text analysis - larrygleason.com  · web viewtext analysis. an overview. ... “no”); we can...

29
TEXT ANALYSIS WorkBook By Larry Gleason 1

Upload: voxuyen

Post on 25-May-2019

216 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

TEXT ANALYSISWorkBook

By Larry Gleason

1

Page 2: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

2

Page 3: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

3

Page 4: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

TEXT ANALYSISAn Overview

There are two methods of preparing a text for scene study or rehearsal: intuitive and analytical. The goal of this class is to help you merge the two. I want your intuitive side to be less of a gamble and more informed; rare is the actor who can wing it every time and come out smelling like a rose. Conversely, I want your technical work to help you get out of your head and better feed your emotional life; there is nothing more frustrating than watching a technical actor who doesn’t move us.

Most of this work is done before rehearsal begins and in its very early stages. Once you get into the text analysis groove you will find that you will get to the meat sooner--cold readings become easy and alive, first read-throughs make sense and your ability to get the work on its feet fast will increase. Then, as rehearsal progresses (and even in the run of the play), you will learn to go back to the text to fine-tune things once the director and other actors provide new stimuli and information.

Text analysis makes obvious how the playwright writes. Good playwrights have definitive styles. Through use of language, imagery and construction, playwrights load their plays with unique clues for you to mine and make your job easier. It is up to the actor to unearth these clues. These clues not only come from what your character says, but what other characters say to you and, often in scenes you are not even in, about you. The clues also come from what the playwright says about you (and the play) through the use of punctuation, scene descriptions and parenthetical clarifications. I want you to pay attention to all of the written text. This is a point of contention among teachers. Some ask you to cross out the playwright’s instructions leaving only that which is spoken and there is merit to that. For now, however, you must learn to take all that is given to you and use it (or not).

Text analysis also makes obvious what the playwright doesn’t write. We will learn to pay attention to that as well.

We begin from an historic point of view. Plays and playwrights have evolved since Greek times. Play construction has changed just as sure and as regular as the world of art, politics, science and society. Clues from William Shakespeare’s time are different from Anton Chekov’s. Tennessee Williams and David Mamet, though both considered contemporary playwrights, provide clues very, very differently. As we approach the present timeline, it is as if every playwright worth their salt has a complete language all their own that must be learned to get to the heart and spirit of their work.

Yet, thankfully, these clues are variations on a theme. Once we learn what basics are common to all playwrights, we can easily navigate the unique waters each playwright invites us to travel.

Suggested Books:

4

Page 5: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea (Why The Greeks Matter) by Thomas Cahill (Historical Theatrical Context)Respect For Acting by Uta Hagen (Building a character using the text) The Actor and His Text by Cecily Berry (Working with Shakespearean and Classical Text)Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary Vols. I & II by Alexander Schmidt (All of Shakespeare’s words defined and given context) AND/OR:Shakespeare’s Words by David Crystal & Ben CrystalPronouncing Shakespeare’s Words by Dale F. Coye (Correct pronunciation of names, places and his most difficult words.

See website, www.larrygleason.com, for more Shakespeare source and references books.

5

Page 6: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

What The Script And The Playwright Are Trying To Tell Us

In the aftermath of a fire the average person sees nothing but char that looks the same everywhere. He has no clue where to begin to understand what happened. But a trained person, like a fire inspector, immediately picks out all the clues as to source, method of ignition, direction of spread, speed, intensity and so on. When faced with a script the average actor sees only words and has no clue where to begin to understand what his character is about. But a superior actor with a trained eye picks clues out immediately and endlessly and therefore has more sources as to how to approach his role. As a result everything comes much faster—the source of his character, what ignites him, his direction or path in the play, his internal speed, his intensity of desire and so on.

Good playwrights are the creators of theatrical fire. They create their own textual styles and burn into their scripts clues how they want their plays and characters approached. In Shakespeare, the structure dictates where we will find the who-what-when-where-why -- it is all in the words. As we approach the modern era, more and more is delegated to stage directions and non-verbal descriptions. Still, we must ask and answer the same questions. No matter the script, no matter the playwright, we need to examine the text and compile the evidence given to us.

So let’s approach the script the way an audience encounters a brand new play. When the curtain goes up, an audience immediately starts asking questions, questions and more questions: Where are we? Who is that person up there? What is it that they want? How are they going to get it? What is in their way? Why is she wearing fuchsia? And so on. The idea of starting with a tabula rasa or a clean slate, like the average audience member, is appealing. Let’s start there.

Using our clean slate we must glean everything from what the playwright provides. Everything on the page is fair game when putting together a character and making acting choices. Below are four kinds of examinations we can do simultaneously as we analyze our scripts. They are grouped only for content and need not be asked in any particular order. However, in the end we should have answers for all our questions. Eventually we will be able to do this on the fly. But until we are very skilled in our examinations, we need to make a habit of jotting down our impressions as we read the play. Some impressions will remain constant; some will morph from scene to scene and even moment to moment. As we work, know that even the most revered actors of our time keep journals with this kind of thorough bookwork every time they approach a script of merit.

Notice that The Four Examinations ask questions from an all-encompassing point of view, before we take the side of one character or another. But if you are already cast and want to discover the play through one set of eyes these same questions can be asked simply by

6

Page 7: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

reframing them in the first person, i.e. Who am I? What surrounds me?

THE FOUR EXAMINATIONSExamination One -- The Characters

Quoting or referencing the text of the play, answer the following questions:

a) Who is this person? Who are these people? (Ages, professions, persuasions.)

b) Where are they? What surrounds them? What is their environment? (Geographically, physically, emotionally)

c) What time is it? (Year, season, day, hour, minute)d) What are their circumstances in the play? What are the

events at hand? How are the characters inextricably tied to these events?

e) What are the relationships in the play? (Familial, social, etc.)

f) What does each person need in the play? What does each person need at any given point in the play?

g) What obstacles are in each of their ways? Who and/or what is in their way?

h) What do they do in each scene to get what they need? What tactics do they use?

i) What does each character say about herself or himself? What do they say about others?

j) What kind of logic do they use? What is their outlook on life? What is the lens they use that colors their thoughts?

k) What is each character’s fatal flaw (or flaws)?And, if not now, then later as we return to the text for further impressions:

l) How does each character walk, talk, move and listen? What character traits for each character can be textually justified by fact or inference?

“Lear has charisma as well as a fatal flaw, which is that he can’t surrender his daughter to another man.”—Patsy Rodenburg

7

Page 8: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

Examination Two -- The PlaywrightThe playwright’s style of writing needs to be examined, too. We must know what we are dealing with. Is it melodrama, naturalistic, in verse, in prose? How we glean our facts will change according to style. The rules will be different in each case -- what is natural and real changes with each generation of playwrights, how silence and pauses are built into a script change from playwright to playwright. Yet we must ask the same questions. So unique are the voices today that we have coined names for certain styles, i.e., the “Pinter Pause,” “Mametspeak,” etc. Even a cursory glance at the way the text is printed on the page tells us we cannot treat one playwright like another. To help us, the following items should be examined. Again, let’s build a list of our impressions as they hit us. Don’t worry about each individual note we make, let’s just keep building our list. It’s the sum total of impressions we are after.

Quoting or referencing the text of the play, get a sense of the how the playwright uses:a) Imagery. Look for symbolism, repeated words and

references, moods, specific descriptions, metaphor and simile. What pictures does the playwright create?

b) Qualities/Substance of the Words. Is it poetic or plain speak? Terse or verbose? Short sentences or long? Do all characters speak similarly or are there differences? Does the quality shift from time to time? How so?

c) Writing Styles. How does the text look on the page? How does the playwright use punctuation? Commas, dashes, ellipses, periods, italics, etc. are used differently by each playwright to denote thought patterns, rhythm, speed, silence, pauses, overlaps, etc.

Examination Three--Movement In The Text The third examination is the Movement In The Text. The reason we speak is because there was a need created in the line or moment before (Reaction). We react because we find disagreement or discordance in what was said (the moment we say, “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never truly in absolute and perfect harmony with the other person, otherwise that would be the end if it. So we decide to alter or correct the other person (Change). We initiate that change using various means (Tactic). The whole process goes back and forth (Negotiation) until some resolution or common ground is found—or not.

If we think of each moment as containing these ideas, we will always be moving forward in our thinking. Text always moves forward, it never holds still. And remember, text includes both what is spoken and what is not spoken. This examination is best done through the eyes of each character, line by line, throughout the play.

Quoting or referencing the text of the play, find:a) What in each previous line does this character react to?

What word gives them the impulse?

8

Page 9: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

b) When do they begin to think “No” (or “Yes”)? When do they speak “No” (or “Yes”)? (The actual speaking of “No” (or “Yes”) is often delayed.)

c) What is the Change they need to enact?d) What Tactic do they use to enact it?e) Has anything changed as a result of their Negotiation?

Initially, this third examination may be best left for private homework. But as we become more and more adept, it will become second nature. Also, the refinement of “No” is constant in rehearsal. It should not be a static thing. But as you get closer to performance identifying the precise moments we say “No” (or “Yes”) will move you ever forward and bring you closer and closer to what happens in real life. The end result is a pace that will be neither too slow nor too fast. It will be life.

Examination Four--Textual Devices This final examination goes deeper, unearthing literary devices a playwright may be using to give richness to the text that is rarely obvious, but resonates profoundly. And being aware that the devices are in use gives the actor more choices to play. Whether we realize it or not, we use these devices in our everyday Tactics so that we get what we need moment to moment in our own lives. These devices are rarely used in a consistent, structured and deliberate way in contemporary plays, so you will spend much more time on this examination with classical texts.

Quoting or referencing the text of the play, find how the playwright uses:

a) Antithesis. This device compares and contrasts two (or more) ideas of opposite meaning in close proximity in the text.

b) Rhetoric/Argument. This device is very playable as a Tactic. A character seeks to win an argument through verbal means using a logic and skill unique to him. It usually requires no answer, is possibly declamatory and is often eloquent or artful in structure and power to persuade.

c) Word games, wit, puns and patterns. Sometimes playwrights cannot help themselves. A sense of humor or ulterior sense of purpose often rides alongside a play and colors the whole and is not purely derived from the character and situation. Yet these devices must be integrated seamlessly into our work for the play to succeed.

d) Rhymes, rhythms, meter, caesura, word sounds (onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, etc.) and other literary devices.

Ultimately, all text work is invisible. All stage work is visible. An audience must never see what is invisible.

9

Page 10: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

TEXT ANALYSIS PRESENTATIONS INSTRUCTIONSGroups 1A, 1B

Beginning in Late September/Early October two teams will present assigned plays from Circle’s reading list. Each team, consisting of one half the class, will research, put together, rehearse and present a 25-minute or less event in front of the class that will help us put into perspective different plays from different eras. There will be two presentations on the day they are assigned; you must share the 50 minutes. Spread the load. Equally. Everyone on the team must participate in each presentation. Switch off who contributes what with each presentation.

Presentations must include:

1) A synopsis of the plot, a description of characters and setting and a discussion of the themes of the play;

2) A biography of the playwright including their play resume;

3) A discussion of the playwright’s contemporaries and what was going on in theater while they wrote;

4) An Historical Timeline, a visual display providing the backdrop of the play: describing what was going on in each of the other major arts (painting, music, literature), sciences, politics/government (especially as it pertains to the playwright’s own country) and society;

5) A presentation of drawings, pictures, photos and other archival material to be shared with the class. Show what the actors would have worn, what the current styles in fashion were, what music was heard and, if they exist, visuals of actual productions;

6) A handout for the class that outlines # 1-5 above. (One or two sheets, back and front, 10 copies.) Include any unusual terms/definitions from your research that will clarify things for the class;

7) A short (less than five minute), well-rehearsed, but not memorized, staged scene from the play—feel free to use costumes, well-chosen props and music. Do not mock the material. Tell us briefly how the text was structured and how it was different from theater texts from earlier eras. You may carry a script, but NOT ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE OF ANY KIND.

A straight-on book report will not do. Present the facts, BUT! Don’t bore us. Entertain us. Be inventive. Be theatrical. Think interactive. Use the Internet (i.e. www.historicaltimeline.com). Use the Library of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Use The Timetables of History I provide for you in Colin’s office. Cheat, plagiarize, borrow. Use your iPods, CDs, Laptops for audio and visual displays. Use the costume shop. Use display boards to help illustrate major items like timelines.

10

Page 11: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

Each team will research, put together and rehearse separately. Each team must do a mock run of their presentations a day or two beforehand to be sure it will be completed in 25 minutes. Both presentations should use the first five minutes of class for setup time. You must begin by five minutes past the hour. Pare it down. Get to the point. Because classes are so tightly scheduled you can neither run over nor continue the following week.

What will be evaluated: Content, teamwork, and ability to follow instructions/directions, inventiveness, and your presence as an individual and as an actor.

11

Page 12: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

3rd Week Autumn

Group 1A

Group 1B

Classic Greek 1st team LysistrataAristophanes

1st team OedipusSophocles

ElizabethanRenaissance

2nd team MandragolaMachiavelli

2nd team Duchess of MalfiWebster

5th WeekAutumnNeo-Classicism 1st team The Learned

LadiesMoliere

1st team El CidCorneille

Restoration 2nd team She Stoops To ConquerGoldsmith

2nd team The Way of The WorldCongreve

7th WeekAutumnEarly 19th Century

1st team WoyzeckBüchner

1st team Faust(part 1)Goethe

Late 19th Century

2nd team Riders To The SeaSynge

2nd team Dance of DeathStrindberg

TEXT ANALYSIS Autumn Presentations Schedule

12

Page 13: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

TEXT ANALYSIS ROUNDTABLE Autumn

One-act plays by Tennessee WilliamsWe’ll sit in a circle, texts in hand, and slug our way through an assigned play. The first texts from which we will be working are found in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and other plays by Tennessee Williams. Each section will be assigned one of the following one-act plays for in-class analysis:

1) The Long Goodbye –Group 1A2) Talk To Me Like The Rain--Group 1B

Preparation should include purchase of the compilation 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and other plays (which contains both plays) and a detailed examination/reading of your assigned play. Use your journals as a place where you will produce your work both at home and in class. You must bring in your journals every Text Analysis class.

Although you will be assigned only one play for the roundtable discussions, you should read both plays. Upon completion of your assigned play you may be asked to write a one-page essay on how the other one-act is both similar and dissimilar, using the analysis techniques learned in the roundtable discussions.

More One-act plays If there is time in November and December:

We will work from A Number by Caryl Churchill. You must secure your own copy. You may purchase this play from any drama book source like The Drama Book Store. There will also be a copy available for download and printing on www.larrygleason.com. If you download the play, please make physical printed copies. It is nearly impossible to score and mark up text on an iPad or similar device. This text is useless on an iPhone or similar smart phone.

13

Page 14: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

14

Page 15: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

15

Page 16: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

16

Page 17: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

17

Page 18: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

18

Page 19: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

DRAMA DESK Winners in Bold

2000Copenhagen by Michael Frayn Contact with the Enemy by Frank D. GilroyDinner with Friends by Donald MarguliesDirty Blonde by Claudia ShearJitney by August WilsonThe Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch

2001Proof by David AuburnBoy Gets Girl by Rebecca GilmanComic Potential by Alan AyckbournThe Invention of Love by Tom StoppardLobby Hero by Kenneth LonerganThe Unexpected Man by Yasmina Reza

2002The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? by Edward AlbeeMetamorphoses by Mary ZimmermanFranny's Way by Richard NelsonThe Shape of Things by Neil LaButeThief River by Lee BlessingTopdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks

2003Take Me Out by Richard GreenbergBuick by Julian SheppardOur Lady of 121st Street by Stephen Adly GuirgisPeter and Vandy by Jay DiPietroTalking Heads by Alan BennettYellowman by Dael Orlandersmith

2004I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright The Beard of Avon by Amy FreedThe Distance from Here by Neil LaButeHumble Boy by Charlotte JonesMoby-Dick by Julian RadThe Tricky Part by Martin Moran

2005Doubt by John Patrick ShanleyDemocracy by Michael FraynPentecost by David EdgarThe Pillowman by Martin McDonaghSailor's Song by John Patrick ShanleySin (A Cardinal Deposed) by Michael Murphy

19

Page 20: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

2006The History Boys by Alan BennettDedication or The Stuff of Dreams by Terrence McNallyThe Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonaghNo Foreigners Beyond This Point by Warren LeightThe Pavilion by Craig WrightStuff Happens by David Hare

2007The Coast of Utopia by Tom StoppardThe Accomplices by Bernard WeintraubBlackbird by David HarrowerFrost/Nixon by Peter MorganRadio Golf by August WilsonSome Men by Terrence McNally

2008August: Osage County by Tracy Letts Dividing the Estate by Horton FooteFrom Up Here by Liz FlahiveHorizon by Rinde EckertIntimate Exchanges by Alan AyckbournRock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard

2009Ruined by Lynn NottageBecky Shaw by Gina GionfriddoBody Awareness by Annie BakerFifty Words by Michael WellerLady by Craig Wrightreasons to be pretty by Neil LaBute

2010Red by John LoganCircle Mirror Transformation by Annie BakerClybourne Park by Bruce NorrisHappy Now? by Lucinda CoxonMy Wonderful Day by Alan AyckbournNext Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts

2011War Horse by Nick StaffordA Bright New Boise by Samuel D. HunterA Small Fire by Adam BockBengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv JosephGood People by David Lindsay-AbaireThe Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly GuirgisOther Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz

20

Page 21: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

2012Tribes by Nina RaineThe Big Meal by Dan LeFrancBy the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn NottageChinglish by David Henry HwangCompleteness by Itamar MosesThe Lyons by Nicky SilverUnnatural Acts by Members of Plastic Theatre

2013Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher DurangThe Assembled Parties by Richard GreenbergBelleville by Amy HerzogFalling by Deanna JentFinks by Joe GilfordThe Flick by Annie BakerSorry by Richard Nelson

2014All the Way by Robert SchenkkanCore Values by Steven LevensonDomesticated by Bruce NorrisThe Explorers Club by Nell BenjaminThe Night Alive by Conor McPhersonOutside Mullingar by John Patrick ShanleyRegular Singing by Richard Nelson

2015The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon StephensYou Got Older by Clare BarronAirline Highway by Lisa D'AmourThe City of Conversation by Anthony GiardinaBetween Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly GuirgisMy Manãna Comes by Elizabeth IrwinLet the Right One In by Jack Thorne

2016The Humans by Stephen KaramThe Christians by Lucas HnathJohn by Annie BakerKing Charles III by Mike BartlettThe Royale by Marco Ramírez

2017Oslo by J. T. RogersIf I Forget by Steven Levenson,

21

Page 22: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

Indecent by Paula VogelA Life by Adam BockSweat by Lynn Nottage

2018Admissions, by Joshua HarmonMary Jane by Amy HerzogMiles for Mary by The Mad OnesPlaces & Things by Duncan MacmillanSchool Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh

Sorry these are out of order. Some are not precisely since the year 2000, but I include them as they are very recent in feel. Many plays students have brought to my attention and worked on since 2015 in Workshop when I asked them to concentrate on plays from 2000 to present.

Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl. In The Next Room or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl. Parallel Lives by Gaffney and Najimy. Completeness by Itamar MosesThe Four Of Us by Itamar MosesKiller Joe by Tracy LettsBug by Tracy LettsAugust Osage County by Tracy Letts Belleville by Amy HerzogI See You Have White Horses by Peter DeeCockeyed by William Missouri DownsThe Coast of Utopia part one Voyage; part two Shipwreck; Part three Salvage by Tom StoppardRock 'n' Roll by Tom StoppardPlays by Yazmina Reza including Art, The Unexpected Man, Conversations After a Burial, Life x Three, God of Carnage.And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little by Paul's Zindel13 Hands and other plays by Carol ShieldsWhere Is My Money? By John Patrick Shanley13 by Shanley by John Patrick ShanleyYou Can Count On Me by Kenneth LonerganI Have Before Me A Remarkable Document Given To Me By A Young Lady From Rwanda by Sonja LindenThe complete plays of Theresa Rebeck volumes 1,2 and threeThe complete plays of Patrick MarberRed by John LoganIn Love and Warcraft by Madhuri ShekarReally Really by Paul Downs ColaizzoMickey and Sage by Sara FarringtonDisgraced by Atad AkhtarConstellations by Nick PayneGruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv and Joseph

22

Page 23: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

Jailbait by Deirdre O'ConnorThe Pillowman by Martin McDonaghThe Beauty Queen if Leenane by Martin McDonaghAll plays by Neil Labute including Fat Pig, This Is How It Goes, Bash, Autobahn, The Shape of Things, Some Girls, Reasons To Be Pretty Dog Sees God by Bert V RoyalWhere We're Born by Lucy ThurberBe a Good Little Widow by Becca BrunstetterVenus in Fur by David IvesMirror Mirror by Sarah TreemTime Stands Still by Donald MarguliesHonour by Joanna Murray-SmithWin Lose or Draw by Ara Watson and Mary Gallagher The Dream of the Burning Boy by David West ReedBlack playwrights contained in the book Best Black Plays edited by Chuck Smith, including Sundown Names and Night-Gone Things by Leslie Lee, Ma Noah by Mark Clayton Southers, The Diva Daughter is Dupree by Kim EuallBlack Comedy: Nine Plays edited by Pamela Faith Jackson and KarimahBlack Theater USA from 1935-today edited by James V. Hatch and Ted Shine

23

Page 24: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

Sonnet Text Work

You may need several copies of the sonnet as you work so that text makings remain readable. Definitions for terms used below can be found in “Words and Phrases For Shakespeare Class.” For a more comprehensive look at these questions go to the Text Analysis page on www.larrygleason.com and watch the PowerPoint presentation called “Text-Sonnet Text Work.”

Mark quatrains. Are they in perfect form or against form? Note where

they are against form.

Mark the sentences. How many main ideas? Enumerate them. Are there enjambments? Mark them.

How does it scan? Do a scan. Force it into ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ (short, long, short, long, etc,) Is the scan regular (forcing it is easy)? To help it stay

regular, can any words elide? Where is it irregular (it can’t be forced, creating long

lines, feminine endings, trochees, etc.)? Mark them.

What is the rhyme scheme? Are there visual rhymes as well as aural rhymes?

What words are repeated? From these repeated words can we extract our Theme or Themes? What is the Theme?

What words, phrases or images are put into Antithesis (comparison/contrasts)? Mark them, connect with lines.

Do you know all the words? If not look them up and get a definition.

Can this sonnet be broken up into a beginning, middle and end? What is the proposed issue? What is the debate? What is the conclusion?

Who is the speaker? Who is the speaker speaking to? What is the relationship? What’s right in the Relationship? What’s wrong in the Relationship?

24

Page 25: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

What does the speaker hope to accomplish? What does the speaker need to change?

What is the time frame? Past, present, future.Are there ideas that contain parenthetical thoughts (momentary digressions or explanations) other than what Shakespeare spells out (actual parentheses) for you? Mark them.

Once marked, can you drop them out and still make sense of the idea at hand?

Where is the major tonal shift in the sonnet? Mark it.

What kind of images are conjured? Quoting the original text, pick out each image, then

describe that same image in your own words. Are there lists of images? Are they cumulative—pieces that build to a bigger, more

substantive whole? Are they in opposition to each other creating an internal

debate?

Sonnets are witty word games. Treat it like an acrostic or crossword puzzle, (etc.).

What word games are there (punning)? Mark them. Are there lists such as verb lists? Noun lists? Other word

lists? Mark them. Are there internal vowel sounds in close proximity to each

other repeated (assonance)? Are there consonant sounds in close proximity to each

other repeated (alliteration)? Are there words that are, through imitation of their sound,

rhetorically effective? (onomatopoeia)?

Is there Old English, Elizabethan or difficult syntax? Mark it. How can you rearrange word order to help with the

sense?

Where can we use caesuras to help us phrase things better? Mark your caesuras.

Once the sonnet has been thoroughly examined: What is the moment before (30 seconds or less prior to the

first spoken word)? What happens after the sonnet is through (immediately

after the last word)?

• Create an event that spurs the first line: i. e., the prison doors just slammed.

25

Page 26: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

• Create an event that lingers after: i.e., I curl up in a fetal position and sleep.

• Then prepare your sonnet so that you are speaking to someone. Create a scenario where your sonnet might exist including the moment before and the moment after.

For a more in depth discussion to help you answer these questions please use the companion PowerPoint demonstration called Text-Sonnet Text Work.

26

Page 27: TEXT ANALYSIS - larrygleason.com  · Web viewTEXT ANALYSIS. An Overview. ... “No”); we can also find agreement and concordance (the moment we say, “Yes”), but we are never

27