b e ch an ge d into

gol d T h e request was granted ; but as e v en the foo d
“

wh ic h b e touche d became gol d he im p l o red the go d to ,

take h is f avo r b ack D ion y sus acco rdin gl y o rde re d him

.

t o b athe I n the sou rces o f the P actolus T h is b ath sa v e d .

M i das bu t the rive r f rom th at time h a d an a b un dan c e of

,

g ol d in i ts san d
20 Th ere is more to the sto ry Of M i das and i t is
reco rded in m an y versions but the quotation w
,
.

,
ill se rv e
to i n dic ate i ts va l ue as a d ramatic sou rce Even f rom so .

b rief an account the ch a racte r o f M i d as i s reveale d .

W hat a p erfect ro l e such a ch a racter woul d p rovide for

an acto r o f F rank K een an s distinction f o r example ! ’
,

M id as the lover of wealth f o r its o w n s ake w h o even

or w
, ,

t u all
y fin ds th at h is p ra y ers f ealth a re so fully
ans we re d t h at he I s choked b y it H e I s saved b y b athin g .

i n the river P actolus l i tera l l y I n the fa b le b ut i t requ i res

, ,

[ ]
10
no great el astici ty o f ima gi n ation to interp ret this r i ve r
as th e river of E x p erience , o r o f So rrow o r o f Remorse , ,

in wh i ch the sou l of the m an i s s aved S u rroun d such a .

central ch aracte r w i th oth e rs in contrast gi ve it a modern ,

and l ivi ng e x p ression an d a stron g drama w il l b e the

,

resul t .

21 Th e othe r stor i es I h ave ment i oned an d h un

.
,

d reds o f others b esi des m ay b e i nterp rete d an d deve l op ed

,

in much the same w ay I n deed they h ave been an d w i l l

.
,

cont i nue to b e so lon g as the hum an i ma gi n ation i s hum an ,

fo r in all m an s exp erience we can fin d on l y va ryin g c o m

’

b in atio n s Of th i r ty s i x fun damental dram at i c situ ations

-
.

T hi s f act h owe v er is n o mo re a l i mitation of dram a th an

, ,

t h e octa v es a re a l imitation of music the fou rteen l i nes a ,

l im itation o f th e sonnet o r th e fact th at a l l des i gn in a rt

,

is c omp ose d of strai ght an d cu rv ed lines a limitation o f

p ainti n g o r sculp tu re .

C lass i c S o u r c es .

22 . Cl assi cal l iteratu re other th an the myths i s

, ,

a l so r i ch in su ggest i ve p lot i deas T h e I l ia d an d the .

O dyssey of Home r ep ics o f a m i gh ty an d cu l tu red race

, ,

a re fi l led wi th sto r i es wh ich m ay b e mo dernized to goo d

ad v anta ge T h e Aenei d o f V i rgil simil arly is o f v alue
.
, , ,

an d the p l ays of S op hocles A esch y lus an d Eu r i p i des c o n

,

tain d ramatic e l ements th at h ave recu rred t o this day .

Let us consi de r b riefly some o f the sto ries o f Homer those ,

wh ich a re most su ggestive o f mo dern p lots .

23; I t woul d b e di ffi cu l t to fin d a mo re insp i rin g

ch aracter th an Ach i l l es the he ro O f the I l i ad an d h i s
, ,
“
adventu res rival those o f an y mode rn hero T h e swi ft .

”
footed A ch illes le d h is hosts a gainst T roy an d f o rmed
the b u l wa rk O f the G reeks I h the m i dst o f the wa r he
. .

was comp e ll ed to gi ve up B rise is a hosta ge gi r l he l oved , ,

an d fo rthwith re f u se d to fi ght su l k i n g b o y i sh l y i n h i s
\ ,

ten t T h e G reeks were fast l os i n g the wa r b u t Ach i ll es

.
, ,

l i ke an an gry b o y su l ked o n unt i l h i s f r i en d P atroc l us

,

was k ill ed b y the T roj ans T hen h i s an ge r was aroused

.

an d he went fo rth to aven ge the death o f h i s f r i en d H i s .

g reat emotion was am b i tion b ut with i t there was

,
m i n gl ed
a stron g p ri de an almost ch i l d i sh sensitiveness an d a great
, ,

[ 1]
1
cou rage I n the li fe of A c h ille s th ere a re hund re ds o f
.

p lots an d in the ch a racte r i tsel f t he re is a stren gth an d a

,

human ten de rness th at will always be inte re sting in p l ays,

as i t is in l i fe .

24. I n the same way ! e rcules who se exp loi ts are ,

the most in te re stin g rom ance Of l itera tu re ; an d ! lyss es,

t h e great n a v i gato r an d the m aste r of strategic subtlety ;
an d Aeneas th e hero o f a fascin ati n g romance with D i do
, ,

q en of C a rth a ge ; suggest to t h e i magin ati v e stu dent

u e

definite p lot i deas wh ich may be de v elop ed an d mo de m

iz e d in a w ay th at wil l ap p eal to t h e theatre p atrons of
today .

25. Amon g cl assic women P enelope the wife of , ,

! lysses whose subtle ty in the treatment of un desi rable

,

s u i to rs is a b rill i ant revel ation of femin ine wi t ; Helen ,

who l ike E v e an d he r mo de rn siste rs allowed h e r v ani ty
, , ,

to cause a great deal of bloodshed an d stri fe ; Ci rce th e ,

fi rst of the vamp i res who met h e r m atc h in ! lysses ; D i do

, ,

who acco rding to one ve rsion chose death in p reference to

i n fidel i ty to the memo ry of h e r dead hu sb an d ; m ay be
mentioned as sugge stions Cleop atra P h ryne an d
.
, ,

S ap p ho alon g with others f rom the B ible and othe r non

,

classi cal sou rces h a v e al ready insp i red a great deal of

,

modern d ram a an d fi c tion .

26 .B efo re p assin g f rom the cl assic p e riod I woul d ’

suggest the sto ry of Cup i d an d P s y che one of the most ,

beauti ful le gen ds we h ave inhe rited f rom the G reeks an d

one especi ally sus cep tib le of modern treatment .

“ ‘
27 P s y che the sou l occu rs i n the l ate r times of
’
-
.
, ,

antiqui ty as a p ersonification o f the h um an soul P syche .

w as th e youngest of t h e th ree daugh te rs of a king an d ,

exci ted by he r beau ty the j ealou s y an d env y of Ap h rodite .

I n o rde r to aven g e h e rsel f the goddess o rdered Cup i d to

,

insp i re P syche wit h a lo v e fo r the most contemp tible of

all men ; b u t Cup i d was so stricken with her b eau ty th at
h e h imsel f fell in lov e with he r H e acco rdingly con .

vey e d he r to a ch a rmin g s p o t whe re u ns een an d unknown

, ,

he visited h e r ev e ry n ight an d left h e r as soon as the day

,

began to dawn B ut he r j ealous siste r made he r believ e

.

t h at in t h e da rkness of ni gh t she w as emb racing some

h i d eous monste r an d acco rdin gly once w h ile Cup i d was
, ,

12
[ ]
asleep she d rew nea r to h im with a l amp an d to he r
, , ,

amazement b ehe l d the most h an dsome and lo v ely o f the

,

go ds I n the excitemen t o f jo y an d fea r a d rop of hot oil

.
,

fell f rom he r l am p u p o n h is shoul der This awoke .

Cup i d who censu red he r f o r h er m istrust an d fled

, ,
.

P syche s h ap p iness was now gone an d afte r attemp tin g in

’
,

v ain to th row hersel f in to a rive r she wan de re d a b ou t ,

f rom temp le to temp l e i nqu i rin g a fte r her l ove r and at

, ,

len gth came to the p al ace o f A ph rodite T here he r rea l .

suffe rings began fo r A p h rodite retained her treated he r

, ,

as a s l ave an d imposed u pon he r the h a rdest an d most

,

h umili ating l a b o rs P s y che wou l d h ave p e rished un de r

.

the wei ght o f he r su ffe rin gs h ad not Cup i d w h o st i l l

, ,

lo v ed he r in sec ret i nvisi bl y comfo rted an d assisted he r

,

in he r to il s With h i s a i d she at l ast succeeded i n ove r

.

comin g the h atred an d j ea l ousy of A p h rod i te ; she b ecame

immortal and was un ited to h i m fo re ve r I n this sto ry .

P syche o f cou rse rep resents the human sou l wh i ch i s pu ri ,

fi e d b y p assions an d mis f o rtunes an d thus p rep a red fo r

,
”
the enjoyment of true an d p u re h ap p iness .

The B i b l e a F er tile Fie ld .

28 . S ome o n e h as sai d th at al l sto ries m ay b e traced

to the book O f Genesis in the B i b le I t is ce rta i nly true
,
.

th at many p lots h ave thei r o ri gin in the B i b le an d th at ,

m an y are suggested b y the fi rst b ook T h e B i b le more .

,

th an an y othe r sou rce we h ave consi de red is the comp lete ,

exp ress i on of m an s att i tu de towa rds the infinite an d it

’
,

i s there f o re a more comp rehensive m ani festat i on in

h uman terms o f etern a l confl icts th an an y other sou rce .

I n the fo rty ch ap te rs o f the b ook of Genesis f rom the

c reat i on o f A dam an d Eve to the death of J oseph al most
,

eve ry h um an emotion is ex p ressed Consi de r the sto ries .

contained within fo rty b rief ch ap ters T h e sto ry of .

A dam an d Eve the eatin g o f the f ruit of the tree of

,

knowled ge the p unishment an d the cu rse up on them

, ,
.

The sto ry o f Cain an d A b el wh ich continu all y recu rs in

,
’
today s fiction ; the sto rv Of N o ah an d the floo d ; the p rom
ised l an d of Can aan Ab ram an d Lot ; S ari and H a ga r ;
,

L o t an d his Wi fe ; Re b ecca and I s aac ; Leah an d Rachel ;

the b i rth o f Josep h ; J ose p h an d his b reth ren ; J osep h an d
[ ]
13
P otip h a r
’
s wife ; th e i n te rp retation o f dreams ; J osep h s ’

rise to p owe r : h i s f o r gi veness of his b reth ren etc

—
.
,

29 O ne of these sto rie s th at o f J osep h an d h is

—
.

b reth ren was v e ry recen tly u tili zed b y an English

d ramat i st Lou is N P a rke r i n a sp ectacul a r p l ay wi th
,
.
,

th at title A l l of the othe r stories to b e foun d in Genesis

.

may s i mi l a rly b e emp lo ye d today an d the y a re all su g ,

g e sti v e o f modern sto ries in which th e s am e typ es o f Ch a r

ac te rs an d th e same emotion al confl icts fo rm th e b asis of
th e p l ay .

3 0 T h e enti re P entateuch o r first fiv e books of the

.
,

O l d T estamen t commonl y attribu ted to M oses is rich

, ,

in sug gestive p lot i de a s S tories o f un ive rsal an d p oign ant

in terest a re to be foun d th rou ghou t the O l d T estamen t ,

an d ve ry often a sin gle ve rse as i n the P s alms will so , ,

clearly set fo rth an i dea a b asic confl ict th at it m ay su g

, ,

gest a com p le te mode rn sto ry .

3 1 Tw o books of the O l d T estament Ruth an d

.
,

Esthe r a re esp eci all y interestin g f rom ou r po i nt of v iew

, ,

fo r they a re two of the finest sho rt stories in any l angu a ge .

’
Ruth s a dhe rence to N aomi i n he r hou r of tri al thei r su f ,

fe t ing an d b ra v e ry Ru th s meetin g with B oaz h is ’

—
, ,

acknowledgment of he r thei r m a rri age in th is simp le

,

sto ry we fin d th ree well constructed an d st rikin g ch a rac

te rs T h e p lot 13 simple as great sto ries a re l ikely to be
.
, ,

but it p ossesses the p oignance an d the ap p eal of imp res

si v e d ram a I t h as been adap ted fo r the sta ge in the
.
,

fo rm o f p antomimes m an y times an d in a less ob v ious

,

way i t h as fo rmed the desi gn on wh ich m any nov els an d

d ramas h ave been written .

3 2 Not lon g ago I read a v e ry fine sto ry foun ded

.

up on the book o f Esthe r I t was a sto ry o f ea rly C al i .

f o rn ia an d the autho r h a d fo l l owed the p atte rn Of the

,

B i b le sto ry ve ry closely Esther was calle d Estrel l a , .

M o rdecai was ch an ged to M ich ael an d in the modern

—
,

ta l e Estre l la was the defen de r o f he r p eople the o l d

S p an ish se t t l e rs o f ea rl y Cal i fo rn i a—j ust as he r ancien t
‘

p rototype was the de f en de r o f th e op p re ssed J ews in the

kin gdo m o f A hasue rus A s I rea d the sto ry I felt th at
.
,

i t was fam il i a r an d the w r i te r then e xp l ained j ust whe re

,

she h ad foun d the sou rce o f he r plot .

[ ]
14
 The New T es tam en t .

33 . Th e
New T estament an d esp eci a l l y the fou r
,

Gosp els a re equ a l l y r i ch in sto ry materi al T h e l i fe an d

,
.

wo rks o f Ch r i st h ave ex erted as p owe rful an infl uence

in l i teratu re an d d rama as i n l i fe an d man y sto ries of ,

toda y are i n a l a rge sense sto ries o f the Ch rist S uch .

“ ”
s ta ge su ccesses as T h e P assin g o f th e T h i rd F loo r B ack
“ ”
an d T h e S e rvant in the H ouse are d i rect an d clea r
exp ressions of this mot i f I t m ay also b e foun d less
.
,
“ ”
O b viously treated in Sh aw s And rocles and th e Lion
,
’
,
’ “
Go rki s Ch i l dren of the S un an d othe r mo der n p l ays .

I n novels i t is an o ver p resen t an d ap p ea l in g theme an d

g
-
,
“ ”
in a photop l a y success o f 19 20 T h e M i racle M an it , ,

was develop ed in a ve ry b eauti ful an d rea l ist i c m anne r .

J esus o f N az a reth is the greatest teache r the worl d h as

known n d i t is n atu ral th at H is l i fe n ea rth in its
a o — w

human an d fin e an d help ful asp ects—s houl d influence

,

th e drama an d li teratu re o f ou r own d ay .

34 . I n the l ives an d teac hin gs o f m an y other foun d

ers of religion such as Gotama ! oroaste r Con fucius an d
, , ,

Loa T z e M oh ammed an d S hin to the a l ert ima gin at i on

-
, ,

will fin d insp i ration an d su ggestions I n all such rel i .

g io u s wo rks the value t o the fi c t io n ist lies in the fact th at

th ey a re the accumul ated knowled ge an d ex p e r i ence of

the race They a re well selected p a ges f rom th e B ook o f
.
-

Li fe an d th e stu dy of th em p romotes a more comp lete

,

un de rstan din g of th at vast B ook f rom which all knowl

ed ge is obtained .

Th e m e S o u r c es .

35 . Closel y rel ate d to the works o f reli gious sig

n ifi c an c e are those that deal with p h ilosop h ical theo ry .

S uch wo rks , h oweve r a re mo re valu a b l e as sou rces o f

,

th emes th an as defin ite p lot sou rces B u t ve ry o ften i n .

,

even the most abstruse p h i losop hy o n e wi l l fin d a State

,
ment o f be l ief o r p rinc i p le th at defini tely e x p resses a
d ramat i c confl i ct wh i ch b y develop men t wil l resu l t i n
, , ,

a tense an d ap p eal in g p lot Th e conflict b etween p a gan

.

ism an d Ch risti an i ty h as thu s resul ted in m an y wo rks o f

the ima ginat i on such as S h aw s An d rocles an d the Lion
,
’
,

al ready mentioned i n anothe r connection ; Me rje ko w sk i s ’

15
[ ]
b rill i ant trilogy Ch rist an d Anti Ch rist wh ich traces the
,
-
,

c o n fli c t f rom the time of the Roman Emp ero r J uli an to

th e time of P ete r the G reat an d othe r less well known ,
-

wo rks o f c o n te mp o rary fict i on 8 0 too the confl ict be

, .

tween M ateri alism and I dealism wh ich is at b ottom a ,

strictly p hi losoph ical confl ict h as fo rme d the foun dation ,

fo r pl ays an d sto ries S ome of the novels an d stage p l ays

.

th at h a v e foun d thei r w ay to motion p ictu re p ro duct i on

wh ich may b e mentioned in th is c l ass are C h a rles K lein s ’

“ ” “
Th e Lion an d the M ouse J ack Lon don s T h e S ea ,
’

“
Wol f an d F ran k L P acka rd s T h e M i racle M an .
’
.

36
. Whethe r o r not one reads p h ilosophy wi th
pleasu re one must h ave a p e rson al p h i l osop hy of li fe b y ,

w h ich exp e rience m ay be interp reted an d ma de sign ificant

to the sp ectato r W rite rs who a re matu re in thei r ex p e ri
.

ence an d h av e a soun d attitu de towa rds l i fe do not requi re

p h ilo sop h ical train ing bu t youn g w ri te rs can make no,

mi stake in acqu i rin g a b road view of the p hilosop hical

“

p rin c ip les th at h a v e influenced m ankin d I know one .

poet, fo r examp le who fin ds the wo rks o f S p inoza a con

,

t in u al sou rce of insp i ration who h as been able to gi v e to ,

the d ry th eo ries of the p antheist th e beauty an d th e a rt of

lyrical v e rse .

! is t o r i c al Ep is o des .

37
. I n t h e acqui sition of a soun d insight into th e
moti v e s t h at h a v e swayed h uman i ty the re is p erh ap s no
study mo re help fu l th an th at of H isto ry M any great .

wo rk s of the imagin ation h ave been develop ed upon h is

to ric al ep isodes S h akesp ea re esp eci a l ly h as foun d h is
.
, ,

plots in the reco rds of the h isto ri an s an d h as then infused

th em with n ew l i fe an d c h a ra c te r Modern nov elists an d .

d ramatists no less t h an S h akesp ea re h a v e followed th e

, ,

s ame p ractice wit h excellent success S uch p hotop l ays .

“ ” “
as C abi ri a The B i rth of a N ation v a rious ve rsions
,

of th e sto ries of Cleop atra an d S alome T h e F all of th e

“
,

Rom anoff s e tc etc h a v e been di rectly b a se d up on hi s

”
,
.
,
.
,

to ric al facts A nd in a great m any c ases the autho rs o f

.

p h o to p lays h ave foun d thei r mate rial in t h e p ages of

h istor y .
“
T h e Re d Lante rn ”
in whi c h N az imo va ,

sta rred w as adap ted f rom a book t h at was written upon

,

[ ]
16
th e sto ry an d h as b e e n al mo st concealed in t h e fi c tio n al
'
'

fo rm .

40 P i ckin g up a volume abou t one of my o w n p a r

.

tic u l ar heroes S i r Rich a rd B u rton I fin d I n i t suffi cient

, ,

p lot mate ri a l fo r a dozen in te restin g bo oks an d p hoto

“
p l ays Wil l i am M a rion Reedy s ays of B u rton : H e
.

woul d h ave b een a wo rth y comp an i on of Rale i gh h alf ,

p i rate an d h a l f poet H e was the l ast of the En gl ish

-
.

‘ ’
gentlemen adventu rers H e was a G ip s y gen ius an d .
,

h e h a d upon h im su ch an u r gin g restlessness as no m an

ev e r h ad sa v e p e rh ap s the Wan de rin g J ew H is life
,
.

was an ep i c of though t o f in v esti gation an d o f adven tu re

,
.

”
The track of h is wan derin gs traced the gl obe He .

‘
sea rched fo r the sou rces of the N i le he exp l o red u h ,

known A f rica he l i v ed amon g the M ormons in S al t Lake

,

C i ty he wrote o n e of the most rema rka b l e p oems i n the

,

l angu age h e transl ated Latin G reek S ansc r i t an d a

, .
, , ,

dozen othe r l angu ages he m a de a p ilgrim a ge to M ecca ,

in d i s guise at th e risk of h is l i fe he exp lo red in South ,

Ame rica E gyp t an d I n di a I n sho rt h e l i v ed a st renuous

,
.
, ,

adven tu rous e x citin g l i fe ea ge r in the p u rsui t of knowl

, ,

e dge an d p ass i on ate i n h is desi re fo r accomp l ishmen t .

4 1 B u rton and V illon an d the other ch a racte rs of

.
,

h isto ry a re su ggestive of p lots to the alert an d im a gina

,

tive w rite r K i p l i n g h as used B u rton I n several sto ries ;

.

his wife s b i o grap hy o f h im h as a n ew an d fasci n ating

’

sto ry on eve ry p age .

A rt an d Mus ic .

42 I n much the same way the wo rks of a rt music

.
,

an d im agin ative li te ratu re a re su ggestive o f i deas wo rthy

of develop men t A lmost an y p ain tin g th at conta i ns other
.

qu a l ities th an me re deco ration such as fo r e x amp l e , , ,

”
S ac red an d P rofane Love will su ggest a sto ry to the ,
“
w rite r with a keen sto ry sense I ment i on S ac re d an d .

P rofane Love b ecause v e ry recentl y I rea d an e x t rao r

d in ary photop l ay of the sp ectacul a r ty p e that was devel
Oped f rom the i dea e xp ressed b y the p a i nte r O ne form .

o f stage a rt th at i s esp ec i a l l y su ggest iv e of pho topl ay p lots

is the p antom i me wh ich is h avin g a ren a i ssance at p res
,

en t T h e va rious h a rlequ inades b ase d u pon the o l d b u t

.
,

. i
[ ]8
eve r interestin g sto ry o f P i errot H a r l equin an d Co l um , ,

bin e a re an e x cellent sou rce o f sto ry m ate ri a l As a k i n d

,
.

of sub plot such a h a r l equin ade was employ ed b y Lo i s

-
,
“ ”
We b e r in her b rill i an t p hotop l ay F o r H us b an ds O n l y
,

The D aily P r ess .

43 . As h isto ry is th e reco rd o f the p ast so is the ,

da i ly p ress the reco rd o f today I t h as b een stated b y an .

authori ty th at each day s newsp ap e r contains p l ot mate

’

ri al which if p rop erl y develop ed woul d b rin g the autho r

, ,

twenty thousan ds doll a rs in royalties I t requ i res ve ry .

l itt l e re ading o f the p ress to in d i cate the truth o f such a

statement f o r o n ev e ry p age there is the record o f e m o
,

tio n al conflict o f rom ance o f p athos o f comedy o f am b i

, , , ,
—
tion success an d fa i lu re all grist f o r the m i l l of the
,

dram atist to use in h is interp retation o f l i fe

,
.

44 . To m ake an e x h austive an d comp lete su rvey o f

the p l ot sou rces we h a v e consi de re d woul d requ i re many
volumes I n th is sp ace I h ave tri ed me rel y to indicate
.

by su ggestion an d b rief commen t the ch ief cl assical an d

modern o ri gins of p lot i deas A n acqu ain tance wi th the
.

wo rks mentioned will give the wri te r an a b un dant sto re

o f p l ot m ateri al .

45 . B u t i t shoul d be remembered th at the va l ue o f

these sou rces dep en ds up on the a b il i ty o f the creato r to
employ them I t shoul d also be remem b ered that they
.

are merel y p a ges f rom the B ook o f Li fe an d th at a tho r ,

ough stu dy o f Li fe is the b est p lot sou rce o f a l l T h e .

sou rces we h ave consi dered a re o f va l ue b ecause they

i l lustrate the kin ds o f e x p erience th at h ave app ea l ed to
the sp ectato rs an d readers o f the p ast ; they a re a rtistic ,

we l l selecte d p atterns des i gns an d su ggestions which m ay

-
, ,

be m ade beau ti ful an d eff ective b y im a gin ative treatment .

F amiliar Mat er ial .

4 0. T o o o f t e n w r it e r s s e e k p l o ts f a r a fi e l d w h e n t h ey

w o u ld h av e b e tt e r s u c c e ss b y s tu dy in g t he p e o p l e a n d t h e
l if e o f t h e s tr e e t in w h ic h t h ey l iv e S o m e o n e h as s a id
.

tha t e v e ry l itt l e v illag e c o n ta in s e v e ry t h in g in s o m e d e ,

g r e e ,
t h a t t h e w h o l e w o r l d c o n ta in s T h is i
. s c e r ta in ly t r u e

o f p l o t m a t e r ia l N o m a tt e r w h e r e y o u liv e , n o m a tt e r
1
[ ]
9
w ho y o u r i
a c qu a n m ay b e , t h e re a r e s t o r ie s in t h e l if e
ta n c es

t ha t g o e s o n a b o u t y o u D o n o t m a k e t h e e r r o r o f w r it in g
.

F if t h A v e n u e s to r i e s if y o u hav e l iv e d y o u r l if e i n a s mal l
t o w n , fo r t h e r e is a b e t t e r d r a ma i n t h e h o u s e n e x t d o o r
t h a n t h e re is o n F if t h A v e n u e .

47 . A knowled ge o f l iteratu re ph i l osop hy an d a rt ,

will b roaden the outlook o f a w rite r an d w i l l p rove he l p ,

ful in gui din g h im in h is o w n c reative effo rts B u t i f he .

does n o t possess the wa rm hum an symp athy that comes

o f unde rstand i ng i f he does n o t know Life as we l l as b ooks
,

a b ou t l i fe i f he does n o t l i ve su ffe r and triump h with the

, ,

p eop le about him he will f ail t o convey thei r emotions

,

to the distant reader T h e plot sou rces I h av e su ggested

.

h ave insp i re d an d wi ll continue to insp i re c reative writers ,

bu t o n e must also stu d y dil i gentl y in the B ook Of Li fe o f

wh ich all othe r books a re on l y ch ap te rs .

Con l
c us o n i .

48 . I n all h isto ry in all hum an d rama in all le gen ds

, ,

an d fa b les we c an trace the com b in ations o f on l y thi rty

,

six d ram at i c situ ations D ram a results f rom these c o m

.

b in at io n s Ne x t to a know l edge o f L i fe an d a knowledge

.
,

Of the l ite ratu re i n which L i fe h as been reco rded an ,

acqu aintance wi th the fun damental d ramat i c s i tu ation is

o f p a ramoun t impo rtance T here i s n o t i me in th i s sho rt
.

sp ace to take u p this question an d he re the reade r shoul d ,

merely t ry to remembe r th at i n the v ast p ano ram a o f l i fe

f rom the p rehisto ri c myths to the l atest p roduct Of the
came ra the human d ram a h as b een the result o f mult i
,

f ario u s comb in ations o f th i r ty six un its -

.

49 . P lots a re eve ry w he re p lots o f a l l kin ds al l , ,

sh ap es all colo rs T ake y ou r choice an d set to wo rk

,
. .

T ry to m ake you r choice a good one an d then ap p l y you r ,

self to i ts developmen t in su ch a way th at th e fin i shed

wo rk wi ll m ake a d ram atic an d p leas i n g ap peal to you r
au dience .

0
[ ]
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