How to Write a Play

How to Write a Play

The Project Gutenberg EBook of How to Write a Play, by Various This
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Title: How to Write a Play Letters from Augier, Banville, Dennery,
Dumas, Gondinet, Labiche, Legouvé, Pailleron, Sardou, Zola
Author: Various
Editor: James Brander Matthews
Release Date: April 22, 2006 [EBook #18230]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO
WRITE A PLAY ***

Produced by Chuck Greif

How to Write a Play
CONTENTS

Introduction by William Gillette Letter from Émile Augier Letter from
Théodore de Banville Letter from Adolphe Dennery Letter from
Alexandre Dumas Fils Letter from Edmond Gondinet Letter by Eugène
Labiche Letter by Ernest Legouvé Letter from Édouard Pailleron Letter
from Victorien Sardou Letter from Émile Zola Notes by B.M.
1916 By Dramatic Museum of Columbia University

INTRODUCTION
The impression has always prevailed with me that one who might
properly be classed as a genius is not precisely the person best fitted to
expound rules and methods for the carrying on of his particular branch
of endeavor. I have rather avoided looking the matter up for fear it
might not turn out to be so after all. But doesn't it sound as if it ought to
be? And isn't a superficial glance about rather confirmatory? We do
not--so far as I know--find that Shakspere or Milton or Tennyson or
Whitman ever gave out rules and regulations for the writing of poetry;
that Michael Angelo or Raphael was addicted to formulating instructive
matter as to the accomplishment of paintings and frescoes; that
Thackeray or Dickens or Meredith or George Sand were known to have
answered inquiries as to 'How to write a Novel'; or that Beethoven or
Wagner or Chopin or Mendelsohn paused in the midst of their careers
in order to tell newspaper men what they considered the true method of
composing music. These fortunate people--as well as others of their
time--could so easily be silent and thus avoid disclosing the fact that
they could not--for the lives of them--tell about these things; but in our
unhappy day even geniuses are prodded and teased and tortured into
speech. In this case we may be more than grateful that they are, for the
result is most delightful reading--even tho it falls a trifle short of its
purpose as indicated by the rather far-reaching title.
There are no workable rules for play-writing to be found here--nor,
indeed, any particular light of any kind on the subject, so the letters
may be approacht with a mind arranged for enjoyment. I would be
sorry indeed for the trying-to-be dramatist who flew to this volume for

consolation and guidance. I'm sorry for him any way, but this
additional catastrophe would accelerate my sympathy, making it fast
and furious. Any one sufficiently inexperienced to consult books in
order to find out how to write a play will certainly undergo a severe
touch of confusion in this case, for four of the letter-writers confess
quite frankly that they do not know--two of these thereupon proceeding
to tell us, thus forcibly illustrating their first statement. One author
exclaims, "Have instinct!"--another, "Have genius!" Where these two
necessaries are to be obtained is not revealed. Equally discouraging is
the Dumas declaration that "Some from birth know how to write a play
and the others do not and never will." That would have killed off a lot
of us--if we had seen it in time.
One approaches the practical when he counsels us to "Take an
interesting theme." Certainly a workable proposition. Many dramatists
have done that--wherever they could find it. The method is not
altogether modern. Two insist upon the necessity of a carefully
considered plan, while two others announce that it is a matter of no
consequence what one does; and another still wants us to be sure and
begin work at the end instead of the beginning. Gondinet--most
delightful of all--tells us that his method of working is simply atrocious,
for all he asks when he contemplates writing a play is whether the
subject will be amusing to him. Tho that scarcely touches the question
of how to write it, it is a practical hint on favoring conditions, for no
one will dispute that one's best work is likely to be preformed when he
him self enjoys it. Sardou comes nearest to projecting a faint ray of
practical light on the subject when he avers that there is no one
necessary way to write a play, but that a dramatist must know where he
is going